Archive for January, 2009

31
Jan

Where’s that post SJ?!

   Posted by: Skeleton Jack    in Coming Soon, Fun

Heya guys!!  Uhm…so uh…ever heard of a game called Braid?  OMFG, check out this excerpt from Wiki…

Upon its release onto the XBLA, Braid met with a very positive response from critics with an average review score of 93% at Game Rankings, with 1UP grading it an A+, and Eurogamer scoring it 10/10. Team Xbox gave it a 9.1/10 and GameSpot gave it a 9.5, making it the highest rated downloadable game in the site’s history. IGN gave it an 8.8, citing its lack of replay value and short length. Nearly all the reviews praised the game for its innovation and unique art style, and sweeping musical score, while Eurogamer was “astonished” that it creates “an abstract emotional response” all “within the confines of a 2D platformer.”[15] Braid is currently the highest rated Xbox Live Arcade game on review aggregator website Metacritic, with a score of 93%.[23]X-Play named Braid “The most original game of 2008″. Braid was purchased by more than 55,000 people during the first week of release.[24]

Crazy reviews right?!?  I went to go pick up my movie…and my buddy tells me, “You have got to check out this game.”  The graphics were SNES reminiscent, aka retro (not cutting edge), but the game play astounded me.  I’ve always loved puzzles.  The next thing I know I’m playing the game for about 1 1/2 hours and through the first two worlds ready to go for more…till I saw the time!!  Doh!!  So much for free time at home.  Did I forget to mention part of this game involves player controlled time travel!?!?!  /FUN

I’ve got to get ready and get in touch with my buddy Mythra from Bronzebeard (rl friend).  Think I’m going to go over to his place and watch My Name is Bruce to give my roomie Garroc (also from BB) some “alone” time with his girl who is coming over tonight it seems.  *wink* *wink* *nudge* *nudge*

So due to giving Garroc some private time, I’m not sure if I’ll get a lot of writing time in front of my computer this evening.  But if not, I will be back!!  I can “feel” that writing bug again.  Not sure if you can understand what I mean unless you are a writer yourself…but I got some things I *want* to do now.  ;)

If you have an XBOX (I don’t) then I HIGHLY recommend BRAID!!!  My buddy paid all of $15 for it.  Hell, I’d pay that money just to play it at someone else’s house!!

-Suffer Well Brothers and Sisters.

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31
Jan

Sunday, Sunday, Sunday!!

   Posted by: Skeleton Jack    in Coming Soon, Fun

Heya guys!!  Yeah, yeah…I know it’s Saturday.  :P   I’m getting into my “Sunday spiel”…sheesh.  So I’ve got a project for today.  Hardcore vs Casual Gamers.  Why?  Well part of it will give you an insight into me, SJ.  Also part of it will actually allow you to see things about the game WoW itself.

Blizzard spends a great deal of time trying to balance the game around how their players play their game now, instead of just making a great game like they once did.  Yes, I said it.  WoW design philosophies originally were about making a great game and about their players.  You could almost imagine it as a sliding bar.  The further it got to one side, the more weight that side would carry on decision making processes.  The only difference now is that the bar has slid over to the player base and away from making a great game.

I’m going to give you guys some insight into the types of players in wow, the market, the economy even, and more.  And even a look into me, SJ.  But for now…I’m going to get some pirated movies!!  o.O

I know, I know…bad SJ.  Bad!!  But look, if I see a pirated movie…and I like it.  Then I go see it in the theatres…  I’m a HUGE FAN of the silver screen here guys.  Major movie buff.  And the fact is, there is nothing like seeing a flick on the silver screen.  It looses something in the translation to DVD (unless you’re stupidly rich like my friend’s dad who converted his son’s old room into a movie theatre…  /drool).

So anyways…I am going to be watching My Name is Bruce.  This would have been hand delivered to me on Sunday when I went to go give rides for my game.  But no!  No I say!!  NO ONE IS DENYING ME MY BRUCE CAMPBELL!!!!!  OMFG HE IS DA MAN!!!!  If you remember him from such greats as Evil Dead and Army of Darkness, he even had a spot as the wrestling announcer in Spider Man.  Though now he is one of the co-stars of Burn Notice.  An AWESOME TV show that I highly recommend.

But I’ve got to go pick that bad boy up!!  So I’ll be writting to you guys later on.  I promise.  ;)

-Suffer Well Brothers and Sisters.

