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total noob problem here....HELP

I only had some standard sword... which broke (appears in red under my map).... however its dissapeared from my userbar and backpack so i cant take it to the blacksmiths to be repared... i dont have enough money to buy anything off them and no other weapons.

Actually. i do have something... Militia Quarterstaff or something like that? but i dont have the profiency to use it, whatever that means? i stupidly chose it after completing a quest only to realise i wouldnt b able to use it yet.

so, how can i get my hands on a weapon... or how can i get the proficiency to use my other weapon?

I tried asking for a trade with random people only to find i cant trade as i am still on my 10 day trial... i also dont have time to go and purchase the game until the weekend..

so what can i do in the meantime?

Im so mixed thoughts at the moment weathers im looking forward to this next patch followed up by WOLK, or I don't wont the patch to happen and things will stay the same in WOLK but we all know that wont happen :s ...

Reason I say that is because I was talking to some of my guild members last night and one of them was saying how this next patch 3.0 is going to fully screw over Wow, just because of all the things there doing in the patch will change the game face of this game completely. I have only a small part of the patch notes so I don't think I got to the part were this person was reading from but from what I gathered the changes are going to be to a whole new extreme but it is for the better..

Does anyone else feel unsure about this next patch or have any thoughts as to if its going to change the World (world of warcraft ) as we know it to be?

Also I was looking at some specs in the internet for my frost mage and it seemed when I was placing the points in that I was just stock piling them all into the frost tree :s hope this isn't going to turn out to be one of those specs which are just 0/0/61 :s

You should be looking forward to WotLK if you are still enjoying WoW. An Expansion adds alot of improvements to the game and can respark your enjoyment in area's which you otherwise ignored.

Alot of people said that WoW would end or be screwed over by TBC.. yet you're still playing it? Alot of people said Starcraft was just Orcs in Space and would fail.. alot of people say alot of things :) An expansion add's new things to the game, while it does slightly change the game.. its usually always for the better. For instance:

1. If you like PvP.. your getting a new area dedicated to it and the classes are being redesigned with TBC knowledge in mind to be more balanced (and loads of new imba spells to play with).

2. If you like casual PvE.. you're getting alot more fun with WotLK with the implementation of 10man versions of every raid instance, so no more 10man Kara farming.. your actually going to be able to progress and experience some nice fights. If your a casual PvE'er who likes the experience of 25mans, you're getting the best thing ever which was missed from TBC.. An actual learning curve. For instance (TBC as an example): Gruul = very easy, SSC/TK = medium, BT/MH = hard, Sunwell = even harder. Now you might say "hey its like that now.." but thats not how its always been, typically EVERY SINGLE INSTANCE is set to uber-hard mode on release and then nerfed down over time, this meant that casual's/new players could not experience content until blizzard nerfed it.. You can now progress from the second WotLK hits.

3. If you like Hardcore PvE (25man) your getting what you wanted. Blizzard are changing the class mechanics to stop the class stacking, so no more calling raids off as you dont have 5 shamans online (or whatever).. or not doing progress raids as they arnt online (i.e. the main problem with sunwell isnt the fact that its hard, its the fact that its almost impossible to get a raid group for it).

4. PvE Mage: As you're a Mage i'll add this in here.. There actually giving the class stackability in Raids now. While in TBC it was common amongst hardcore raiders for the Mage to be considered the weakest class (purely for the fact, that you dont even need 1 to down 99% bosses and there damage doesnt compensate for there weak survivability compared to a warlock etc), they are looking to be extreme Strong in WotLK. The stackability with the Mage class is different from other classes however, as the stackability we get is from other mages (I.E. Different Mage Specs put up different DeBuffs, so you want 3 Mages for all the debuffs for the added damage).

There's acrap load more i could go into but the conclusion is: Expansions fix what was wrong in previous versions of the game.

Most specs you look at now are pretty useless as they will be changed, Blizzard has stated there's still more to come for the Mage.

P.S. Mages pwn :p

total noob problem here....HELP

I only had some standard sword... which broke (appears in red under my map).... however its dissapeared from my userbar and backpack so i cant take it to the blacksmiths to be repared... i dont have enough money to buy anything off them and no other weapons.

Actually. i do have something... Militia Quarterstaff or something like that? but i dont have the profiency to use it, whatever that means? i stupidly chose it after completing a quest only to realise i wouldnt b able to use it yet.

so, how can i get my hands on a weapon... or how can i get the proficiency to use my other weapon?

