tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21546892838382830122024-02-19T01:04:33.022-08:00WindcraftAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13494564456400725318noreply@blogger.comBlogger22125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2154689283838283012.post-65168717602672302432016-03-08T10:28:00.002-08:002016-03-08T10:28:38.420-08:00DiscontinuingI'll be discontinuing my usage of BlogSpot. While it's not a bad site, I've instead opted to work at <a href="http://calligraphywow.wordpress.com/">Calligraphywow.wordpress.com</a>.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13494564456400725318noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2154689283838283012.post-59674951140626571942015-02-14T20:15:00.002-08:002015-02-14T20:22:52.873-08:00Tigereye Brew and You!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9T1HNLpN6hfJDgL-R7yvze1Zd5NWyQz7ZQhCzHDt-kWRkob9J9Lr8tQkbvcLXah8njvnQbXNNcwy_JNtM8S5n7dufXgjssHCBoqZUZ7yIJmRtpuRsdQHlikWo7OtR0Qs5QuVgaW56Y5U/s1600/tigereye-brew-you.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9T1HNLpN6hfJDgL-R7yvze1Zd5NWyQz7ZQhCzHDt-kWRkob9J9Lr8tQkbvcLXah8njvnQbXNNcwy_JNtM8S5n7dufXgjssHCBoqZUZ7yIJmRtpuRsdQHlikWo7OtR0Qs5QuVgaW56Y5U/s1600/tigereye-brew-you.png" /></a></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
One of the defining features of the monk class are the three (well, four) brews utilized by the class. For Mistweaver and Brewmaster, it seems that these brews are fairly straight-forward: one provides mana (or is used as a general cooldown), while the other is used for survivability.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
However, it seems that Windwalker has some mystique around how Tigereye Brew is utilized. Many theories pervade the general population. In order to maximize DPS, it is important to understand how brew works, when you might use it, and why.</div>
<h2>
So, What Is It?</h2>
<div>
Tigereye Brew might be classified as a cooldown for Windwalkers. With the duration of fifteen seconds, it will grant up to 60% additional damage, with 6% from each stack of the Brew.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
As one can see from its description, it doesn't <i>quite</i> work as a cooldown.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Rather, most cooldowns are available at the start of a fight in order to coincide with your pre-pot, initial trinket procs, or even an early haste buff. (In fact, this dates back to Tier 14, 5.0, when Windwalker didn't benefit from an early haste phase - or even really in many cases, <i>at all</i> - compared to other classes). Tigereye Brew, instead, has a rampup time.</div>
<h3>
Tigereye Generation</h3>
<div>
How quickly one receives these stacks are affected by a few variables. Tigereye Brew is generated every time the Windwalker uses four Chi - and is then "rolled" for a "crit" that depends on the Windwalker's mastery. Mastery gives a chance for an extra stack of brew. This means not one, but <i>two</i> stats are providing an extra stack - haste and mastery.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
(Please keep in mind that while higher mastery should give more stacks of Tigereye Brew, this does not make it a strong secondary! In fact, quite the opposite! However, we can discuss that in a different post.)</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Additionally, the level 45 talents affect how often the monk will gain a stack of Tigereye Brew (albeit, indirectly for some). Ascension grants extra haste, providing more energy to create Chi from. Chi Brew will grant stacks of Tigereye Brew in addition to Chi. Power strikes... well, is not used by Windwalkers at this point in time. Level 100 talents also allow for some newer ways to create Chi. Serenity refunds all Chi used during a ten second duration, while using Chi Explosion with 4 Chi will grant no less than two stacks of Brew (three will grant at least 1).</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Thus, while the Windwalker will have some rampup time, he or she has many abilities and stats in order to compliment their Tigereye Brew generation.</div>
<h2>
Stack Count Doesn't Matter</h2>
<div>
The most common question about Tigereye's usage - when should I use it?</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Many would state "ten stacks", and leave it at that. However, this is an oversimplification dating back to when the spell was first introduced.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
You see, at first, Tigereye Brew only stacked to ten - and only ten could be stacked at a time. Thus, the Windwalker would risk capping out at a bad time, and not be able to use it at an opportune moment or "save" stacks.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
However, this changed with the introduction of patch 5.2, as did the <i>rules</i> of Tigereye Brew - but only slighlty. The following Commandments have <i>always</i> been in place with regards to Tigereye Brew:</div>
<div>
<ul>
<li>Keep it up during Timewarp, Heroism, Bloodlust, Drums, etc.</li>
<li>Use it when you have a trinket's proc up.</li>
<li>Use it when you have your potion up.</li>
<li>Use it when Serenity is up.</li>
</ul>
<div>
And finally, now that Tigereye Brew's mechanics have evolved to allow up to 20 stacks (with 10 being used at a time), and the new effect from mastery to allow Tigereye Brew to "crit":</div>
</div>
<div>
<ul>
<li>Use it at approximately 17 stacks.</li>
</ul>
<h3>
Warning!</h3>
<div>
<b style="background-color: #ea9999;">If you use Tigereye Brew again after using it - prior to the end of its fifteen second duration - it will overwrite your previous stacks.</b> Thus, it's definitely "bad practice", as you are wasting however many stacks you originally used. Rarely - if ever - would it be a good idea to use Tigereye Brew while it was already active, <i>even if you are using more stacks than you originally used</i>. Technically too, the ability does have a five second cooldown designed to help you to remember to <i>not</i> waste your stacks.</div>
<h3>
Level 90 and 100 Talents and Fisting</h3>
</div>
<div>
There also appears to also be some confusion as far as talents are concerned.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
First, understand that Xuen <i>does not</i> benefit from Tigereye Brew. Thus, other than whenever you potion, you should not worry about having Tigereye Brew up at the same time as your kitty.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Second, with Serenity, it is good to use it prior to entering Serenity.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Finally, you don't need to use it for each and every Fists of Fury. Fists is available every 25 seconds - while it is a very hard-hitting ability, it is still important to have as many stacks available as you can for, say, Archmage's Incandescence, or when a trinket's proc is up.</div>
<h2>
Stop Caring About Opener Stacks</h2>
<div>
Let me drive this point home: <b>the amount of stacks you're at when you pop it doesn't matter. </b>What matters is - <b>pop it during your opener.</b></div>
<div>
<b><br /></b></div>
<div>
It's very simple reasoning. As many have noticed, it seems the "tribal" knowledge fails us in this, as so very many people are under the assumption that a Windwalker "has" to be at 10 stacks in order to use this ability to the fullest. This simply isn't true.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Your opener is considered to be one of your most important moments in a fight. While messing it up can be recoverable, min-maxing still requires that you eek out as much damage as you can. Your opener is one such opportunity.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