P.S.  I’ve got some definitive plans to get back into specs, rotations, and more for you guys.  Don’t worry.  I’ve not forgotten.  I will likely revamp the Specs/Rotations starting next week after a few more Naxx25 results filter in.  :)

P.S.S.  Part of the upside of me taking a break and letting some of the burnout wear off?  I’m actually getting excited about writing again and looking forward to doing some testing for you guys!  ;)

P.S.S.S  You should never pirate movies, or even do like me and take one from a friend.  It’s bad ok?  But when it comes to Bruce I just can’t wait for it to release I’m sorry.  :(   They made this damn movie like 2 years ago!!  You can’t ask me to wait anymore!!  /whine

P.S.  This is what part of the alphabet would look like if Q and R were eliminated.

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29
Jan

SJ Originality

   Posted by: Skeleton Jack    in Website

Heya guys!!  One little topic to point out.  A lot of my initial work in the first month or two about DK’s was original thought.  I broke down a lot of info about Unholy for example, and came up with a great deal of information about DK’s all on my own.  As time progresses and things expand however this will not always be the case.

Such examples as the disease-less Blood spec, the Frost spec using 6 IT’s on the second rotation, and using Unholy Presence over Blood Presence are things I personally did not come up with.  “Back in the day” I used to test rotations and tricks and all kinds of crazy stuff in other games like City of Heroes, but I’m a bit more laid back now.  After nearly 4 years of playing WoW I’m pretty burnt on it in a lot of ways.  And unlike my first year where I used to truly theorize and test things as a Fury Warrior on Elorien, those days are not as prevalent any more.

So please, please, please be aware.  I do not claim to have come up with all of the information that I list on my site.  I do however interpret it and change information I find, often putting a twist on it or modifying in ways that will make it better or more useful.

In some ways you can think of me as the middle man who goes out and does all of the grunt/leg work and then transforms everything into a nice finished product for you guys.  ;)

-Suffer Well Brothers and Sisters.

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29
Jan

Where’s SJ?!?! Gaming??

   Posted by: Skeleton Jack    in /rl, Fun

Heya guys!!  We’ll I’d be kind of lying if I said I was busy as hell.  But there is some truth to it.  I have been working every day and been spending lots of time with my new kitten Shadow.  But also there has been that WoW burnout I was talking about before.  So I’ve been making a point of taking some time off of research, blogging, and even just playing WoW.  I’m really not sure when the last raid was that I went on.  It’s been about 2 weeks probably now.  Which for me is pretty insane since I used to raid 4-6 nights a week guaranteed.

Why no pics of Shadow yet?  I don’t own a cell phone.  I don’t have a need for one really.  And then I don’t have a digital camera either.  So basically I’ve been procrastinating about borrowing my roomie’s cell phone to get some pics.

What else have I been up to?  Working on a D&D campaign.  Yeah, that’s right.  Dungeons and Dragons!!  I play pen and paper role playing games.  Hell, that’s how I got into this business.  I got started playing Gamma World back when I was 10 years old but that fizzled out quickly.  Not a lot of 10 year olds in the 80’s who were into gaming.  :P   I tried getting into gaming when I got a lil bit older, but my mom thought it was “the devil’s work”.  /sigh

It wasn’t until I was a Sophmore in high school before I got back into it all.  They had a “Gaming Society” dedicated to students who wanted to play role playing games.  Which I would have never imagined something like in a high school in the 1990’s…but hey.  Stuff happens.

I’ve run several campaigns (stories) in multiple genres from table top to Live Action in addition to playing.  I’ve also played in basic LARP’s such as Masquerade all the way up to things like SOLAR where you run around in the woods all weekend long swinging foam padded pvc pipe at people while hurling “magical” birdseed.  Yup.  I’m a true gamer folks.  :P

Not sure what SOLAR is because the link requires navigation…I used to play a Gypsy healer.  Yeah, yeah, yeah…  I know.  Me?!?!  A HEALER!?!?!?  Nowairite!!?!?!  Playing a healer in a LARP is a totally different experience.  You are actually in the fight and when other people see you healing the people they are beating down, they don’t follow some “agro chart” and ignore you.  People HUNT you down and try to kill you.  You have to be quick on your feet, stealthy (yeah, a stealthy healer in a LARP is a living healer :P ), and really know how to use your spells well.  It was wicked fun actually.