I tried asking for a trade with random people only to find i cant trade as i am still on my 10 day trial... i also dont have time to go and purchase the game until the weekend..

so what can i do in the meantime?

Check your char again and check your Backpacks.. If it isnt there, you've accidently deleted it :p

You can just use un-armed combat to kill the starter mobs (As your low level) and hopefully another weapon will drop or get a reward from a quest (If your not a Melee Class but a Caster Class, then your starter weapon has no effect :p) or with the money that drops buy another weapon from a vender at the starter area.

Alternatively, if you're only level 1-5 and struggling to kill things unarmed (dont think you should have a problem in the starter area, although it could be annoying) you can simply recreate your character as it'll take you literally 5minutes to level back up :p

I got to the part were this person was reading from but from what I gathered the changes are going to be to a whole new extreme but it is for the better..

It'll wreck the game for people who are running at the edge of their abilities: my guild is really close to clearing all the content: losing a week or two because a patch destroyed your UI, or the new spell mechanics gimped your healers, or the threat changes crippled your dps: that's the difference between "I won" and "close, but fail". The same is true for people who like to PvP and suddenly discover that (for example) druid, warlock, warrior just isn't viable anymore.

For the typical player the patch is a shake up to their class and maybe a significant change to the way they play (see paladin changes for examples) but on the whole it should be a net buff to their HPS/DPS/Threat ability. It'll be a little while getting used to the new way to play. Some people may not be happy with the changes (ie: "Shaman got more, Paladins got screwed") but i think it'll mostly be a case of "different" rather than "worse".

2. If you like casual PvE.. you're getting alot more fun with WotLK with the implementation of 10man versions of every raid instance, so no more 10man Kara farming.. your actually going to be able to progress and experience some nice fights.

I suspect that for many people it'll be 10-man naxx farming forever. Blizzard promised challenging 10-man encounters, not an 'easy mode'. I suspect that the equivilant to 10-man Sunwell will be only slightly more popular than the real thing. Compare the number of people running ZA to Karazhan: most people who want 'casual' PVE aren't interested in progression-style raiding.

Those interested in small-group raiding are going to have a field day. So are 25-man raiders with alts that they want to gear without mindlessly farming 2 year old content that everyone has outgeared since before the zone opened.

3. If you like Hardcore PvE (25man) your getting what you wanted. Blizzard are changing the class mechanics to stop the class stacking, so no more calling raids off as you dont have 5 shamans online (or whatever).. or not doing progress raids as they arnt online (i.e. the main problem with sunwell isnt the fact that its hard, its the fact that its almost impossible to get a raid group for it).

We'll just stack different classes. When kara opened we stacked 3 priests to zerg down moroes, then 3 paladins for maidden. Stacked warlocks/mages for nightbane, rogues/warriors for aran. For every given encounter there will be an ideal combination of classes: progression raiders will tend towards those make-ups for progression and then shift back to more 'normal' make-ups when the content is on farm.

I don't expect to see things being as ridiculous as Sunwell, I think it'll be more like BT where you might swap 3 or 4 people for progression encounter but have 'roughly' a balanced raid through-out while learning.

(purely for the fact, that you dont even need 1 to down 99% bosses and there damage doesnt compensate for there weak survivability compared to a warlock etc)

The problem isn't survavility: there's no encounter in Sunwell wear having a mage is a liability like bloodboil. The real issue is their single target DPS is sub-par (way worse than hunters, rogues, and warlocks). Their AOE isn't particularly useful compared to Seed of Corruption, and they require much more babysitting to be at maximum effectiveness:

CoE (and you're not losing curse of shadow/recklesness to get it), a shadow priest, and a shaman (though you're probably pulling the shaman to bloodlust your physical DPS).

You could toss the mage in your warlock DPS group which covers the shaman/shadow priest and put your CoE bitch into the 'crap' group. For your effort you don't gain anything that you can't get by having the mage waiting outside the zone. You're much better off bringing the third warlock and putting them in the group to toss curse of doom/weakness. You get more damage, an extra soul stone, an extra health stone.

The stackability with the Mage class is different from other classes however, as the stackability we get is from other mages (I.E. Different Mage Specs put up different DeBuffs, so you want 3 Mages for all the debuffs for the added damage).

They don't stack with other versions of the same buff. IE: if winters chill is up you cannot apply improved scorch until it fades because you receive 'a more powerful spell is already active' error. The +spell crit debuff is the only thing you'll need a mage for (water, arcane int, and amp/damage magic too), the reset can be covered adequately by other classes.