The reasoning is simple: you use all of your biggest cooldowns during your opener, you have a potion up, and your trinkets will be up as well.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Use it before your first Fists of Fury and Serenity, whichever order you tend to do these in. Reason being - your initial hits should be setup for these two. If you are not specced into Serenity, use it before your first Fists of Fury (which should come after an RSK, a TP, and a 3-4 Chi Chi Explosion).</div>
<h2>
Why You Don't Care About Stacks</h2>
<div>
Just to add to my previous point - it simply doesn't matter how many stacks you use your Brew at, as long as you are not allowing it to cap at 20 and you are using it any time you are super-buffed from a trinket or potion or other raid-wide damage cooldown.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Tigereye Brew is the icing on the cake - the more damage you get from these buffs, the better you will be able to do your job as a damage dealer. The truth is - over-usage of Tigereye Brew is far more rare of a problem than is its under-usage or the under-usage of Serenity, Fists of Fury, or Rising Sun Kick. Early math even suggested that having it up should not have a major effect on the monk, in fact - though, a few extra damage points certainly come from using it correctly.</div>
<h2>
Conclusion</h2>
<div>
Just to summarize your takeaway:</div>
<div>
<ul>
<li>Use Tigereye Brew as early as you can in your opener.</li>
<li>Use it prior to capping 20 stacks.</li>
<li>Use Tigereye Brew any time you have a damage buff, whether from haste, your ring, a trinket, or a potion.</li>
<li>Use it during Serenity.</li>
<li>Don't worry about using it for every Fists of Fury.</li>
<li>Xuen does <i>not</i> gain anything from it.</li>
</ul>
<div>
And finally - enjoy it! Too many Windwalkers stress about their utilization of the talent, when that is very rarely the issue that they have. If anything, most issues come from losing out on an entire cooldown - whether another Serenity or Fists of Fury.</div>
</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Happy brewing!</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13494564456400725318noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2154689283838283012.post-26869462004349081932015-02-06T12:07:00.000-08:002015-02-06T12:09:39.141-08:00Monks Are Fine!<i>This post is brought with much snark, after the frustration of Normal and Heroic BRF.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
Monks are completely, and totally fine. The Jade Green Gods, as we call them, are always happy, pleasant, and in a place of complete and utter Zen Meditation.<br />
<br />
Well, brewmasters and mistweavers are.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://replygif.net/i/1223.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://replygif.net/i/1223.gif" /></a></div>
<br />
I don't think it takes much more than a few minutes on <a href="http://client00.chat.mibbit.com/?server=irc.coldfront.net&channel=%23PeakOfSerenity" target="_blank">#PeakOfSerenity</a> to see how Windwalkers are feeling. It has begun to feel that each passing day is seeing fewer and fewer Jade Green Deeps, and more and more... other classes.<br />
<br />
So, is this because of the 12% nerf that we've experienced since the launch of Warlords, or could it possibly be something else? And will it get better?<br />
<br />
<h2>
Who Went Monk</h2>
<div>
Let's take a look at some Warcraft Logs statistics for all three Monk specs. We will be taking a look at 90th percentile, as this often are the players that care more about their utility in raid. I am not being an elitist, but rather factual - outside of bleeding edge, most guilds are willing to take on a less-than-spectacular class, or are not as likely to class stack. In addition, this percentile typically is the one that is most looked at by more casual people for comp and class decisions.</div>
<h3>
Windwalker</h3>
<div>
First of all, let's take a look at the general Windwalker population at the start of Warlords.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Using Warcraft Log Statistics, you can actually see that Windwalker is <a href="https://www.warcraftlogs.com/statistics/6#dataset=90&timespan=1000" target="_blank">still actually a fairly popular class</a> in the 90th percentile (which would typically be your more high-end guilds). It's still a tad too early to view statistics for Blackrock Foundry, but this lockout <a href="https://www.warcraftlogs.com/statistics/7#dataset=90" target="_blank">saw even more Windwalker </a>parses in the 90th percentile. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Let's keep an eye on that statistic, because - to be completely honest - Heroic Foundry will not be nearly as telling as Mythic. This is mostly due to split runs - many guilds in the 90th percentile are currently running multiple alts and toons through Blackrock Foundry in order to give gear to the mains that will be tackling Mythic next week.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Additionally, let's point out that it's far easier to fit in a less than desirable DPS than it is to bring in a healer or tank.</div>
<h3>
Mistweaver</h3>
<div>
Mistweavers did see a drop during Siege of Orgrimmar in numbers, but it is safe to assume before looking at statistics that their numbers have likely increased dramatically.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<a href="https://www.warcraftlogs.com/statistics/7#dataset=90&class=Healers" target="_blank">Except, this isn't the case.</a> If anything, they're the second to lowest in class representation. But again, this is Blackrock Foundry, which only recently became available. Let's take a look at Highmaul.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<a href="https://www.warcraftlogs.com/statistics/6#class=Healers&dataset=90" target="_blank">Nothing has changed</a>. This is actually a huge head-scratch to me. Are people perhaps undervaluing Mistweavers? Or are priests, paladins, and druids just that much more commonly stacked?</div>
<h3>
Brewmaster</h3>
<div>
<a href="https://www.warcraftlogs.com/statistics/6#class=Tanks&dataset=90" target="_blank">Statistics are showing</a> that Brewmaster appears to be played <i>even less</i> than the other two in Highmaul. In fact, leather tanks <i>in general</i> seem to be lacking.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
With the buffs to Guard and Shuffle, I believe it is safe to assume that this is more due to the sorry state that Brewmasters debuted in Warlords, and the nature of maining a tank in general. In the 90th, most people would maintain alts of several (if not every) tank class, swapping if their preferred tank isn't viable. Unfortunately, Brewmasters did not debut nearly as viable as other classes. (It is worth noting that druids have suffered a similar fate, with their almost complete lack of magic damage mitigation, and then the nerf to their AE. That being said, Temerity managed to kill Mar'gok with a druid tank).</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Did this week improve that? <a href="https://www.warcraftlogs.com/statistics/7#dataset=99&class=Tanks" target="_blank">Apparently not</a>. I believe that time will tell if Brewmasters pick up in numbers, especially given that Guard gives them a very god-like status (and Stagger is pretty godlike at this point, too).</div>
