First place I saw a level 40 Whammy ( level 40 Player in a 30-39 BG) was on the horde side for AB. There, a Horse was a big help in getting to the flag first and getting an early cap. That, and the other side SUCKING so badly. We mopped up with an early 1400 to 300 lead. After that, no advantage was gonna help them. It was in the bag.
Next place was at level 50 by myself. This is how it works. Players level up from 20-26, or from 30-36 to get to that prime range for PvP. Being green and taking on Red or Skull level opponents is suicide in a battleground. It drags your team down. It helps the other side when they can 2 shot your frail ass. You WANT to be in the upper 3 levels of a 40-49 battleground. On your LAST que in that BG you want to be level 50.
You join a battleground que. Do a turn in in Ogrimarr / Stormwind / or wherever. Level up. Train and put on your armor upgrades ( plate / Epic / whatever ). Then join the battle. I was throwing around my 41 point curse and destroying people who didn't see that I was level 50. 1500 points + Silence is just plain eeevil on a priest or druid. It hurts BAD. Even when it isn't cleansed off, that Unstable Curse hurts you.
Was a fun time. We won the BG. Borat says it's "NICE SEXY TIME".
Now the grind from 50-58.
Can it be exponentially as fast??
Monday, March 10, 2008
The well runneth dry
No more PVP at 48-49
Well, that's all the honor I'm getting at level 48. Honor grinding in low levels is ridiculous. At the level 10-19 bracket, players get 1 honor per kill. At the end of the match, you get 12 honor for a win and 4 honor for a loss. Grind all day and you'll get 300 honor.
At level 70, you get several hundred honor a match. Grind all day and you could reach the 20,000 honor cap. The numbers speak volumes. Sure there are Tier 6 geared players dominating Warsong. Sure the teams are deadly fast and vicious. Don't think that the PVP game is getting easier. Just the honor is getting easier. The rewards are getting easier. The Gladiator charity epics are getting easier.
So? I'm taking the High Road at 70 and going my part.
Sure I'll get eaten by the Level 70 Demigods of PvP. In time, I'll gear up and become one of them. Then it'll be an even exchange. I'm for that.
Grind all day for a couple hundred honor? Meh. I'd rather explore all the rest that level 70 endgame has to offer. PvP, PvE, and the stuff in between.
Well, that's all the honor I'm getting at level 48. Honor grinding in low levels is ridiculous. At the level 10-19 bracket, players get 1 honor per kill. At the end of the match, you get 12 honor for a win and 4 honor for a loss. Grind all day and you'll get 300 honor.
At level 70, you get several hundred honor a match. Grind all day and you could reach the 20,000 honor cap. The numbers speak volumes. Sure there are Tier 6 geared players dominating Warsong. Sure the teams are deadly fast and vicious. Don't think that the PVP game is getting easier. Just the honor is getting easier. The rewards are getting easier. The Gladiator charity epics are getting easier.
So? I'm taking the High Road at 70 and going my part.
Sure I'll get eaten by the Level 70 Demigods of PvP. In time, I'll gear up and become one of them. Then it'll be an even exchange. I'm for that.
Grind all day for a couple hundred honor? Meh. I'd rather explore all the rest that level 70 endgame has to offer. PvP, PvE, and the stuff in between.
48+ PvP grind
It's Not a grind. REALLY. It's fun. I can't say it isn't work.
Alliance opponents at 48 are smarter, better geared, and MUCH better organized. In Warsong Gulch, we've lost a couple times in a row. Even been dominated by coordinated teams farming the Graveyard for HKs while 7 others hid in the flag room waiting on an attack. Meanwhile, Offense can't get thru the 10 Alliance guys farming midfield for honor.
As far as AB goes, we win 75% of the matches. I've faced a few heavy hitters and taken a dirt nap, but that's been on those 5 on 2 assaults. Someone explain the fascination with taking the stables and leaving no one on Defense? If you can hem the Alliance into their GY and kill everything... Execute that plan. If you can't contain them, then dont' let a roaming pack of alliance get un-defended flags. The teams that coordinate defense WIN Arathi Basin. It's that simple. The "Zerg Reaction Force" isn't fast enough to re-take every flag. Even with mounts, you can't cross the battlefield and take the flag in 60 seconds.