I haven't played my mage on beta for a couple of weeks, but I was interested in this mechanic specifically (frostfire-bolt double-dipping was leading to 80%+ crit rate with 360%+ crit damage with full raid buffs).

Question. You need a level 55+ to get a death knight on the new expansion. But how does that work?

You make a death knight and then what? You appear where? Goldshire? And at what level?

I will get WLK for sure. But I'm not going to pre-order.

You start in the Death Knight starting zone, in the EPL. From my understanding, you then go thru 3 or so levels worth of DK starter quests, which from what I've heard, are impressive...then your off to HFP again, killing hellboars.

Yay.

You start in the Death Knight starting zone, in the EPL. From my understanding, you then go thru 3 or so levels worth of DK starter quests, which from what I've heard, are impressive...then your off to HFP again, killing hellboars.

Yay.

Think most people said you come out at 57, but all those quest in EPL are easy to do so you'll quest that level and hit 58 or stay and hit 60 (if your like me). They speeding up the leveling process 60-70 too.

You should be looking forward to WotLK if you are still enjoying WoW. An Expansion adds alot of improvements to the game and can respark your enjoyment in area's which you otherwise ignored.

Alot of people said that WoW would end or be screwed over by TBC.. yet you're still playing it? Alot of people said Starcraft was just Orcs in Space and would fail.. alot of people say alot of things :) An expansion add's new things to the game, while it does slightly change the game.. its usually always for the better. For instance:

1. If you like PvP.. your getting a new area dedicated to it and the classes are being redesigned with TBC knowledge in mind to be more balanced (and loads of new imba spells to play with).

2. If you like casual PvE.. you're getting alot more fun with WotLK with the implementation of 10man versions of every raid instance, so no more 10man Kara farming.. your actually going to be able to progress and experience some nice fights. If your a casual PvE'er who likes the experience of 25mans, you're getting the best thing ever which was missed from TBC.. An actual learning curve. For instance (TBC as an example): Gruul = very easy, SSC/TK = medium, BT/MH = hard, Sunwell = even harder. Now you might say "hey its like that now.." but thats not how its always been, typically EVERY SINGLE INSTANCE is set to uber-hard mode on release and then nerfed down over time, this meant that casual's/new players could not experience content until blizzard nerfed it.. You can now progress from the second WotLK hits.

3. If you like Hardcore PvE (25man) your getting what you wanted. Blizzard are changing the class mechanics to stop the class stacking, so no more calling raids off as you dont have 5 shamans online (or whatever).. or not doing progress raids as they arnt online (i.e. the main problem with sunwell isnt the fact that its hard, its the fact that its almost impossible to get a raid group for it).

4. PvE Mage: As you're a Mage i'll add this in here.. There actually giving the class stackability in Raids now. While in TBC it was common amongst hardcore raiders for the Mage to be considered the weakest class (purely for the fact, that you dont even need 1 to down 99% bosses and there damage doesnt compensate for there weak survivability compared to a warlock etc), they are looking to be extreme Strong in WotLK. The stackability with the Mage class is different from other classes however, as the stackability we get is from other mages (I.E. Different Mage Specs put up different DeBuffs, so you want 3 Mages for all the debuffs for the added damage).

Hehee thanks for all the info, really changed my whole perspective on what people say etc.... I guess its really up to what I think :D :)

I got a beta key for WotLK. However, I quit playing WoW a while ago so I don't have need of it. So I have a free beta key for a fellow neowinian. I'd like to give it to someone that will make good use of it. Anyways, first person to pm me gets it. I'll try to send the key to you as soon as possible.

Oh yeah, conditions copied from the email:

In order to participate in the beta test, you must upgrade an existing retail account that has been upgraded with The Burning Crusade?, allowing you to connect to the Wrath of the Lich King™ test realms. The World of Warcraft?: The Burning Crusade? game client that you use must be patched up to version 2.4.2 or later in order to install the beta test client.

Edit: Key given away already.

Edited by trag3dy
The problem isn't survavility: there's no encounter in Sunwell wear having a mage is a liability like bloodboil. The real issue is their single target DPS is sub-par (way worse than hunters, rogues, and warlocks). Their AOE isn't particularly useful compared to Seed of Corruption, and they require much more babysitting to be at maximum effectiveness:

CoE (and you're not losing curse of shadow/recklesness to get it), a shadow priest, and a shaman (though you're probably pulling the shaman to bloodlust your physical DPS).