But you wanna know how I lucked out?  TONS of girls like to play scantily clad Gypsies.  And I was the only dude.  Yes, that’s right.  I had no idea when I first picked my race from home, but as it turns out dude’s never play gypsies for some reason…  This is the SOLAR photo gallery, but here’s a few pics for you too:

And to give you guys an example of how far people go to be in costume…here is an example of some undead (you know what those look like) and some Stone Elves (appearace is elven but with white skin and marble like veins on their skin).

How die hard of a gamer was I?  For about 2 years I drove from New Orleans to Atlanta one weekend out of the month (once or twice two times in a month) just to play.  I had an entire wardrobe of costuming, and even sold drinks in game as “fake” wine (no alcohol allowed) going and getting wine bottles from restaruants to use.  I eventually moved up there for a year (keep in mind Atlanta was always my second home as my dad lived there) and moved in with three people I met playing SOLAR.  ATL being my second home did of course influence that choice…but then my ex-fiance and I breaking up probably had something to do with that too, heh.

So right now I’ve been working on a table top campaign for D&D (epic campaign for those who know what that means) 4th Ed.  Which is taking some work since I am expanding the rules set somewhat to incorporate a more “epic” feel to the game.

I originally started up this post as well because I thought it’d be quick.  But I’ve been on this one for about an hour now, lol.  Looking up old SOLAR pics, reminiscing, looking up links…rofl.  Ah well.

Also, I made another “Skeletonjill” on Rexxar due to an online friend who’re pretty frickin’ Creepy, but we like her anyways.  I must warn you guys though, last time I looked her photo had lots of stairs in it.  I think she must be related to some Resto Druids somehow…  >.<

Will I play it much?  Who knows.  I’ve barely played that Horde toon, or even SJ for that matter.  /shrug

For those sitting there going:

“Damnit!!  I really wanna know how all of those specs work!!”

To be perfectly honest with you guys, giving this stuff another week to settle down is more benefical to you guys than you can imagine.  Basically I’m letting tons of other players test out amazing new tricks and report back their findings.  And considering people can only do Naxx25 once a week, waiting to let people have 2-4 weeks of practice with new specs really is reqired to get solid info.

And as always, I absolutely INSIST on making sure I can stand by information I tell you guys so that it is solid.  :)

-Suffer Well Brothers and Sisters.

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27
Jan

SJ /AFK Returns to Comment Bombardment!!! /DODGE!!!

   Posted by: Skeleton Jack    in Coming Soon, Specs

o.O

Phew!!  Heya guys!!  Sorry, had to peek first.  Didnt’ wanna get nailed by another comment from ya’ll!!  :P   Heh.  So I come back and BAM!!!  Comments everywhere!!  Lots of people wondering about this new post and all of the specs.  I have not even opened my E-mail yet.  /shudder  I’m sure that’s gonna be full as hell…

/sigh

Actually…now I have to know.  Wait one second…

Back!!  Yup.  26 E-mails, 19 unapproved comments, and then another 12 more pre-approved comments.  LOL, you guys wonder sometimes why I mass answer E-mails in Blog posts…that’s why!!!  :P

Who wants a random laugh?  I do, I do!!

Right, I feel much better about myself now.  Heh. 

So time to get to business?  Sure!!  Sounds good.

Basically when I started doing write ups for the new “best specs” of 3.0.8 I realized that it was impossible to know the ONE best spec per each major category.  Too much changed, and quite honestly a lot of new spec discoveries are being made.  Such as a disease-less spec and an Unholy Presence Spec as well.  So it was time to stop and rethink things

As things currently stand, my personal opinion is that the vast majority of players would be fine with any spec that yields over 5k potential dps.  While some may like the weird side specs that do less, they are not in the majority nor is that something I even wish to spend time researching.  So our focus shifts.

I’ll be going back through each spec and breaking them down for you guys.  We’re going to talk about the talent choices, appropriate Rotations, Glyphs, Sigils, and more.  I’m going to expain to you why these specs work, and also potential variants that you may find useful.  In the end its up to you whether you decide to use what I provide.  I can only attempt to make it palatable and easier to understand.  ;)

My next priority is to do my next BISI post, and then immediately go back to the 0/33/38 spec, which still appears to be the number one DPS spec for DK’s in 3.0.8 patch.  After that, I’m going to either dive into the Unholy Presence spec or the disease-less spec.  Simply because they are the most “out there” specs available atm, making them a bit more interesting if you ask me.