AB By the Numbers
Massive Offense takes flags. Solid small Defense wins the game. Keep 3 to a flag on 3 flags. That leaves 6 people as a Zerg reaction force to harass and kill any roaming Alliance players on the BG Leader's command. If you want to run it slim, Leave 2 to a flag and keep 9 people as a Zerg unit. That unit better be able to take a 4th cap and harass the last base constantly.
Call em out. Two to Mines. Three from Stables to LM. One coming around LM to attack from behind. All these can be seen from the Blacksmith. Have a spotter. Keep a spotter at several locations. Rogues NEVER cross the whole battlefield in stealth. It takes too long. You'll normally see rogues + druids riding or running along before they hit your flag. They stealth up on the final approach. If you see a single shaman riding slowly, assume he has a rogue escort. Call them out.
Survival. If a large stealth squad hits your flag, Call how many INC and hold your ground. Not dying and keeping them off the flag is just as important as killing your attackers. Buying time, lets the available support come to your rescue. If the team decides that they deserted Stables to attack you, then you keep the 9 guys busy while your squad caps their "old base". This makes a 1 for 1 trade. Shitty, but you're the one guy they're willing to sacrifice. The longer you can keep them feared / kited / busy... the more time they waste killing you. Hopefully, your squad is using that time to get somewhere.
In Arathi Basin, it's all good. In Warsong, it's a toss up.
Vent. Ventrillo and Teamspeak. Frikkin marvellous. Typing out commands is great for a slide-show. Headsets are like Blue-Ray DVDs. Your reaction time is instant. The team moves faster when it's a pre-made bunch of guildies. No one questions orders. Everyone works to keep their buddies alive alot harder than they would complete strangers. We're not there yet. Still stuck in the stone-age with pugs below level 70.
Item buying.
Get as many tokens as you can and buy your level pvp gear or the next level above you. This way, as soon as you hit 48 or 58, you have your set pieces. Then, you're playing with the bonus immediately. I have the level 48 belt. I bought the L58 Belt & Boots from Arathi Highlands once I had the tokens. Then I bought the level 48 staff. Keep in mind quest rewards near level 58. The 2H caster quest staff form Hellfire Penninsula blows many Molten core epics away. Don't bother with a level 58 staff or 1H item. The defiler Lv 60 shoulders are geat. The shoudlers are 40 tokens ( easy ) and 8600 Honor. Eeeesh. That's alot of God-dammed honor.
The shoulders are great, but here's where logic goes astray. Level 58 Outlands greens are better than alot of level 60 Epic equipment. I may hold off on my 3rd set of Defiler's gear. It comes with a NICE +23 damage bonus being the 3rd piece. Still, there are some blue shoulders from Cenarion Expedition that rock socks for a long time. We'll see as we approach level 60. Let's grind out the 48s until the well runs dry.
Alliance opponents at 48 are smarter, better geared, and MUCH better organized. In Warsong Gulch, we've lost a couple times in a row. Even been dominated by coordinated teams farming the Graveyard for HKs while 7 others hid in the flag room waiting on an attack. Meanwhile, Offense can't get thru the 10 Alliance guys farming midfield for honor.
As far as AB goes, we win 75% of the matches. I've faced a few heavy hitters and taken a dirt nap, but that's been on those 5 on 2 assaults. Someone explain the fascination with taking the stables and leaving no one on Defense? If you can hem the Alliance into their GY and kill everything... Execute that plan. If you can't contain them, then dont' let a roaming pack of alliance get un-defended flags. The teams that coordinate defense WIN Arathi Basin. It's that simple. The "Zerg Reaction Force" isn't fast enough to re-take every flag. Even with mounts, you can't cross the battlefield and take the flag in 60 seconds.
AB By the Numbers
Massive Offense takes flags. Solid small Defense wins the game. Keep 3 to a flag on 3 flags. That leaves 6 people as a Zerg reaction force to harass and kill any roaming Alliance players on the BG Leader's command. If you want to run it slim, Leave 2 to a flag and keep 9 people as a Zerg unit. That unit better be able to take a 4th cap and harass the last base constantly.