You could toss the mage in your warlock DPS group which covers the shaman/shadow priest and put your CoE bitch into the 'crap' group. For your effort you don't gain anything that you can't get by having the mage waiting outside the zone. You're much better off bringing the third warlock and putting them in the group to toss curse of doom/weakness. You get more damage, an extra soul stone, an extra health stone.

They don't stack with other versions of the same buff. IE: if winters chill is up you cannot apply improved scorch until it fades because you receive 'a more powerful spell is already active' error. The +spell crit debuff is the only thing you'll need a mage for (water, arcane int, and amp/damage magic too), the reset can be covered adequately by other classes.

I haven't played my mage on beta for a couple of weeks, but I was interested in this mechanic specifically (frostfire-bolt double-dipping was leading to 80%+ crit rate with 360%+ crit damage with full raid buffs).

Well mages have always had these problems, I have been playing a mage for the last 3 years and I can say most of our whining has been legit. About 3 years ago it was fun to play a mage. We could pop insane trinkets and do crazy damage, at the end we lost 1/2 mana and all cooldowns up but still we were able to do crazy burst damage and survive.

Then people started whining about this and they started to slowly remove our "fun" factors. They nerfed the crazy damage through trinkets and from then on we were never scaled how we should've been. For me a mage is someone who has low HP but compensates on suvivability through spells and damage output. (Shields, iceblock, invisibility as defense) But in TBC we hopelessly got behind and Blizzard never reacted.

Now we get outdamaged by hunters, warlocks and rogues while they have more suvivability while other classes like paladins and shamans etc got buffed.

It's that what convinced me to start a warrior and to be honest, he's been fun as hell, though I still play my mage everyday but the damage my warrior can do combined with his survivability is fun to play.

What mages need: more steady damage with different combo's than scorch/fireball, more survivability in terms of spells we can do, even if they're a bit out there as long as they're fun and they help, bring back the crazy burst damage, only if it's 10 seconds and after that we die, that's what a mage is supposed to be. Imagine all mages going into a magic frenzy at the end of a boss at 20% being able to put out crazy damage and then blow up or something...

What mages need: more steady damage with different combo's than scorch/fireball, more survivability in terms of spells we can do, even if they're a bit out there as long as they're fun and they help, bring back the crazy burst damage, only if it's 10 seconds and after that we die, that's what a mage is supposed to be. Imagine all mages going into a magic frenzy at the end of a boss at 20% being able to put out crazy damage and then blow up or something...

That is what Blizzard is doing with WotLK. They said that they are looking at options to bring the Mage as the highest DPS class.

Am i doing something wrong???

i just cant progresss... i am only in goldshire, i have a 'worn shortsword' as a weapon, thats it...

i'm walkin into the woods and stuff and the wolves are just destroyin me... 3 and 4 at a time coming at me i dont stand a chance, i'm trying to head into the mine and if i am lucky enough to make it there i am being attacked by kobolt workers...

can anyone offer any tips on becoming stronger, getting better weapons, anything at all to help me survive???

Am i doing something wrong???

i just cant progresss... i am only in goldshire, i have a 'worn shortsword' as a weapon, thats it...

i'm walkin into the woods and stuff and the wolves are just destroyin me... 3 and 4 at a time coming at me i dont stand a chance, i'm trying to head into the mine and if i am lucky enough to make it there i am being attacked by kobolt workers...

can anyone offer any tips on becoming stronger, getting better weapons, anything at all to help me survive???

If you're having trouble at the easiest stage of the game I would reconsider. Maybe it's just not the game for you?

The whole basis of the first 5 levels are to get you accustomed to the game and how you progress. From then on it's just rinse in repeat, with instances and PvP as offshoots.

Am i doing something wrong???

i just cant progresss... i am only in goldshire, i have a 'worn shortsword' as a weapon, thats it...

i'm walkin into the woods and stuff and the wolves are just destroyin me... 3 and 4 at a time coming at me i dont stand a chance, i'm trying to head into the mine and if i am lucky enough to make it there i am being attacked by kobolt workers...

can anyone offer any tips on becoming stronger, getting better weapons, anything at all to help me survive???

You should be level 6 or something. Also make sure you kill things that start attacking you...don't just try to run away. Kill 1 thing, then run a bit forward, trying to avoid any of the mobs. If they start attacking you, kill them as well. Rinse and repeat.

If you look at a unit's name, if it is RED then they will attack you if you get too close. If it is Yellow, they will not attack you unless you attack them. Also, take a look at the level.