For those wondering, the kitten’s name has been decided btw.  I named her “Shadow”.  I thought it too cliche at the time until I realized I couldn’t think of anyone I knew who ever named their pet that.  She’s a long hair kitten with a dusky grey coat.  She’s got a slight bit of whitish grey on her nose and then some white on her chest, and she is adorable.  *HUGE GRIN*  The name is a three fold one.

  1. She follows me like she is my shadow.  We’ve bonded!!  Though she gets irritated if I roll over in my sleep…but we won’t talk about that incident…  >.<
  2. She’s the color of a shadow.  One time while wearing a charcoal colored T, I was carrying her in my arms and until she meowed at my roomie he didn’t even notice she was in my arms she blended in that well.
  3. She’s a FRICKING NINJA!!!  OMFG!!!  When she cuts loose she’s crazy.  Leaping insane distances, running faster that you could imagine, and vanishing in a heart beat.  It’s awesome.  One of my buddies came over on Sunday like usual before our game, and after about the 5th time she lost him he was like, “Holy crap, she got behind me again.  And I was just looking at her!!”  Hehe!!

I <3 my lil girl!!  Pictures forthcoming.

-Suffer Well Brothers and Sisters.

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26
Jan

New Specs, Rotations, Presences, and MOAR!!!

   Posted by: Skeleton Jack    in Specs

Heya guys!!  So this post is the start of what partially lead me to becoming so frustrated before.  But realistically, it’s all a good thing.  Tons of new options and toys for everyone to play with.  ;)

I don’t really have anything in depth atm, but I do have some peeks into our future for you.

 

5000 PLUS DPS SPECS

10/10/51 DW Spec

0/20/51 DW Spec (can swap out 5 points into Icy Talons if no Enhancement Shaman)

21/50/0 Frost 2H (Blood Pres OR Unholy Pres)

17/0/54 Unholy 2H

51/0/20 Blood disease-less 2H

51/0/20 Blood 2H

 

6000 DPS SPECS

0/33/38 DW Spec

 

Options, Rotations, and MOAR!!!

As you may have noticed, outside of 2H Unholy all of the specs have “variants” that can be used.  And honestly I may have missed 2-3 specs that are reportedly in the 5k+ DPS range.  As that is so, you can see the frustration in nailing down the top end best dps specs.

HOWEVER, the traditional 0/33/38 spec still owns all.  Shocked?  We’re not.  WTG BLIZZ!!!

/facepalm

I’m supposed to be raiding Naxx25 tonight, though I’m honestly beat.  So I’m not 100% sure that I’ll be going.  If I do I will likely be running traditional 2H Unholy to see what I can do with it.

But for now, this gives you some things to play with.  ;)   Oh.  What about me? 

Me?  I’m F’ING TIRED!!!  OMFG.  Ended up finally getting home last night around 3am…rolled into bed finally at like 4am.  Then I closed today, so I was at work later than normal.  And now?  I just wanna go sleepy.  :P   And I have to open tomorrow.  So I’m out guys!!  Have fun with the toys and I’ll catch you on the flip side!!

-Suffer Well Brothers and Sisters.

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24
Jan

Best Specs and Best Presences, etc… /sigh

   Posted by: Skeleton Jack    in Coming Soon, Questions

Heya guys!!  So I’ve been reading, and reading, and reading, and reading, and reading…  And I’ve been testing, and testing, and testing, and testing, and testing, and testing…

/scream

/sigh

Right, so I’ve been finding there’s not always a clear winner with every spec and rotation I try out.  Combined with the fact that Target Dummy testing is inherently flawed due to no buffs/debuffs, and the frustration ensues even more.

I decided to try lots of “alternative” testing since with 3.0.8 a lot of what was taken for granted may no longer hold true.  This lead to more frustration.  o.O

 

Unholy Presence vs Blood Presence

Well the jury isn’t quite a hung jury yet, but it’ll take its time deliberating for now on before a clear victor is decided each time around.  I did some testing with some specs and rotations and did find that Unholy Presence would win by 100-200 DPS at times.  Now this doesn’t make it a winner imo due to the lack of buffs and debuffs, but it means that it has more potential than it did before the patch release.