Call em out. Two to Mines. Three from Stables to LM. One coming around LM to attack from behind. All these can be seen from the Blacksmith. Have a spotter. Keep a spotter at several locations. Rogues NEVER cross the whole battlefield in stealth. It takes too long. You'll normally see rogues + druids riding or running along before they hit your flag. They stealth up on the final approach. If you see a single shaman riding slowly, assume he has a rogue escort. Call them out.
Survival. If a large stealth squad hits your flag, Call how many INC and hold your ground. Not dying and keeping them off the flag is just as important as killing your attackers. Buying time, lets the available support come to your rescue. If the team decides that they deserted Stables to attack you, then you keep the 9 guys busy while your squad caps their "old base". This makes a 1 for 1 trade. Shitty, but you're the one guy they're willing to sacrifice. The longer you can keep them feared / kited / busy... the more time they waste killing you. Hopefully, your squad is using that time to get somewhere.
In Arathi Basin, it's all good. In Warsong, it's a toss up.
Vent. Ventrillo and Teamspeak. Frikkin marvellous. Typing out commands is great for a slide-show. Headsets are like Blue-Ray DVDs. Your reaction time is instant. The team moves faster when it's a pre-made bunch of guildies. No one questions orders. Everyone works to keep their buddies alive alot harder than they would complete strangers. We're not there yet. Still stuck in the stone-age with pugs below level 70.
Item buying.
Get as many tokens as you can and buy your level pvp gear or the next level above you. This way, as soon as you hit 48 or 58, you have your set pieces. Then, you're playing with the bonus immediately. I have the level 48 belt. I bought the L58 Belt & Boots from Arathi Highlands once I had the tokens. Then I bought the level 48 staff. Keep in mind quest rewards near level 58. The 2H caster quest staff form Hellfire Penninsula blows many Molten core epics away. Don't bother with a level 58 staff or 1H item. The defiler Lv 60 shoulders are geat. The shoudlers are 40 tokens ( easy ) and 8600 Honor. Eeeesh. That's alot of God-dammed honor.
The shoulders are great, but here's where logic goes astray. Level 58 Outlands greens are better than alot of level 60 Epic equipment. I may hold off on my 3rd set of Defiler's gear. It comes with a NICE +23 damage bonus being the 3rd piece. Still, there are some blue shoulders from Cenarion Expedition that rock socks for a long time. We'll see as we approach level 60. Let's grind out the 48s until the well runs dry.
Levelling thru 40
Whirlwind fast.
Getting from 40-48 was over in a heartbeat. That horse changes how you do things in HUGE ways. Distance to the next target, seconds now. Time between quest completion and returning to your quest giver, minutes. All this adds up to zero downtime.
Affliction Warlock with Improved Life-Tap, Improved Life-drain, and Dark pact? Yea. Free mana forever. I only stop to loot, skin, and mine. THAT'S IT.
As far as levelling up to 50 to get your felguard, meh. I'm sure its a powerful pet and able to crush foes with nary a thought. I still have two instant Fear spells, three Instant Dots, and 100% efficiency. I'm throwing away soul shards because I can't burn thru them fast enough.
The Badlands. 6 quests inside an hour. Made 2 levels there.
Fearalas. 3 quests .. Another level there.
Arathi Highlands. 4 quests... Another level.
I'm shipping materials and green items to my Level 10 warrior to put on the AH. WHY? His money is essentially mine. As a bonus, I don't have to return to a city, except to train. I just quickly log over and put up a stack of Iron ore, Mithril Bars, Mageweave, Coarse Stone, or some Gloves of the Eagle. A couple hours later, I log over, collect my gold, and keep grinding.
At 48, I'm poised with a couple Arathi Basin upgrades to hit the PVP brackets again.
Getting from 40-48 was over in a heartbeat. That horse changes how you do things in HUGE ways. Distance to the next target, seconds now. Time between quest completion and returning to your quest giver, minutes. All this adds up to zero downtime.