Grey = very easy, no exp

Green = easy, little exp

Yellow = fair, medium exp

Orange = bit harder, better exp

Red = Very hard, high exp

Skull = RUN AWAY!!!!!

Also, start an alliance side character on Alliance. I will be more than happy to help you out. Send me a tell on Cariel/Alarison. I am in the UK at the moment though, so my timings are kinda wierd. I should be on from 3pm - 6pm EST give or take.

You should be level 6 or something. Also make sure you kill things that start attacking you...don't just try to run away. Kill 1 thing, then run a bit forward, trying to avoid any of the mobs. If they start attacking you, kill them as well. Rinse and repeat.

If you look at a unit's name, if it is RED then they will attack you if you get too close. If it is Yellow, they will not attack you unless you attack them. Also, take a look at the level.

Grey = very easy, no exp

Green = easy, little exp

Yellow = fair, medium exp

Orange = bit harder, better exp

Red = Very hard, high exp

Skull = RUN AWAY!!!!!

Also, start an alliance side character on Alliance. I will be more than happy to help you out. Send me a tell on Cariel/Alarison. I am in the UK at the moment though, so my timings are kinda wierd. I should be on from 3pm - 6pm EST give or take.

yeah i am level 6... thanks for the info i'm going to have another attempt now.

I didnt really understand that last bit, what am i supposed to do? i'm in the UK too.

Am i doing something wrong???

i just cant progresss... i am only in goldshire, i have a 'worn shortsword' as a weapon, thats it...

i'm walkin into the woods and stuff and the wolves are just destroyin me... 3 and 4 at a time coming at me i dont stand a chance, i'm trying to head into the mine and if i am lucky enough to make it there i am being attacked by kobolt workers...

can anyone offer any tips on becoming stronger, getting better weapons, anything at all to help me survive???

Goldshire... So you are a human. And warrior I guess? Understanding the mechanics of the game will help you a lot. When battling enemies (NPCs or creatures, not real people) it is always best to fight one at a time. And if there are many of them around, try just moving little by little to the creature. If its name is in red he will attack you, and most of the times, without calling the nearby creatures. Use your abilities, don't worry about Mana (it regenerates after 5 seconds after the last spell is casted) / rage (regenerates when you hit enemies) / energy(haven't played a rogue). And remember to do as much of the starting quests as you can before going to another area. In Northshire there are around 7-8 quests (depending on class). Do those all and then head to Goldshire. Also, try to repair your items, sell any loot that you don't need. Take some time exploring the interface to get accustomed of the way how placing shortcuts work.

I'll also recommend that you read the guides, if you have the Battle Chest package. If not, read the info given on WorldofWarcraft.com. It explains how the game mechanics work.

yeah i am level 6... thanks for the info i'm going to have another attempt now.

I didnt really understand that last bit, what am i supposed to do? i'm in the UK too.

Ah never mind then. See, I play on US servers, originally being from there, but I am in the UK at the moment, and still playing on the UK servers. Tell you what, if you use IRC, go to irc.mmoirc.com and #wowradio People there are generally nice and they can help you out.

I suspect that for many people it'll be 10-man naxx farming forever. Blizzard promised challenging 10-man encounters, not an 'easy mode'. I suspect that the equivilant to 10-man Sunwell will be only slightly more popular than the real thing. Compare the number of people running ZA to Karazhan: most people who want 'casual' PVE aren't interested in progression-style raiding.

Those interested in small-group raiding are going to have a field day. So are 25-man raiders with alts that they want to gear without mindlessly farming 2 year old content that everyone has outgeared since before the zone opened.

Thats what i meant. I dont really try to explain how things are better in WotLK for those that mindlessly farm Karazhan week in and week out.. as there is no way to improve what they like doing but for those that like to progress in 10mans can now do so.

We'll just stack different classes. When kara opened we stacked 3 priests to zerg down moroes, then 3 paladins for maidden. Stacked warlocks/mages for nightbane, rogues/warriors for aran. For every given encounter there will be an ideal combination of classes: progression raiders will tend towards those make-ups for progression and then shift back to more 'normal' make-ups when the content is on farm.

I don't expect to see things being as ridiculous as Sunwell, I think it'll be more like BT where you might swap 3 or 4 people for progression encounter but have 'roughly' a balanced raid through-out while learning.

Thats ok though, its ok to stack certain classes when you have the opportunity.. its an inevitability. The only problem is when you reach a point where if you dont have the ideal setup, you cant raid.. which is hopefully getting fixed in WotLk. Take BT for example, if you have the right number of tanks/dps/healers.. you can go and raid BT, yes certain setups may make it abit easier but not having that setup doesnt mean you have to call the raid off.

