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You receive loot: [Bindings of the Windseeker]

:D :D :D :D :D

Got the left one (Geddon's)! Now to continue farming Garr forever and ever...

Yogg down!

In 10-man, at least. Fun fight; my favorite in the zone so far, but I'm probably biased since I'm a melee DPS and get to have all the phase 2 fun. Looking forward to working on 10man hard modes so we can wipe on Algalon for an hour every week and cry a lot.

My only reservations about the instance so far are cooldown-related. It's somewhat alarming how much we were able to get away with by just having our DK MT pop Icebound Fortitude every time something ugly happened. We completely bypassed Vezax's kite period this way. I'm told Feral Druids can do something similar with Barkskin and just having a ton of HP.

Blizzard's done some work on cooldowns already, but that primarily seemed pointed at the "chain cooldown" style of play where there's always something active. Unfortunately, many of the fights in Ulduar operate along the lines of "stable tank damage for a while, then a ton of tank damage for a few seconds, then stable tank damage again". This has a heavy bias toward the DK "low mitigation but lots of cooldowns" style of play, since they can orchestrate their cooldowns to be active during the high-damage parts and still be stable otherwise. I'm just not convinced that style of tanking can play nice with the Ulduar style of encounter design.

Of course, none of this matters too much in normal mode (except possibly Vezax since it does trivialize a large portion of the fight). In the hard modes, however, when everyone's stretched a little thinner, I have a feeling we may see a Sarth3D repeat.

It's 7AM

...and I haven't slept yet.

...and instead of going to bed, I'm making a blog post. Oh, the sacrifices I make for the four people who read this!

Anyway, in case you're curious, the reason I've been up all night (which is becoming common lately) is that I was working on a video guide for Mimiron. Fun fight, but very complicated. So much talking I had to do! Look for it on Tankspot sometime tomorrow, hopefully before servers come up but I make no promises.

My 10 man crew is progressing nicely, and we're not far behind in 25's. I'm hoping we'll get at least one Yogg kill in this week! I've needed to do a surprisingly little amount of tanking. It's a little ironic, I suppose, that once I finally have access to dual specs I don't need to swap three times a week. Ah well.

Okay. Need sleep.

PS: In before irony argument.

Lore the Mortal

Seriously, I don't think Blizzard wants me to get this achievement.

45%ish on Kel'Thuzad. Entire instance has gone absolutely perfect.

Ret Pally gets Detonate Mana. Starts to run out, gets hit by Frost Blast. Catches the two melee near him at the same time. Frost Blast ticks twice, Detonate Mana goes off. Two melee are dead in under 2 seconds.

Infuriating.

Guess next week we just won't have people with mana bars in melee range.

Taking The Plunge

So I had a nice chat with my boss at my full-time job the other day, and the conversation eventually pretty much boiled down to "Do I want to pursue a career melting plastic, or do I want to pursue a career in video gaming?" The choice, for me, was pretty easy.

However, I can't just up and drop my full-time job without making the cash up somewhere else. I still have a wife and two kittens to feed. I'm staying on part-time at my day job for now, but probably not forever (in fact, I'd prefer it not be forever... that would suck). So I've got a few things in the works:

1. The Azeroth Advisor. I've mentioned my work there on here a couple times. They pay me pretty well, and we've been working on expanding a bit to make it more appealing to a wider audience, so that should be pretty good (speaking of which, tell your newbie leveling friends to subscribe -- the level-up ability and talent articles are excellent, and hey, it's free). I can't really make the Advisor a full-time job, but it goes a long way towards making ends meet.
2. Project Marmot (and TankSpot in general). The extra free time is going to give me a lot of time to work on movie guides, especially with Ulduar coming up. Keep an eye out here, should be some great work coming along. As far as monetary gains, PM isn't really a big income source, though I am working with Ciderhelm on a project or two there. We should be able to start putting out podcasts more regularly again, too.
3. This Blog. I plan on keeping on top of this a lot more, especially with the random thoughts/articles/guides that seem to be somewhat popular (probably less of the "what did I raid this week" stuff). I've thrown a PayPal donate button up on the right; no one should feel obligated to send anything my way, but hey, if you're feeling rich and/or charitable, I promise I won't spend it on drugs and prostitutes.
4. My Super Secret Ultra Project. I'm a man with a million ideas, and I plan to start putting them to work. I don't really have anything to announce yet, but I'll be sure to give updates when I do.