<h3>
So, what?</h3>
<div>
Unfortunately, these statistics did not appear to have much (if any) variance across different percentiles. In addition, they do show what classes are enjoyed by players, or are at least brought to raids. I believe that it will be interesting to see how these change during and after progression.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
It also illustrates that there isn't an obvious reason for unrest in the Windwalker community - the two specs that are arguably doing very well have some of the lowest statistical representation.</div>
<h2>
From Gods to Peasants</h2>
<div>
When Warlords debuted, Windwalker was - arguably - one of the best classes for damage-dealing. With amazing, 40 yard range cleave, and competitive Single-target, other classes were hard-pressed to beat a good Windwalker.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
However, this came at a price. First, in early gear, Multistrike was far more available than it is now. Additionally, the learning curve of the class - for single target - was actually considered to be very steep in comparison to other classes.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
In came the nerfs. Rising Sun Kick now only increased by 10%, a nerf to overall damage of around 7%. Then, <a href="https://www.warcraftlogs.com/statistics/6#class=Monk&spec=Windwalker&timespan=1000&dataset=90" target="_blank">December 22nd happened</a>. (Technically, the hotfix was on the 16th)</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-VX09otJYAk2IUL-u515PwGGoGavnOjhC0K12q3wmMgN9_gECMeXYIjy50fHHKzfPszv9vpGt19xzgL4qWoH44CaymKkOMN2lf7wnXpsQaxchAI9LrSQ998W08kXDWIGHOvjA_XhWdKs/s1600/Screen+Shot+2015-02-06+at+11.35.10+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-VX09otJYAk2IUL-u515PwGGoGavnOjhC0K12q3wmMgN9_gECMeXYIjy50fHHKzfPszv9vpGt19xzgL4qWoH44CaymKkOMN2lf7wnXpsQaxchAI9LrSQ998W08kXDWIGHOvjA_XhWdKs/s1600/Screen+Shot+2015-02-06+at+11.35.10+AM.png" height="100" width="640" /></a></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
The palpable anger is imaginable. And it has continued to affect the spec, bringing them from being behemoths to <a href="https://www.warcraftlogs.com/statistics/6#boss=1706&dataset=90&timespan=1000&difficulty=4" target="_blank">scraping the bottom of the barrel</a>.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Yet we persist.</div>
<h3>
So, Can We Fix It?</h3>
<div>
I think the better thing is - <i>should</i> we fix it yet? This question is difficult to answer. First, let's take a look at itemization.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Most (leather) gear in Highmaul had haste, mastery, and crit on it, with <i>very</i> little Multistrike (Windwalker's attuned and preferred stat). This made rogues and druids <i>quite</i> happy, but did create some issues for itemization with Windwalkers.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
When one of your secondaries is barely above half the value of your other secondaries, your damage is going to suffer. That's just the general logic of the situation. Shed some mastery, and your numbers should go up. In fact, many high-level Windwalkers are replacing mythic Highmaul gear with a few pieces from Heroic Blackrock <i>just for the multistrike.</i></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
However, keep in mind - these actions were taken because Windwalkers were apparently out of control in Blackrock Foundry. In fact, <i>we had requested nerfs or a revert from the buffs we received entering Warlords, <b>because we knew that something like this would happen.</b></i></div>
<div>
<i><b><br /></b></i></div>
<div>
That being said, <a href="http://www.simulationcraft.org/reports/Raid_T17M.html" target="_blank">simulations <i>are</i> showing Windwalkers to be quite low</a> for single-target. But even this is a fallacy - first, simulations do not take into account mechanics (which will raise some classes, and lower others). Second, <i>our niche isn't single-target</i>. In fact, <a href="https://www.warcraftlogs.com/statistics/7#boss=1695&dataset=90" target="_blank">we do extremely well on fights that cater to our niche</a>... Just not on anything else.</div>
<h2>
Pures</h2>
<div>
I also want to make a comment on pures. There seems to be this outdated view that Pures should always be the best at DPS, and all of their specs should be competitive, because "hybrids can just go tank or healer." As I've stated previously, this is a fallacy.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
First of all, most hybrid DPS specs play completely differently from any pure spec. Even a pure DPS specs can play differently, leading people to prefer one over the other and such.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Additionally, a pure can - typically - tailor their spec or change specs for different encounters. If I had to pick up a DPS that is good at single-target as well as a cleave fight, I'd likely go with a rogue or a mage. If I wanted one that was good at everything, time to find a Warlock. For a hybrid, respeccing is nearly the same as completely rerolling.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
So, I don't at all believe that there should be a huge delta in numbers between pures and hybrids. At the end of the day, the best person will typically top the meters, depending on a number of factors.</div>
<h2>
But You Haven't Said Much About Brewmaster or Mistweaver!</h2>
<div>
The truth is, I find their lack of representation <i>incredibly</i> strange. I think it is safe to assume that most people simply do not want to start at level 1 - even with the Warlords character boost introduced. Brewmaster damage may not be at the level of Blood Death Knight or Warrior, but they can certainly hold their own <a href="https://www.warcraftlogs.com/statistics/7#dataset=90&class=Monk&spec=Brewmaster" target="_blank">(and, certainly, their damage is <i>not</i> bad)</a>.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Let me relate to you one concept: learning curve. The truth is, a bad Brewmaster sticks out more than a good one, <i>and is far more prolific</i>. Similar to how Windwalker has one of the most difficult single-target rotations, Brewmasters are more difficult for timing survivability cooldowns or even learning to just not hit Breath of Fire (or just don't use Chi Explosion if you don't know how to). As a result, many players would understandably become discouraged, and return to their "easier" Warrior or Death Knight.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Additionally, the pure <i>throughput</i> of Mistweavers is incredibly high, not to mention the strengths of Revival, fistweaving (yes, fistweaving can be a good thing to have!), and Life Cocoon. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
The truth is, Mistweavers are incredibly middle-of-the-pack in terms of throughput. Priest shields, paladin pally things, and druid throughput simply trump them. Why would a person wish to reroll from their already-strong class to one that - statistically - just doesn't have Iron Bark or Hymn, and doesn't have as much throughput? I'll just stick with my Druid or Paladin or Priest, thanks.</div>
<h3>
Archetypes</h3>
<div>