Affliction Warlock with Improved Life-Tap, Improved Life-drain, and Dark pact? Yea. Free mana forever. I only stop to loot, skin, and mine. THAT'S IT.
As far as levelling up to 50 to get your felguard, meh. I'm sure its a powerful pet and able to crush foes with nary a thought. I still have two instant Fear spells, three Instant Dots, and 100% efficiency. I'm throwing away soul shards because I can't burn thru them fast enough.
The Badlands. 6 quests inside an hour. Made 2 levels there.
Fearalas. 3 quests .. Another level there.
Arathi Highlands. 4 quests... Another level.
I'm shipping materials and green items to my Level 10 warrior to put on the AH. WHY? His money is essentially mine. As a bonus, I don't have to return to a city, except to train. I just quickly log over and put up a stack of Iron ore, Mithril Bars, Mageweave, Coarse Stone, or some Gloves of the Eagle. A couple hours later, I log over, collect my gold, and keep grinding.
At 48, I'm poised with a couple Arathi Basin upgrades to hit the PVP brackets again.
Friday, February 29, 2008
Flaming Death!!
Okay, so the Warlock Lv40 mount isn't as monumental as it would appear. Still, you can't stare a gift-horse in the mouth. Especially mine! The push from level 38 to 40 took ONE gaming session. PvP time builds up lots of bonus XP. After facing twinked-out bloodthirsty Alliance killers, yetis and ogres were no match whatsoever. Okay, so I did get crushed by some ogres in the castle, but the respawn rate in Alterrac ruins was pretty nuts. Also, I was trying to blaze thru the castle without pausing to drink/eat to full mana. The quest was orange and intended for a group. Still, dying wasn't anything new to this warlock. As long as I accomplished the mission. I died trying to train out of the castle, btw. Not a smart plan. Just that anxiousness to get to level 40.
Soon enough, I turned in the Crown of Will, 3 ogre heads, 1 human head, another ogre head, and some necklace for the final push to 40. A very grisly set of contents, but XP is XP. I can roleplay the Horde delivery boy.
I could have gotten some more PVP in before hitting 40. Even some more tokens accumulated. But this dude is tired of walking. It's a free horse and the spurs cost me 55 silver + some time with a guildie.
Now I'm riding in Style. The level 40 gear + Howl of Terror are a huge upgrade in PvE grinding. I also have Dark Pact for nearly unlimited mana. Gonna focus on level 40-48 grind now. 4000 Kills safely under my belt.
Soon enough, I turned in the Crown of Will, 3 ogre heads, 1 human head, another ogre head, and some necklace for the final push to 40. A very grisly set of contents, but XP is XP. I can roleplay the Horde delivery boy.
I could have gotten some more PVP in before hitting 40. Even some more tokens accumulated. But this dude is tired of walking. It's a free horse and the spurs cost me 55 silver + some time with a guildie.
Now I'm riding in Style. The level 40 gear + Howl of Terror are a huge upgrade in PvE grinding. I also have Dark Pact for nearly unlimited mana. Gonna focus on level 40-48 grind now. 4000 Kills safely under my belt.
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Brackets
Now I should try to get as many tokens as possible before moving up to the next rank in the Battlegrounds. Level 48-49 players are a tough lot.
Battleground difficultys change by level
10-19 Twink Heavy
20-29 Sparse ( AB Opens up )
30-39 Twink Heavy
40-49 Unknown
50-59 Unknown ( AV Opens up )
60-70 Top Bracket Very tough
Battleground difficultys change by level
10-19 Twink Heavy
20-29 Sparse ( AB Opens up )
30-39 Twink Heavy
40-49 Unknown
50-59 Unknown ( AV Opens up )
60-70 Top Bracket Very tough
- T4-T6 sets being used by raiding guilds
- S1-S3 Arena Sets used by full-time PVP players
3500 Kills -> 4k Kills
Yea. Back into the Lv38-40 bracket of PVP and the honor just flows like water.
The opponents hit harder. The twink gear is much better ( lv 35 + for all your juicy Outlands enchants ), and the players are much more experienced. I've had shamen rip me apart with dual mongoose and executioner on their axes. Also, the feared rogue duo stun-lock me into oblivion. Even had a hunter and his pet gun me down with Intimidation to seal the deal.