Exciting times ahead!

Still not dead

Don't let my lack of posts lately concern you too much -- I've got a lot in the works for the weeks to come, and this blog is a fairly big part of that. I'll be discussing this quite a bit in the next week or two.

In the meantime, if you're wondering what I've been up to (outside of running a raiding guild), I present the following in easy-for-my-brain list form:

- Moving! My wife and I finally got out of the apartment and into a house. Then she got a dog, so now I have that bothering me all day (and terrorizing my two cats =( ).

- Tankspot! Been doing a lot over there lately, including working on some of the Project Marmot videos and generally posting all the news before Ciderhelm can (which reminds me, hopefully we'll get another podcast out soon)

- Azeroth Advisor! If you haven't checked it out yet, hit up http://www.azerothadvisor.com. I'm a content editor for them. This means it's my job to fix things that are wrong (and keep them from being wrong in the first place). It's working out really well and I'm enjoying it a lot.

- Probably like 10,000 other things I can't think of at the moment.

Anyway, look for more stuff to come in the next week or two. I hope to get into a little more detail soon =)

Red Proto Drake

hughguhgfuhugfhaughughafgf FINALLY

Protecting My Investment

My account was created at 10:59:03 AM, November 23rd, 2004 - the day World of Warcraft launched. Having had some beta experience, I knew WoW was a game I was going to spend a lot of time playing, and I wanted a Zergling pet so bad, so I dropped the $70 and preordered the Collector's Edition.

I did the same on October 28th, 2005, for the release of The Burning Crusade, and again on November 13th, 2008 for Wrath of the Lich King.

My account has been inactive for exactly one month to date since the original release (and not by choice, I assure you). I estimate, all said and done, that I've spent somewhere around $900 between box purchases and monthly fees.

I also spent $6.50 on a Blizzard Authenticator. They didn't even charge me shipping.

They work, and they're worth it. If you possess six dollars and fifty cents but not a Blizzard Authenticator, ur doin it rong.

(EU doods: This is your link. It says they cost EUR 6,00 or £4.80. I don't know what that means but I'm betting that's not much either.)

"Why use 969"?

Fair warning: I may get a bit ranty. This is something that manages to drive me completely insane.

Every time someone judging Light and/or using two ranks of Shield of Righteousness calls the 969 rotation "unnecessary" I want to stab them through the internet using my own blinding rage.

It takes quite a bit to truly get under my skin. Ignorance? No problem, you just didn't know any better. Misunderstanding? Here, let me explain how it works in ridiculous detail. I like talking about tanking. That's why I do it so much.

But at least have the decency to comprehend what I'm saying.

You only need one point in Imp Judgement because, if you're doing everything right, you can't judge any more frequently than 9 seconds. Please stop asking me why I don't want to judge every 8 seconds. I would love to. I just can't.

100 of your friends are just going to ask the same question again in 30 seconds anyway.

Greetings, Starfighter!

Oh, hello.

So, I haven't posted an update in a long time. Like, since 3.0. Whoops.

Lots has been happening! I got 80 about 4 days after Wrath release (would have been faster but I love sleep too much). We got back into raiding pretty quickly, I've been tanking 10mans and Ret DPS'ing 25mans just because we have a ton of tanks at the moment and I don't mind DPS. It's been pretty interesting; I get to keep up on two ways to play my character (and pay for two sets of gems and enchants) instead of just one!

Been leveling a Shaman to play with Ciderhelm (and my wife) over on Earthen Ring. Pretty fun, looking forward to going Resto at 80 though. I've been leveling Elemental and it gets kinda boring after a while. Been busy as hell with the Azeroth Advisor too, trying to get everything caught back up to date after Wrath release.