Basically yes, in WotLK we will never see the extreme which is The Sunwell. Which is a huge improvement, as its caused so much frustration and caused so many guilds to fold (Especially with the 9months+ of BT/MH farming).

The problem isn't survavility: there's no encounter in Sunwell wear having a mage is a liability like bloodboil. The real issue is their single target DPS is sub-par (way worse than hunters, rogues, and warlocks). Their AOE isn't particularly useful compared to Seed of Corruption, and they require much more babysitting to be at maximum effectiveness:

Its not really Single Target DPS.. As if you let a Mage stand still all fight, he will compete on the damage meter. The problem is that in Sunwell, you cant stand still anymore.. which means our DPS drops to subpar. That just adds to the problem that no-one NEEDS our buffs, our survivability is the worst and our AoE is subpar against warlocks.

CoE (and you're not losing curse of shadow/recklesness to get it), a shadow priest, and a shaman (though you're probably pulling the shaman to bloodlust your physical DPS).

You could toss the mage in your warlock DPS group which covers the shaman/shadow priest and put your CoE bitch into the 'crap' group. For your effort you don't gain anything that you can't get by having the mage waiting outside the zone. You're much better off bringing the third warlock and putting them in the group to toss curse of doom/weakness. You get more damage, an extra soul stone, an extra health stone.

Thats the problem, we dont stack well against Warlocks.. Warlocks have better survivability, Damage, Mana, Buffs and AoE.

To put it bluntly, in terms of the Mage Class.. WotLK cant get any worse than TBC :p

As a hunter I can NOT wait for Wrath. Some people are complaining about the Chimaera pets hitting for so much. Originally they were known to crit for 5k plus, I've seen videos from BRK over at Wowinsider of them hitting for 2k, noncrit. I'm positive hunters will receive as many nerf's as they will extras. Also as BM Raiding hunter I suppose I have an ego of MASTAR OF DEEPZ LOL!. My ego will surely take a hit when I abandon my cat for a Moth, rofl.

Infact the whole usage of pets (BM specced) seems entirely dependent on who you are fighting. Corehound's have the ability to do something lame like 50-79 fire damage but also slow cast speed by 50% for 10 seconds. Fighting mage's will be even more of a lolfest. Rhino's have the ability "Stampede" which knocks the target back 15 yards. Another tool for hunters vs. Melee. Silithids trap the enemy in a net whilst doing nature damage for 4 seconds.

The most hilarious is that another new pet, the Worm, is the tank of the group.

Check it out:

EDIT: My own post was lies and slander!

The bear tank is better. :p

Somewhere around the end he tanks a Fel Reaver, solo's it and meanwhile has mend pet on his bear that heals for 1190HP, plus the T5 bonus, **** duderz.

Edited by IanPete

Thanks for the info KavazovAngel, i managed to complete that quest and raised enough money to buy a stronger weapon and repair myself...

i'm handling myself alot better now but struggling to stay alive in certain parts... eg... going into a mine and being attacked by 3 workers at once, they destroy me.

The info on the spells is useful, i think thats where ive been going wrong... as ive not been using them! LOL

Basically yes, in WotLK we will never see the extreme which is The Sunwell. Which is a huge improvement, as its caused so much frustration and caused so many guilds to fold (Especially with the 9months+ of BT/MH farming).
I remember saying "blizzard will never make us have 8 Full Dreadnaught warriors for another encounter" and then we got to M'uru. We'll have class stacking and respecing just as we always have, we just get a break from it. I'm just not confident in Blizzards ability to make challenging content that isn't made easier by class stacking. I'm hopeful it won't be obscene, but I'm not counting on it.
Its not really Single Target DPS.. As if you let a Mage stand still all fight, he will compete on the damage meter. The problem is that in Sunwell, you cant stand still anymore.. which means our DPS drops to subpar.

No, they don't really.

Most fights in sunwell require fast reaction a few times per fight but for the most part your DPS is left to do their thing. Notable exceptions: muru phase 2, Felmyst phase 2, Kil'jaeden, and Kalecgos.

Poke around WWS score board: Mages average 4th place behind rogues, hunters, and warlocks. On the fastest kills of Brutallus mages come in at #10 and 12. On twins, there is 1 mage as a top 5 DPS in the top 10 fastest kills, there are more recorded kills were they don't even bother to bring mages. Unless you're doing those fights completely wrong they're just "Stand and DPS" save for 5 seconds of burn/conflag.