Dam I hate facing my own tactics for taking down a Warlock!
On the plus side, the opponents are harder. The victories are better earned. The fights are longer and I have more opportunities to inflict casualties. Fear and loathing among the Alliance. Yea. I'm down with that. Facing superior foes that just neutralize the Horde in WSG? Yea, we have our bad days too. All rogues and no healers. What can ya say? You're doomed to turtle and wait for the end.
Coordinating strikes in AB is also a great role that I get into. Not everyone listens, but I'm happy when ANYONE listens. As far as WSG, I'm willing to carry the flag and use potions to stay alive. I'll also escort someone else to the very end. I can jump into a crowd of enemy players to slow them down and give the FC time to escape. Fear and Curse of Exhaustion help lots.
Gear update. Better gloves and a Silver Spellthread enchant on my new pants. That boosts my +Damage to +70 with a big pool of STA and INT. Enough to stand toe-to-toe with most players.
Using a Spellthread enchant on legs makes your current gear MUCH better and the level 50 legs are only a few points better. So now the level 38 legs are set to last until lv 60 if needed.
Warlock Lore: OMG the freaking Spellstone Love! The tooltip LIES!! The item says its equipped but I always assumed it was in the offhand. Being a big 2H staff user, it wasn't much use. Then I tried it and the stone replaced my wand. OMG yes.
I had the Alliance flag and left the tunnel to face 6 casters that each put up 2 spells against me. In seconds I had 12 dots and no amount of heals would help me make it clear of the traffic jam. Click on the spellstone and POOF - I was debuff-free!
Tactics change: Howl of Terror at level 40 is a skill that would DEFINE the PVP Affliction lock role. Too bad I'd have to leave my bracket and move up again. Still, the next tier does come with a Free Horse. Gotta love a quick ride with flaming hooves. Pimpin!
The opponents hit harder. The twink gear is much better ( lv 35 + for all your juicy Outlands enchants ), and the players are much more experienced. I've had shamen rip me apart with dual mongoose and executioner on their axes. Also, the feared rogue duo stun-lock me into oblivion. Even had a hunter and his pet gun me down with Intimidation to seal the deal.
Dam I hate facing my own tactics for taking down a Warlock!
On the plus side, the opponents are harder. The victories are better earned. The fights are longer and I have more opportunities to inflict casualties. Fear and loathing among the Alliance. Yea. I'm down with that. Facing superior foes that just neutralize the Horde in WSG? Yea, we have our bad days too. All rogues and no healers. What can ya say? You're doomed to turtle and wait for the end.
Coordinating strikes in AB is also a great role that I get into. Not everyone listens, but I'm happy when ANYONE listens. As far as WSG, I'm willing to carry the flag and use potions to stay alive. I'll also escort someone else to the very end. I can jump into a crowd of enemy players to slow them down and give the FC time to escape. Fear and Curse of Exhaustion help lots.
Gear update. Better gloves and a Silver Spellthread enchant on my new pants. That boosts my +Damage to +70 with a big pool of STA and INT. Enough to stand toe-to-toe with most players.
Using a Spellthread enchant on legs makes your current gear MUCH better and the level 50 legs are only a few points better. So now the level 38 legs are set to last until lv 60 if needed.
Warlock Lore: OMG the freaking Spellstone Love! The tooltip LIES!! The item says its equipped but I always assumed it was in the offhand. Being a big 2H staff user, it wasn't much use. Then I tried it and the stone replaced my wand. OMG yes.
I had the Alliance flag and left the tunnel to face 6 casters that each put up 2 spells against me. In seconds I had 12 dots and no amount of heals would help me make it clear of the traffic jam. Click on the spellstone and POOF - I was debuff-free!
Tactics change: Howl of Terror at level 40 is a skill that would DEFINE the PVP Affliction lock role. Too bad I'd have to leave my bracket and move up again. Still, the next tier does come with a Free Horse. Gotta love a quick ride with flaming hooves. Pimpin!
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