I promise I'll try and keep up on this thing a little more. I've actually got a couple good rants working up, I'll try and get those out in the next couple weeks here.

Station wagons are my favorite things cuz they're made of wood paneling paneling wood paneling wood paneling paneling

Arcanite Ripper, HOOO

I'm going to put "Rolls very well on important twohanders" on my resumé.

Paladinning on Patch Day

THE LINKING: click

I wrote an article for Tankspot regarding the 3.0 changes for Paladins. Read is yes. Good for happy.

Ding 25!

o hi

i can has burthdey?

YESSSSSSS

The Prot Paladin Shopping List

I've just posted a compilation of what I feel are the last major issues that the Protection tree needs to be ready for Wrath over on Tankspot. Ciderhelm would throw a big smelly fit if I pasted it here, so here's a link: The Prot Paladin Shopping List

Also, Ciderhelm smells like old cheese and has a big ugly head.

Think of it this way

Ardent Defender - Increases the effectiveness of your Divine Protection spell by 6/12/18/24/30% while under 35% health.

Sounds pretty awesome right? That'd be a pretty significant nerf.

Ardent Defender is a great talent. Please stop complaining about it.

Build 8926 Thoughts

I've posted a news article discussing the new changes in the latest beta build over on Tankspot. If you're interested, give it a read.

I'll go ahead and summarize for you here:

gjgjakfklklakklaeioaioerioeioeirajijeijwjwwiiwwiiwiwiwiwwiwww

O hi

How you doin?

Few items of business today:

#1: It occurs to me that I have totally forgotten to mention on my blog that I now have Beta access! Anyone else with access to the Wrath Beta can find me on my Paladin as Loreii (that's Lore II if you didn't catch it) on Horde side, or on my Death Knight, Spiderhelm, on the Alliance side. You can also just /join maintankadin as either faction, as I hang out in that channel while I'm on. All of my characters are on the Northrend server.

#2: I'm enjoying my Death Knight! It's a really well-done class. Plus, I specifically chose to level my DK in Beta on the Alliance side so I could do some instances with Ciderhelm... which means more podcasts soon!

#3: Speaking of Ciderhelm, how come he gets a Chuck Norris thread and all I get are angry Turks? This will not do, sirs!

#4: I'm writing for the Azeroth Advisor now! Don't let the website fool you, it's a 100% legit newsletter with some great people behind it. The articles I'm writing aren't too exciting for the moment, what with Wrath right around the corner and all, but there'll be plenty of cool stuff to write about once the expansion hits. Oh, and don't worry; I'm under a non-exclusive contract with them, so I'm still completely free to write things elsewhere. I can even repost content I've written for the Advisor if I want, but I probably won't.

#5: I'm unfortunately not going to be able to make it to Blizzcon this year; the funds just didn't line up. Sadfase. Hopefully next year!

On Bloating and the Core Tankadin

So with the WotLK talents starting to settle down a bit, we're getting to the point where we can start putting some serious thought into what exactly we're going to spec at 80... and as always, one of the more popular topics regarding talents is the "bloating" of the Protection tree.

I take a different perspective to the situation. I don't believe our talent tree is bloated, I think we just have a lot of really good talents to pick and choose from. To illustrate this point, I'm going to create what I consider a "base" protection spec, allowing myself only 51 points in the Protection tree, and taking only what I feel is required (possibly dumping points into talents I don't feel are 100% necessary, but I need to get deeper in the tree). I will also give a step-by-step of each choice as I make it. Once I've created a base spec, I will adapt it to different variations based on the Paladin's role in the raid.