This is also an important thing to consider with Mistweavers or Brewmasters (actually, with Monks as a whole). Speak to many players, ask them what they love about their class or why they have stuck with it. Once you get past the many answers of "Big D DPS" or "I heal a lot" or "I'm God," you typically get to archetypes.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Shaman and druids are the spirit healers, cats, battle mages, play with night and day. Priests are... well, clerics. Warriors are also pretty straight-forward. Paladins are heroes, the protectors of good. Mages are your scholarly casters.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Monks are misunderstood, the fighter who relies upon themself, with zen peace. Not terribly many people would flock to this archetype, unfortunately - monks aren't the nerds, or the champions and heroes. They aren't necromancers born of a plague that triumphed. Most people just can't relate as well to Monks, or put themselves in the place as easily with Monk.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
And that's fine, because I personally love the Monk archetype.</div>
<h2>
But Windwalkers</h2>
<div>
I have seen several people posting thus far that they are being forced to reroll, or the other Windwalker in their raid is being forced to reroll. This makes me incredibly sad... and I believe that it is worth continuing to look at log statistics to see how drastically their numbers rise or fall. I don't believe they will fall to the small amount of representation of Mistweavers or Brewmasters just by the very nature of having DPS, but I would not be surprised to see a dip in their numbers.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
It's just so <i>frustrating</i> to work hard on a rotation, and to perfect it, to barely beat the tanks. And that's the truth.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I'm not entirely convinced, however, that Windwalkers are due to be rebuffed just yet. The truth is, damage will increase with tier and multistrike. I do honestly believe that Highmaul itemization wrecked Windwalkers and have held us back, but Foundry I believe will give us far better numbers. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
That said, this does still mean Windwalkers will not be as desirable for bleeding edge guilds - which will have a waterfall effect into other brackets. The compositions used for world first kills are often emulated by other guilds (because <i>why reinvent the wheels)</i>, and if your Windwalker can't do as much damage because he or she doesn't have any multistrike, why would you bring them over someone who does?</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Perhaps it just means we'll be more desirable next tier, if we are in our current state, and have all the Multistrike gear we could ever want.</div>
<h2>
TL;DR</h2>
<div>
In sum, it's worth giving things some time. Foundry has only <i>just</i> released, and statistics will show far more than simulations will as far as how strong or weak a particular class or spec is.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
However, I personally would not complain about getting a buff in some direction to our single-target. Just because we are godlike with our niche is no reason to actually demand we be nerfed; you don't gear out one character just because they might be good with Iron Maidens. No, you gear out and bring the person who's good with a multitude of fights.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13494564456400725318noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2154689283838283012.post-59263044842819265722015-01-28T11:19:00.000-08:002015-01-28T11:25:14.203-08:00The Woman TriforceI could almost sense the confusion and concern on the other side of the box. Irritation teased at the corners of my mind - this person hadn't worked at a tech company yet, and had barely worked on school projects. They were a very smart person - I had worked with them in several college labs - but having to explain that yes, plenty of developers work on localhost or a local VM, not on some odd server setup that honestly I'd never had to deal with.<br />
<br />
I smiled. <i>At least this person was receptive</i>. While some of my irritation did stem from the fact that introducing them to a project I had already been grinding out for months, the fact that they became receptive was a change - something I hadn't experienced before.<br />
<br />
Perhaps it was this moment, or several similar moments, when I realized just how often I have to defend every small thing that I do.<br />
<br />
<h2>
Let's Get Some Dumb Outta Here</h2>
So, I want to get one thing across. Yes, I'm feminist, and this particular post is going to discuss some of that. I'm not afraid to state that, and if that makes you cringe, then you probably need to educate yourself a little bit. Please, read on.<br />
<br />
Feminism isn't the discussion of just women's rights, or just men's rights. It's both. And quite honestly, if you're offended by the fact that you don't feel men's rights are discussed enough, or if you're going to close this and roll your eyes at "just another SJW" or some bullshit, I strongly suggest you read <a href="http://basicwitches.tumblr.com/post/36004538279/riotrite-im-a-guy-and-i-need-feminism-not" target="_blank">this post</a>. It makes a damn good point and is more or less my argument in favor of feminism.<br />
<br />
Now, I'll be honest - and this is a topic for a different discussion - I do prefer the term "equalist." However, <i>sexism and misogyny</i> <i>are very much real.</i> One of the arguments I hear perpetuated is that it "doesn't happen to them." Well, that's nice and dandy - I'm glad you're able to live in your bubble. However, if you happen to be female and happen to have any sort of notoriety in gaming or the internet, you more than likely have stories about harassment, threats, etc. I'll be honest - with myself and with this post. I have a very small amount of internet fame stemming from the fact that I write guides and I started the #PeakOfSerenity IRC channel. I'm not as famous as someone who actually writes games, or who maintains a fansite, or anything like that. But I've definitely dealt with harassment, and it's not as simple as "just block them." No, it's a big fucking problem when you have 4chan more or less making out their personal Yellowpages of women involved with video games.<br />
<br />
I don't give two shits how you feel about Anita Sarkeesian, and frankly I don't follow her work that closely. However, having seen a few of her videos (my partner more or less encouraged me to watch them - I'm not here to give an opinion on them, either), she sure as hell isn't even remotely trying to "ruin gaming" by making a video that simply points out common tropes in gaming. If anything, she's trying to make it better for other people. <a href="http://femfreq.tumblr.com/post/109319269825/one-week-of-harassment-on-twitter" target="_blank">She certainly doesn't deserve even half of the things that are said to her</a>. And I don't give two shits about who Zoe slept with or didn't, but citing her as the basis of everything that's evil in gaming journalism is god damn stupid when you <a href="http://www.destructoid.com/the-real-sources-of-unethical-videogame-journalism-286380.phtml" target="_blank">consider the kind of abuses that AAA publishers already commi</a>t, much less the corruption of the media in general. You want to talk about ethics in journalism? <a href="http://www.truth-out.org/opinion/item/15234-how-the-media-fueled-the-war-in-iraq" target="_blank">How about we start talking about the fear-mongering in real news stations</a>, and <a href="http://www.academia.edu/3721147/The_influence_of_media_on_politics" target="_blank">how real media influences our politics</a>. Video game journalism honestly isn't even <i>remotely</i> as important as the influence of Faux News or CNN on our congressional or presidential elections.<br />