I’ve seen two Spec/Rotations where it’s possible that UP could win out.  This was for Blood and Frost.  However as this was only on a Test Dummy, I’m not convinced of the results.  Realistically there will not be a definitive answer for some time as it will take multiple players using both presences with the same gear and spec variations in order to determine a factual basis for making a final decision.

That being said however I still stand by my steadfast rule of BP before UP.  Scaling in raids and typical raid spec/rotations will almost always place this as the clear winner for DPS.  Further testing by the community at large will later tell us however if the Blood and Frost specs plying the use of UP can actually hold their own against the standard BP specs and rotations.

 

Best Specs for DK’s

All in all I break up specs for PvE DPS into 4 categories.  Blood, Frost, Unholy, and DW.  I find it’s simpler this way.  Now as I’ve been finding it is sometimes possible to generate nearly the same DPS results with two different specs in the same category due to RNG.  This makes it nearly impossible to determine the best possible specs available to each tree.

I’ve come around to the thinking that it may be best to simply determine the top 2-3 specs per category and list them with their caveats and benefits.  In the long run I think this will best aid you, the reader, as well.  It will give you a much more well rounded education on your spec choices as well as your class.

 

SJ getting Overwhelmed

Sometimes you find yourself “in the weeds”.  This is a restaurant term for when you are so behind and have to do so many things, it’s like being in a field of weeds so tall you can’t even see over the top of the weeds.  You’re running around with no idea where you are going, and you can’t see an end in front of you.  That’s how I feel atm.

Currently I spend sometimes about 2-4 hours a day working on this site (I consider research and testing to be working on the site).  And quite frankly that has become overwhelming on its own.  But then there’s more.

I’ve tried to take on too many topics without enough in depth research and testing for 3.0.8 all at once.  Hell, I’ve not even finished my Best in Slot Items posts yet.  So it’s time to take a step back and re-examine my priorities.  And quite honestly, it’ll only help me get you guys better information this way as well.  I was looking into tackling tank/pvp specs, while trying to top out DW and Blood, to only find some Frost info that I missed.  Then I didn’t even start Skeletonjill yet, and I remembered BISI too…

See what I mean?  My target will be to get a “preliminary DW” post up by Tuesday of next week for maintenance.  It looks like I will be doing a 25man Naxx on Monday, so I will hopefully be able to give you some DPS results as well.  I’m probably going to be Unholy like normal as I want to see what the changes will hold for us.  As to Sunday, I’ll be incognito as always.  Shocker, I know.  :P

Meanwhile I will try to be working on BISI posts as well and keeping you guys updated with whatever the current info on DK’s happens to be!! ;)

 

Blog Burnout

It had to happen eventually.  I’ve been cranking out 15-24 posts a week now for nearly 3 months.  Meanwhile spending roughly 15-25 hours a week on the website as well.  Heh.  I don’t regret it.  It’s been fun as hell.  But the fact of the matter is I need to step away from the plate from time to time, or one day I may just walk away forever.

I will not be posting incessantly like I’ve always done before guys.  Just a heads up now.  That isn’t to say I’m going away, or not writing anymore.  I just need to spend some more time playing WoW, working out, playing with my new kitten, hanging with friends, etc…  As things stand, I’ve still got big plans for Uludar.  Something you guys may hate or love…I’m not sure.  But it’s big either way.  You can FAIL BIG.  Hehehe!  :D

The quality of the posts will stay there, BISI will be completed, and I’ll still be around.  Just not around in an obssessive/compulsive way like I was before!! ;)

-Suffer Well Brothers and Sisters.

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23
Jan

Preliminary Blood Spec for 3.0.8

   Posted by: Skeleton Jack    in Rotations, Specs

Heya guys!!  So I was hoping to get something quick sorted out for you guys, but this is a bit more in depth.  So I’m giving you the preliminary specs to play with.  Hopefully I can nail this stuff down by the end of Saturday.

51/0/20

This is your basic new Blood spec.  The rotation is a tad bit weird.

OB -> IT -> PS -> HS -> HS  (Opening rotation never used again once this is started)

HS -> HS -> HS -> HS -> OB

IT -> PS -> HS -> HS -> HS -> HS

HS -> HS -> OB -> IT -> PS

You basically repeat the 2nd – 4th lines over and over.  The first line is only when starting off.  Always work in DC’s when you can.

 

51/0/20

This is your brand spanking new disease-less Blood spec.