As for the "you can't stand and cast" comment: I think sun-well is pretty fairly balanced between playing "run away from death" and "stand and kill".

Running fights: Kil'jaeden, Muru (P2), Felmyst (p2)

Stand still fights: Brutallus, Muru (P1), Twins (reverse strategy)

Mix of both: Felmyst (p1), Kalecgos

Interesting is that Felmyst tends to favor mages due to their ability to actually use invisibility in P2, ability to handle being slow for breath, shrug-off encapsulate, being AOE heavy, and being able to completely drain/regen mana every 2 minutes. It's one of the most 'run and gun' fights in the game and it's the only one where you find mages taking top DPS spots. Any fight where your DPS is left to DPS the boss unmolested is where mages will fall behind.

To put it bluntly, in terms of the Mage Class.. WotLK cant get any worse than TBC :p

Fury warriors were saying the same thing, now they're just crying.

I'm fairly sure mages will be much more fun to play, but that doesn't mean they'll scale well. We don't know enough about the final statistics, encounters, and gear to really argue about how it will be, but I think we have ample evidence to say that "Mages are completely broken in PVE at the end of TBC."

Think most people said you come out at 57, but all those quest in EPL are easy to do so you'll quest that level and hit 58 or stay and hit 60 (if your like me). They speeding up the leveling process 60-70 too.

Blizzard changed that recently. On my last run through the DK starting area I was 58.25 or so.

And yes, the DK starting area quests are fantastic. The most creative quests WoW has ever had. Quite a few "shooting gallery" style quests. I'd recommend playing through them just for the fun of it. Even if you don't plan on leveling the DK beyond 58.

Agreed with all of the above. Finishing the "talk to thrall" part of the quest should push you into 58. If you've got 4 hours to kill, you owe it to yourself to play the Deathknight starter zone: It's amazingly fun even the fifth time through.

also:

Server first (how lame is that?)

Does anybody on US server have a guild that will sell the Gloves? I'll transfer an alt with gold to buy them, and ship them back on a level 1 toon.