<h2>
The Tech Field</h2>
First of all, let's make it known that I work in tech. I did most of a degree in computer engineering, which included programming and electrical engineering courses. While I didn't finish, I did delve pretty deep into the program itself (and am actually in the process of transferring elsewhere to finish - one year left!). Speaking very honestly, my college years were difficult; not because of the oppression of some awful professor (I had several awful professors, but they oppressed everyone equally), but rather from the students themselves.<br />
<br />
I've been told that plenty of women in engineering never go through this, and how well their colleagues treated them... and that's great, but that wasn't always my experience. However, this article isn't about things that happened to me in college several years ago.<br />
<br />
I will state that women still deal with a load of crap when it comes to tech. While I do believe that the Bay Area is far more accepting - even embracing - of women engineers, I do feel that some improvements could be made. I've interviewed or even worked at plenty of companies where I happened to be (or would potentially be) the only girl, and I know - mostly in part to my current position, in which I am on a team of engineers where only one happens to be male - that while there tend to be more men in engineering than women, there's no reason to have a huge imbalance in the workplace.<br />
<br />
I have to wonder how many times my male colleagues have had their ideas questioned - and not in the way of "is there another way to do this," so much as "you can't be doing this correct." Both are actually the same opinion, phrased different ways. Perhaps it's more a question of tact, but overhearing other conversations, I can state that it seems some people are questioned more than others. Despite six years of working in the industry as a mid or senior level front-end engineer, and despite the reams of links that I have to back up my opinions on standards, I do find my opinions often set aside by colleagues (even when confronted with evidence). <a href="http://www.forbes.com/sites/quora/2014/08/05/what-is-it-like-to-be-a-woman-working-in-the-video-game-industry/" target="_blank">And, honestly, I'm not alone</a>.<br />
<br />
That being said, <i>it's getting so much better!</i> Just a few years ago, it'd be unheard of for me to be in my current position. While I know I make a little less than my peers, this can be attributed to the fact that I suck at wage negotiation, and I don't have a degree (yet). However, my boss treats me with utmost respect and is <i>actually encouraging of my ideas</i>. The lead engineer on our project is a woman that I have the <i>highest</i> amount of respect for - she's <i>amazing</i>. But, I'll admit that there have been one or two engineers on our team that - at times - have come across as rather condescending, though this may not have been intentional. Out of the fact that I love my job, I'm going to gloss over this with stating - sometimes, I work on a team, and there's a marked lack of trust in my opinions, despite my expertise and experience.<br />
<h2>
Good Game</h2>
<div>
First, I'm about to beat a dead horse, and I'm okay with that. Let's have a venting about women in gaming.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
While there are plenty of people who would say otherwise, Warcraft is honestly one of the best communities I've encountered. No, we aren't perfect. Yes, shit does happen, and it can be nasty (hell, this post is coming from someone who once had to put a restraining order on a melee officer!) With my guild and the people I happen to be friends with, I've more or less fortressed myself from many of the abuses that happen. Plus, going to be honest - the developers (and CMs!) are pretty damn cool people. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
However, they can't control the way that so many of the high-end raiding population is. While my guild is pretty damn awesome on this front, I wasn't always in this guild. Too many guild applications will downright deny a woman who is apping... <a href="http://www.nurfed.com/faq/" target="_blank">to even discouraging them from applying</a> (scroll down to the tidbit about the "fairer sex"). (Perhaps what these guys don't even realize is that the reason they view skilled women raiders to be so rare is because of this being in their FAQ?)</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
And let's look at some of the arguments and stereotypes. I won't comment on female streamers - there are certainly stereotypes there as far as garb or, well, "attention whoring" goes, but I don't think I can really comment on it. What I will comment on are the so-called drama and loot whore anecdotes that pervade about the "one" time someone played with a female gamer. How there was some chick who joined a guild, and then that guild fell apart, or she posted noodies, or she did something or other to get loot.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
You know who else is to blame here? The people who enabled her. If your raid leader is handing a chick gear that she doesn't deserve, maybe he's at fault. Or, alternatively, you might be a major loot whore yourself who's just mad that you didn't get your trinket <i>as well as</i> the gemmed heroic warforged belt with BiS stats. I'm not saying that women haven't done this. I've seen girls that acted this way, but I've also seen the proper reaction - a good kick in the gkick, or a sit-down talk about how that's not going to fly. Best part? The few times I've seen this, it was a guy pretending to be a girl.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Because frankly? 100% of the women I've gamed with have been just the same as guys in terms of skill - some better at the game, some worse at the game. 0% of them have been drama or loot whores. And, at least 99% of them have been generally awesome people.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I've gamed with a <i>lot</i> of women, by the way.</div>
<h2>
Theorycrafting</h2>
<div>
Well, that's a lot of stuff out of the way. Now to get into the meat of my venting here.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Theorycrafters deal with a ton of shit. Now, I'm not the person sitting here and writing out our stat priorities - Hinalover does plenty of developing on SimulationCraft that the most I can do personally is to log into PTR or beta and smack a few things around.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
But, seriously. Theorycrafters get a ton of shit. I think one of the most favorite topics I've heard in certain guilds is to shitslam some theorycrafter.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Now, not everyone in this community (using the term loosely) is particularly skilled or always has something interesting to say. However, we aren't here to get some NPC named after us, or to get glory. There are definitely far, far easier ways to get either of those that don't involve fighting with a spreadsheet, or with C++ NPEs, or just generally wanting to kick mastery in the god damn face for being so awful. I'll be honest; I don't honestly consider myself a high-caliber theorycrafter. I'm able to formulate logical ideas and apply them, but most of the heavy lifting these days is done through SimulationCraft. I just report these results, and try to see how well these things apply ingame (because, frankly, a computer can do some amazing damage... but you still have to check it against a player).</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