HS -> HS -> OB -> OB

HSx6

Repeat these two lines, always using SD procs when possible.

 

51/13/7

What about the old tried and true?  This just doesn’t scale as well.  While it works, it doesn’t win anymore.  But it is still viable, just it won’t be the best.

 

Overall I am very unhappy with Blood so far.  It is GCD starved and struggles, imo, to play well.  Time will tell, but this spec does competitive 2H damage now in the 5k range.  Initially testing did about 2800 DPS on a Test Dummy for me (keeping in mind I did about 3k with both Unholy and Frost testing).  But the GCD starvation was so painful I doubt that I’d ever use this spec personally, except to toy with the disease-less one for giggles.

When I have more information, and can nail down some variables better, I will get a formal post up.  Since I’ve never really played Blood, part of the delay comes from me testing rotations and learning them.  The GCD starvation and my personal muscle memory are not happy with these new Blood rots.  Heh.

-Suffer Well Brothers and Sisters.

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23
Jan

Current research and the DW/Blood specs for 3.0.8

   Posted by: Skeleton Jack    in Coming Soon

Heya guys!!  I’m doing some research atm for Blood and it’s looking like I’ll have two specs (one with 2 variations) for you guys.  There doesn’t seem to be a clear winner atm, but I do have something interesting to note for you.  One of these specs is doing 5k+ DPS on Patchwerk without ever using one disease.  Pretty swanky eh?!?!  Don’t get too excited though as it’s likely Blizz will attempt to nerf this later on because DK’s “are supposed to use diseases.”

I have not delved into DW specs yet, but that’s mostly because I am sinking myself into Blood atm.  That being said however, don’t expect a new DW spec post until next week.  Since I cannot test this one myself, I want to wait until people have had at least 2 weeks of testing minimum in Naxx25 to see what is and is not working properly.

Also I will hopefully have some new data for you guys in the upcoming weeks on new and improved leveling specs and pointers for DK’s in the 3.0.8 environment.  I will be playing Skeletonjill some and plan to try out various specs and tell you what works well and why.

I’ll have a Blood 3.0.8 spec and rotation up later on this evening hopefully.  I need to get on WoW and do some testing still as I don’t exactly like some of what I’m reading about Blood.  But I can tell you already that most of what I have read and seen already indicates that Test Dummy testing (which is never reliable) is even less reliable than normal for Blood as it is much more heavily buff/debuff dependent. 

-Suffer Well Brothers and Sisters.

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22
Jan

Q and A time here on SJ!!

   Posted by: Skeleton Jack    in Questions

Heya guys!!  So with spending some time with my new kitten, I’ve managed to get quite back logged here on the site with comments and E-mails.  Heh.  So time to get to work eh?  ;)

Slave drivers…  I tell you…  :P

WTF does that picture have to do with DK’s, and do you have her phone number?

If I had her number I wouldn’t be sitting here writing for you guys.  I’d be in heaven and you guys could be damned for all I care, lol.  :P   As to why it’s here?  It made me laugh, she’s hot, and it skirts the NSFW line enough for me to post it without someone going, “Oh crap!!”  While they look over their shoulder to see if anyone is looking.  Heh…  ;)

What about Best Blood/DW Specs and Rotations for 3.0.8?

This is coming, I promise.  I did not expect 3.0.8 to release for at least for one more week.  I had intended to have the Blood, Frost, and Unholy posts prewritten.  But Blizzard jumped the gun, so I was left with my pants down.  >.<

What do you mean Blizz jumped the gun with 3.0.8 release?

Blizzard was not prepared to release 3.0.8, and anyone who follows their posts consistently could have seen the signs.  They released a lot of new things to the PTR with relatively little testing, a lot of undocumented changes went on (more than usual), and then when it released they bugged things out so poorly to have to disable WG and Arenas.  Not to mention their goof up on DK creations on servers you did not have a 55+ toon on. 

My guess is someone pushed for them to release it early, thinking it’d be fine so they could move on to 3.1 testing and Uludar.  And they also were probably hoping to stabilize the server with all of the instance lag, especially in Naxx.  Goes to show they should take their time like they usually do.

What is the highest 2H DPS spec possible?

ATM it appears to still be 17/0/54, but it seems like it’s not so much in the lead like it once was.  It is going to take at least a week or two of raid results to get a handle on which spec for 2H is taking the new lead, and by how much.