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  • Posts

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The extended massage chamber helps cover more of the hand and wrist area than standard palm-only hand massagers Palm Kneading with 6 Modes & 6 Intensities: Built-in palm kneading rollers add a hands-on massage feel, while 6 preset modes and 6 pressure levels let you choose the comfort level that fits your day—from gentle relaxation to a firmer full-hand massage 3 Heat Levels with Cooling Fan: Choose from 104°F, 113°F or 122°F warmth to suit different seasons and comfort preferences. The built-in cooling fan helps reduce stuffiness during heated sessions, keeping your hand feeling fresh and comfortable Easy Visual Display & Smart Timer: The digital image display clearly shows massage area, mode, intensity, heat level, and remaining time at a glance. Select 10, 15, or 20-minute sessions for quick office breaks, evening relaxation, or everyday hand care Rechargeable, Cordless & Comfortable: A 3000mAh battery supports over 90 minutes of full-function use on a full charge, with convenient USB-C charging. The soft inner lining, smooth ABS/PU finish, and premium black-gold design make OS500 ideal for home, office, or gifting With all that out of the way, here are my own findings. I gave it a try on both left and right hands, and as you can maybe see from the above YouTube Short, (sorry for the shaky video), my whole hand fits in, but my wrist barely enters the Hand Massager. I was able to push through a bit more with my fingertips extending out the other end to get a bit of massaging on the start of my wrist. Usage For some reason, there is a strap that is very difficult to fasten to my wrist with one hand. I am not sure what function it has, and it isn't mentioned in the user manual. The only thing I could find was in the product images that claimed "wrist precision". Unlike the Bob and Brad Hand Massager, this device does not massage the wrist anyway, even though a "wrist mode" is mentioned, which must be for smaller hands than I have, as it is mainly intended for the hand and fingers. In addition, for its steeper price, there are no disposable gloves provided in the box, which is a bit of an issue considering the internal cover (which appears to be elasticated nylon) cannot be removed for washing; so you are left with only one choice: always thoroughly wash your hands before using it. I can imagine this thing getting a bit grimy after a period of use, and that is a bit of a shame. With that said, the buttons on the device, from left to right, do the following: Heat button: 3-level heat control at 104°F, 113°F, or 122°F Mode button: Auto mode Circular mode Soothing mode Relax mode Palm and fingers mode Palm and wrist mode Intensity button: from (First-time users) 15Ka, 25Ka, 35Ka, 45Ka, 55Ka, 60Ka (Intensive relief) Knead button: on or off (6 pressure levels) Power button: Long-press to turn on or off Cooling button: turn on or off the cooling fan Also, in the product imagery, it states there are 36 "custom modes," but nowhere is it listed what these modes are. I can only imagine that they mean a combination of all of the above settings in different intensity levels. The device itself seems to rely on a single "kneading" mechanism located at the palm area of the hand, which spins when in use, and the other massage features are mainly utilized through the air sacs, increasing and decreasing at various levels on the hand and fingers. 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However, it could be improved by making it so that the protective covering could be removed and thrown into the washing machine, or get yourself some disposable gloves to use with it. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.
    • Thanks for the info, but I'm still not sure if I need this....
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The soothing heat function gently warms your neck, while the built-in sound Relaxation provides calming audio tracks, helping you achieve a state of mindfulness and mental tranquility during your physical massage Cordless Convenience & Travel-Ready & Father's Day Gifts: Crafted for maximum portability and ease of use. Its lightweight, cordless design allows you to enjoy a premium massage anywhere without the hassle of tangled wires-whether you're taking a quick break at your desk or winding down at home Versatile Relief for Home & Office: An essential wellness companion for office workers, gamers, frequent travelers, or anyone looking to integrate mindfulness into their daily routine. It seamlessly fits into your lifestyle, providing instant neck relief whenever and wherever you need it Safe & Premium Materials: Manufactured with high-quality, skin-friendly materials to ensure a safe and comfortable experience without irritation. SKG backs this device with dedicated customer service, making it a thoughtful tech-health gift for family and friends App & Bluetooth Music Control: Connect via Bluetooth to control your massage settings through the dedicated app and enjoy your favorite music during your massage session for a fully customizable and immersive relaxation experience Red Light Warmth Technology: Features advanced red light warmth technology that penetrates deep into neck muscles to enhance blood circulation and provide soothing comfort while relieving muscle tension and stiffness Design With all that out of the way, here are my own findings. SKG does not say what materials are used to make the neck massager. However, on the product website, it mentions "soft-touch silicone" with what looks like PU leather cushioning, with the rest being mostly made up of plastics. On the inside of the massager, there are two "biomimetic kneading heads" that are motorized for the different styles of massage, which are not actually listed at all in the paper user manual, but the standard included modes are: De-stress mode, Mediation mode, Relax mode, Shiatsu mode. The massager looks quite premium and is actually very comfortable to wear. This massager is small and light enough to go anywhere, as it doesn't get in the way of anything, so I was able to use it in the chair while writing this review. Unlike the back massager, SKG does not warn in the user guide not to use it for more than 30 minutes a day (or two 15-minute sessions). However, there is a long laundry list of important safeguards to consider before and during the use of the device, and it is warned that the neck massager is not waterproof. It also includes a 1,400mAh battery with a rated power of 14W and input of 5V, which is the standard for up to USB 3.0 power (although the Amperage is not mentioned at all). SKG does not say how long it takes to charge, but a quick calculation at 2A (if that is what it is) would mean it would take roughly 1.5 hrs to charge from empty. In any case, the light around the button changes from orange to green on a full charge. In addition, it is not possible to use the device while it is charging. On the right of the neck massager is the On/Off and modes button, which also acts as a joystick. 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If the app is stopped, you are required to log in with a verification code over email, which I am not too pleased with, as this means it will only work that way for however long SKG decides to support it through said app. However, I was not able to get the app to connect to the OS500, which I have reported back to my contact. Bluetooth appeared to be working on the neck massager as it became available to pair with my phone, but the SKG app failed to discover it. Before I forget, there's also a switch next to the USB charging port to deactivate and activate the Voice Prompt, which, when enabled, audibly tells the user when switching intensities, modes, or connecting to the app and informs when the massages start and are completed. That said, on to my likes and dislikes, which are listed below. What I didn't like Unable to connect the Neck Massager to the app Use through the mobile app relies on continued support from SKG What I liked Can be used without the app Cordless use Light and comfortable to wear Heat is also quite comfortable Where to buy: According to the official website, this has an MSRP of $249.99, but is currently $50 (on Amazon). To sweeten the deal a bit more, there's also an in-page coupon that knocks a further $20 off the price. SKG PS700-2 Neck Massager for $179.99 on Amazon (was $199.99) Apply the in-page $20 off coupon for the final price of $179.99 Just like the back massager, this gets a confused thumbs up (due to the cost). However, I cannot rate it through app usage as it failed to connect. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.
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