That being said, I admit that my opinions are questioned more often than not. Honestly, I didn't even realize it until a friend commented to me in IRC how often even my spreadsheets have to be backed up by someone else chiming in. That's pretty damn frustrating, considering how concise I attempt to make my explanations and how I make a point to support them with logic and logs.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
But it grinds on you. It really, really grinds on you. I honestly wouldn't be where I am now if I cared too much about other peoples' opinions, because I'd be in a corner trying to be obscure.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
That said, becoming involved with the community has introduced me to <a href="https://twitter.com/CalliMonk/lists/awesome-people" target="_blank">some very awesome people that I greatly admire and love</a>. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I'd say that the attitude toward women theorycrafters is about the same as it is to male theorycrafters. <i>And this honestly shouldn't be something remarkable.</i> I do feel that many women theorycrafters deal with the same crap that women deal with in gaming and in tech - the questioning of your ideas to death, being told you "overengineer" things, and even having your spreadsheets questioned more. However, I'm met with far less resistance in theorycrafting than I am in general gaming or even at work.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
But it isn't even that. It's the fact that you get harassment. That you aren't a "real" gamer, even though you're probably spending more time doing the <i>absolute epitome</i> of geeky things by figuring out whether its a loss or a gain or neither of putting Fists of Fury ahead of Serenity in your opener or the exact stat weight of god knows what secondary this time and how it affects your weapon selection. How the hell is someone "not a real gamer" when almost ever non-working moment is filled with crap for video games? And going further than that, who the hell even cares, <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3214002/" target="_blank">considering how much gaming permeates popular culture</a>?</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<i>And why is it that there is so much resistance?</i></div>
<h2>
So, what's my point?</h2>
<div>
You probably think I've been sitting here, rambling about feminism and then suddenly three seemingly unrelated topics. But I'm not.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Truth is, gaming and the tech industry are incredibly similar. Not a ton of people in tech play video games, but we do make the means to play them. And many people involved with video games - I hope out of curiosity and their desire to be involved with games - will find themselves in the tech industry. I don't think I need to draw the lines between the relationship theorycrafting has with gaming, but I will state that theorycrafting solves many of the same or similar problems involved with tech, as it requires a very similar skillset in ability with math and computers.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
In other words, the best way to make women more welcome in any of these three worlds is to start in one. While we do see marked improvement in tech - at least in the biggest tech area, the Bay - there's been more or less a huge valley in women's acceptance in gaming in the last ten years. While it was perfectly natural years ago for girls to enjoy arcades as much as guys (watch the documentary in my last link), it seems many people lived in this bubble that girls are somehow "new" to gaming (despite overwhelming evidence that this isn't the case).</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
What's worse? I only made this blog post after people encouraged me. <i>I was actually afraid to make it</i>. Because I know the moment that I hit Publish, I'll get angry comments. I'll likely be harassed. The people who should be <i>absorbing</i> this message will, instead, try to tear it apart, and may even resort to personal attacks. Or it might just go unobserved (which I'm fine with).</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
This is why we need feminism. We <i>need</i> more people and women in tech. We <i>need</i> more women interested in both theorycrafting in video games. Why are we cutting out half of our population's creativity, ideas, and experiences? AAA publishers who only want to target men are shooting their profits in the foot - making an awesome game is how you make a sale. You do that by looking at your users.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
And if you think that just because <a href="http://www.gameinformer.com/b/news/archive/2015/01/15/more-dragon-age-inquisition-stats-are-all-about-sex.aspx" target="_blank">most of them made a male character</a> (in this link, just citing the % of male to female Inquisitors) and thus must be male, you <a href="http://dragonage.wikia.com/wiki/Dorian_Pavus" target="_blank">likely aren't looking at the facts properly</a>.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13494564456400725318noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2154689283838283012.post-48275670767952710822014-08-11T23:03:00.000-07:002014-08-11T23:03:05.790-07:00Impostor.<i>Hi. I haven't written here in some time with the advent of <a href="http://sentrytotem.com/" target="_blank">Sentry Totem</a>. Mostly because that is where the majority of my Windwalker-related musings will go. I'm making this more into a personal blog.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>Personal blog. That's an interesting title, simply because it's taboo to talk about your personal life on the internet. Except, I think that Twitter has, more or less, inspired me to do that, in addition to other recent events. So, here it is.</i><br />
<br />
Add to Cart. It was so easy. A few shipping options displayed. The $9 option wouldn't have it here for another whole week... The other ones would have it here sooner.<br />
<br />
I closed the tab.<br />
<br />
It seems so simple to quantify that into a single sentence. But it's not. The bag is still sitting in a cart on Think Geek, waiting to be bought. Just like my many other shopping carts that I've learned to abandon.<br />
<br />
I didn't always used to be good about abandoning them. If anything, I'm still terrible. I still spend money on things I shouldn't. If I didn't happen to work in a very lucrative field, my finances would be unbearably broken. I wish I could make an excuse for it, but I can't. I used to vie so much for that moment of happiness of receiving something from Think Geek or Amazon or any number of other online retails. It drove me into more debt than I care to think about.<br />
<br />
This is how I've dealt over the years. I'm far more mature about it, but "shopping therapy" kind of works in multiple ways.<br />
<br />