What about DW Specs?

I’m going to have to get back to you on that one.  I need to find more research.  Since I don’t have 2 solid 1H weapons, I cannot do any testing myself on this one and have to rely upon others.

Why not use HB over OB for 2H Frost specs?

At a casual glance a lot of the time it appears that HB might yield more damage than OB, so why do I tell you to prioritize OB before HB?  First off I’m talking about for ST (single target) encounters.  Also, did you bother to look at your crit rate in a raid?  Your spell crit is crap, and most top end Frost DK’s have their OB at least 30-40% more crit rate over HB making it the clear winner.  It is possible if you have a really crappy weapon HB might win until you get something decent.

Which Presence should you be in?

PVE = BLOOD ALWAYS.  END OF STORY.  For the love of God, how many times do I have to say this?

The new DW…SLOW/FAST or FAST/FAST still for weapon speeds?

Again, not sure yet guys.  This is going to take a little bit of research and testing to find out.

A good mod for tracking diseases you ask?

Did you bother looking at any of the sidebars on my site?  It just so happens I have a few links up there of mods that I /Approved.  That means I use them myself.  :P   Go check out Rune Watch.  It’s a modular mod that allows you to turn off everything but the disease tracker if you prefer.  Though I personally use the entire thing.  I likes it!!  :D

SO…the new Killing Machine means haste owns right?!!?

No.  KM works off of the PPM, or Proc Per Minute, mechanic.  This means that it procs it’s effect (buff) so many times a minute.  The way in which you increase this is by using instant cast attacks (which means Rune Strike would have no impact since it is on “next swing”).  Haste makes your effective weapon speed faster, therefor reducing your potential procs.  SLOW = good for PPM, while FAST = bad.

Yes that doesn’t make sense since Frost is the heaviest haste build.  Yes it is couterproductive.  Yes Blizzard was not thinking clearly when they redesigned KM.  It was a knee jerk reaction to the 7k DPS being put out by DW specs, so we’ll have to live with it for now until Blizz addresses things more fully.

DW Sigil

Now this one is easy.  Go get that new one from the Venture Company.  Sigil of the Frozen Conscience.

SJ’s personal Expertise/Hit

So someone finally checked my armory and called me out on having crappy Expertise…  >.<  Heh.  No I have not bothered capping out my personal Expertise yet, though I did Melee Hit Cap and I’m basically Spell Hit Capped in a 25man.  So why?

At first it was because I was lazy and didn’t want to regem after I realized how off I was.  Part of that was also due to me thinking my talent for Expertise didn’t show on the character screen (which it does).  So I was further off than I expected.  And also part of it was I was just going to upgrade gear and then swap out gems later.  End of story?  Basically procrastination, lol.  :D

AoE Rotation for Unholy

  1. IT -> PS -> Pest -> DnD -> UB
  2. SS -> BB -> BB -> SS

If your tanks are solid on snap agro then you can fire off DnD at the start of the encounter for more dps.  Also for some snap burst DPS you can Blood Tap for an extra Death Rune and fire off an additional BB.

BCB vs Necrosis

Which one is better?  Uhm…dunno?!?!  It should be Necrosis now, but without testing I cannot give you a definitive answer.

Was Jill smart and went Horde?

Yes.  Yes she is.  For those who don’t know, I’ve always been interested in the Horde.  In fact the character I thought would be my main was an Undead Rogue named Demorte.  So I made myself a female Blood Elf Death Knight.  I considered naming her Sally (Jack Skellington’s girl), but decided against it.  When I start actively playing her more, I’ll update you guys! ;)

So what about BISI for Tank gear?

Well I don’t know when that will be coming out.  However I have two amazing in game tools to aid you in selecting gear.  Tank Points and Atlas Loot Enhanced.  TP will tell you how much of an upgrade an item is, and has an in game calculator to tell you how much certain stats will help you with tanking.  Atlas is there so you can look up any item that you need to find.

What is your E-mail?

Skeleton.Jack@hotmail.com

What is your new kitten doing right now?!?!

She’s crashed out in my lap, making me find a new, weird position to sit in while working at the computer so I can ”accomodate” her needs.  :P   LOL, she’s awesome though.  When I watch TV on the sofa she climbs up on my shoulder and falls asleep there, it’s so amazingly cute!!  :)

-Suffer Well Brothers and Sisters.

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