With that, I present to you the Base Tankadin: 0/51/0

1. First tier talent, 15% Strength vs. 5% Dodge. Survivability is first priority, so I choose Anticipation.
2. Stoicism (and Guardian's Favor to some extent) aren't really PVE talents, so my choice is 15% Strength vs Redoubt. This is a tricky choice, since I'll need Redoubt to pick up Shield Spec (and it's a fairly solid talent on its own, most of the time). However, since 15% Strength will increase my block value to some degree (remember, we're talking about level 80 itemization here) as well as threat from all of my other abilities, I'm going to lean toward ignoring Redoubt for the time being and sticking with Divine Strength.
3. Largely a no brainer here, I consider all three available 3rd-tier talents to be important. Three points in Imp RF, one point in Blessing of Kings (remember, most level 80 Holy and Ret Pallies will probably not take it), and the remaining 3rd-tier point into Toughness.
4. Divine Guardian, Imp HoJ, and Imp Devotion Aura become available. Imp Devotion Aura gives a great bonus to group content for only 3 points, so I'll definitely pick that up. Remaining two points go into Toughness.
5. Blessing of Sanctuary is (unfortunately) required for anything deeper in the tree. Oh well, it's worth the one point. Remaining four points go into filling out Toughness, and the only situational choice that's required to get down the tree - two points in Reckoning, two points in Spell Warding, or two points somewhere else. I chose Reckoning, but feel free to toss those anywhere.
6. Two points in Sacred Duty, at 3% Stamina per point you can't really turn that down. Remaining three into 1h Specialization.
7. One point into Holy Shield. With Wrath changes, Improved Holy Shield only seems really necessary situationally, so we'll skip it for now. Remaining four points go into Ardent Defender (or you could flesh out 1h spec and Reckoning if you'd prefer)
8. Tier 8 is an easy choice, because not only is there only one 8th-tier talent but it is also ridiculously good. All five points go into Combat Expertise.
9. One point into Avenger's Shield, three points into Touched by the Light. Remaining point goes into Ardent Defender (or wherever).
10. Five talent points worth of talents in Tier 10. Judgements of the Just is a no-brainer, it's just too good. Shield of the Templar seems good as well just for the Shield of Righteousness bonus, but that could change depending on how everything works out at 80. We'll have to wait and see there. If you like you can put those 3 points somewhere else.
11. Hammer of the Righteous. Congratulations, you're a 51-point Protection Paladin, and you've still got 20 points to spare.
    

But what am I missing?

Redoubt & Shield Specialization: 8 talent points for 30% Block Value doesn't seem worth it, even if they fix it from it's currently bugged status (not increasing block value gained from strength). Redoubt is a great AOE tanking talent, but since it's becoming clear that we're not the only option for an AOE tank in Wrath (and can most likely function fine without it), I don't consider it a requirement.

Divine Guardian: With the change to Divine Protection, I don't consider this talent worth working into a primary build. I don't want to nerf my Shield Wall.

Spell Warding: Never really been important for 5/10 mans, and with Death Knights in the game, we're now the 3rd choice for spell damage-heavy tanking in 25 mans. Some people will want it depending on your situation, but I don't consider it necessary.

And... that's about it. You're missing one AOE tanking talent, one situational/probably not worth it talent, and one spell mitigation talent from what most would call the "required" build.

Now you can adapt this base build to pretty much any situation. AOE tank/offtank? Pick up Redoubt, Shield Spec, Guarded by the Light, Benediction, Imp Judgement, imp Holy Shield, and another point in 1h spec. Offtank/Healer? Toss the remaining points in Holy (some decent tanking-related options there as well). 100% Main Tankadin? Put 12 in Ret and spread the rest around the Prot tree where you like them.

My point in all of this is don't misconstrue flexibility as bloat. You don't *need* every single tanking-related talent. Just worry about fitting your build to what you do the most.

Wrath Impressions on Tankspot

I've written an article for Tankspot with my thoughts on the currently-released updates in the WotLK beta. It mostly talks about the questions that the Protection Paladin faces heading into the expansion, and tries to answer them to the best of my abilities.

The article can be found at Tankspot if you'd like to take a read.

EDIT: Direct link here. It's still on the front page at the time of this writing as well.