My dog whines at me from her bed/crate next to me. She does that pretty often these days. I normally take her to the park more often than I have, but gas is expensive, and I'm always tired. I haven't slept properly in what feels like months. It's getting better, but I also know that I'm in an upswing. Sometimes, my "shopping therapy" transfers to her. I shower her and the cat in toys, the best foods, and more recently, daycare. Because, it makes me more depressed when I realize how inadequate I am. Here I am with these two creatures that love me entirely, and I can't even muster up the energy to take her to the park every day.<br />
<br />
She slouches in her crate. This time, it's because she's tired from having been in daycare recently. Usually it's because she knows I'm about to retreat to my own bed. It's getting better now that I'm employed.<br />
<br />
<h2>
Personal Me</h2>
<div>
Hi. I'm a programmer. I work mostly in web development - they call me a front end engineer. Back in June, my job - which I thought was my dream job - laid me off. I was already dealing with heavy depression stemming from the job in general treating me poorly. In addition, I'm like every other programmer - I suffer from <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Impostor_syndrome" target="_blank">Impostor Syndrome</a>. The unfortunate thing? Because of how shitty my childhood was, Imposter Syndrome even permeates my personal life. Basically, you have to live with this fear that everyone thinks you are better than you actually are, and one day they'll find out. They'll figure out that you're dumb as a brick, and they'll treat you that way.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Everyone makes mistakes, and everyone says things that are illogical and stupid sometimes. Throw in some Impostor Syndrome, a little bit of recently laid off, a lot of interviews that end with "We're looking for someone more senior than you are" (as in, getting that line a few times a week), and you've got yourself a pretty royal concoction.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Depression sucks. Impostor Syndrome sucks. The worst part - you only get the magic therapy you need if you're employed, and if you tell people you're in therapy, then... well, have you <i>seen </i>how it feels to feel like an impostor? If anyone ever found out, then "clearly" you'll be discredited. It's a pretty vicious cycle.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<h2>
The Internet Isn't Just Porn</h2>
<div>
I'm incredibly thankful for the internet. Without it, I'd have never met Trevor, and I'd have never become a programmer. Basically, I wouldn't be who I am today. Sometimes, I wonder if I'd still be here.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I think many people can agree that games are our escape. It's incredibly common. For me, Windwalker Monk is my particular escape. Sure, I do programming here and there, but when you're already depressed and feel stupid, sometimes it's better to tackle an easier problem. I have an incredibly large amount of people to thank who don't even realize how much I value them.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
See, when you're depressed, the best thing to do about it is to do stuff. To not focus on the depression and let it eat on you, but to socialize and do other things. This isn't quite possible when you're unemployed. I can't tell you how many bad days were "fixed", more or less, by someone asking if I wanted to do something. Sure, I probably should have been trying to study for interviews or a myriad of other things. But, at the time - it was necessary (and, I don't regret it. A week from today, I'll be starting a very awesome position).</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I sometimes wonder how many lives were saved by the simple presence of a World of Warcraft subscription.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
One particularly bad day, I don't even remember what the rejection was. Probably another telling me that my skills weren't as strong as they wanted (when, truth was, I'm just not an egomaniac and can't really flaunt them. I've obviously gotten better about pretending to be an egomaniac, though). It doesn't matter. I just played hours and hours of beta on my Windwalker, doing mindless things. I didn't want to tell people how I felt. I didn't want to make things personal - when you make things personal, people have an arsenal to hurt you. I guess that's why it's so taboo to talk about feelings.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I've been hurt a few times by people having this arsenal. It sucks.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<h2>
Moving Forward</h2>
<div>
I survived. I barely know how - I'm told what a strong person I am for surviving the shit childhood I was given, and for dealing with the crap that I have in my adult life. But I don't <b>feel</b> strong. I think when you are actively dealing with depression, you feel weak. So very, very weak. Every bad thing that happens, even if it's lighthearted teasing, feels like another crushing blow on your already-fragile psyche.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Needless to say, I'm happy that I'm in an upswing now. There are a few things that have happened socially that I think would have normally crushed me. If I didn't have the job offer in my email, they probably would have. Choosing one's words may be difficult, but it's necessary. There are times when I want to tell someone that they're an idiot, but there are better ways to say it - perhaps as actual constructive criticism.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Sometimes, it feels like some people only want to shame you. Sometimes I wonder if this has to do with my gender. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Maybe. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Especially when they're someone who rarely interacts with you. But, even then, their negative feedback sticks in your mind like a virus. It's a cancer that grows until you just feel like... an impostor. I don't like to think that people point out a Pro Raiders rank just because I happen to have a certain chromosome set, but I have seen it happen more often than with the other setup. There's also the given harassment if you happen to be even remotely attractive (and, everyone has their fetish, so meeting that requirement for sexual harassment isn't terribly difficult).</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I'm just so glad that when I logged in at the odd hours, people were around. Having a social circle isn't something I'm used to. It made it so much easier to deal, and I am so thankful for every alt run, every LFR, and outside of WoW, for every social event that Trevor and I were able to do.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
God, I can't tell you how thankful I am for Trevor. He's had to put up with so much of my shit, stemming from sleepless nights, not being able to take my medications, and general stress. The man deserves a fucking medal.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<h2>
Robin</h2>
<div>
I guess this is where I comment on the something that has caused the general talk about depression today, and why I felt that it should be fine to write this post.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
We're all affected by this. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Well, unless you live under a rock.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
This man died as spectacularly as he has lived. It's a shock to everyone. I thought someone was trolling my Twitter. I hoped. They weren't. I remember watching <i>Patch Adams </i>in foster care. That, and <i>Hook</i>, made such a major impression on me.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
They gave me hope.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Hope is important when you go through dark times. When you lose hope, it's very easy to lose your will to continue. While it's not confirmed that he committed suicide, it's very easy to succumb to the... desire. Once hope is gone, there isn't much left. And it's so difficult to keep that ember burning within you once it begins to crumble.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I hope that he can continue to impact lives - always positively. <a href="https://twitter.com/ohgoditsranor/status/499061350380081152" target="_blank">As someone on Twitter said, he always pretended to be happy, even when he wasn't</a>. That's pretty damn powerful. I think we still do the same thing. I doubt anyone really figured out how depressed I was.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Shit. I lost my job. My guild even informed me I'd be cut for Mythic around this time. I was a god damn wreck. Yet, I kept it together. I don't know how. I got that disgusting type of sleep that you get when you just want to escape reality, but your body can't shut itself down. It's too stressed out to stem the tides of adrenaline. You stare at the ceiling, hoping for an email or a phone call, or something pleasant to happen.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
It's fucking difficult.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<h2>
SJW</h2>
<div>
As someone who is affected by ADHD and the associated anxiety and depression, I think it's important to discuss mental illness. Obviously, not many people knew where Robin happened to be, until today. When my close friend in high school committed suicide two years ago, none of us expected it, either.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Robin was a celebrity. My friend had just graduated college, and had secured a pretty awesome gig that would have propelled her forward.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
None of us saw this coming.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I still check her wall sometimes. I'm not the only one. There are posts there that are very recent. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
The taboo of expressing feelings is slowly breaking down. It still exists. I know that people will question this post. Maybe I'm just doing it for "views" or "followers" or... whatever. Maybe they think that's the only reason I even theorycraft - I just want "popularity" or an item named after me, or something.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Nah. It's my escape. And this is me expressing that.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
This blog post is basically just getting shit off my mind. 140 characters can't encompass everything. And the last two years of being involved with the Windwalker community - that's been the biggest saving grace.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I love you guys. Tigereye brews for everyone.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13494564456400725318noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2154689283838283012.post-26525486356082916582014-03-17T11:16:00.001-07:002014-03-17T11:16:24.707-07:00Another Kind of Monk So, Siege of Orgrimmar will apparently last the remainder of my youthful years. As a result, I've dusted off Diablo 3. Holy cow.<br />
<h2>
Yes, I'm a Monk</h2>
<div>
I started out D3 as a demon hunter, and found I didn't like it. I'm a fan of hack and slash, not really "shoot a few bolts and then run away." Though, demon hunter WAS pretty powerful at launch.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
From what I am told, Monk is not as strong in endgame. However, it's certainly fun. The huge amount of teleport spells make it feel pretty similar to Warcraft's monk (hah).</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Oh, and we have a rune called Fists of Fury</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<i>(seriously, what's up with Blizzard and Fists of Fury)</i></div>
<h2>
Leveling</h2>
<div>
I admit that I have a hard time paying attention to Diablo. The first and second Diablos, as well as Warcraft 3, were basically my first modern PC games (and we could barely run WC3, at that). So, I love the franchise very much (even after my rather religious mother made me uninstall it).</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Gearing seems to be much less hazardous as well. For one, the +Experience gear - with the current 50% bonus experience buff from Blizzard - makes the levels absolutely fly by.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I'm also pumping in as much dexterity as I can. This actually forced me to swap my game into Hardmode - even though I haven't played since D3 launched. Tempest Slash was oneshotting white mobs... which made the game pretty trivial. So, having high dexterity - as expected - is proving to be good. I'm sure that in the future, I'll probably also want to grab some Vitality or other health-enhancing attributes.</div>
<h2>
But, Seriously, Freaking Vitality Gear</h2>
<div>
I did notice an increase in the amount of vitality-laden gear once I swapped to hard mode. This is frustrating, because while more health is always welcome, having things die faster still means I die less often - especially when it feels like packs of mobs are much larger on Hard than they are on Normal.</div>
<h2>
Legendaries</h2>
<div>
The update to legendaries is probably the thing I'm the biggest fan of. I admit I haven't progressed past Act 3 yet - I've barely started it before restarting the game on Hard - but it's really nice to be like <i>DAMN HOMIE</i> when I identify a legendary. Plus, the flavor aesthetics are rather nice.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Oh, and the Butcher's Cleaver is pretty rad.</div>
<h2>
A Whole New Game</h2>
<div>
Honestly, the changes made between launch and now have made Diablo 3 feel like an entirely new game. Itemization is much more interesting, the map enhancements are far more usable, and actually being able to gear myself without wasting gold/money on the auction house (RIP in peace) is fantastic. While most classes feel completely new, the refresh is precisely what they've needed.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I'm glad that I'm giving the game a second chance. I feel that it had tons of potential at the start that it didn't initially fulfill, and it's nice to have a distraction from Warcraft.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13494564456400725318noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2154689283838283012.post-57650108704601985802014-03-05T17:53:00.000-08:002014-03-05T17:53:01.981-08:00Fists of DramaFists of Fury has been one of the most drama-inducing spells since I don't even remember. Never have I seen so much back and forth in whether to use it, how to use it, if to use it. I always advise people to use it when they won't energy cap, and if they aren't going to need to interrupt its channel.<br />
<br />
Add to this the stupid amounts of haste that Windwalker can achieve in current tier, a trinket that encourages the use of both Fists of Fury and Energizing Brew more often, and you have an incredibly chatty Windwalker community.<br />
<h2>
First, Its Issues</h2>
<div>
<ul>
<li>It creates a conal stun that DRs. This was an issue when I came in for the first time for Heroic Garrosh - it stunned mind controlled players, causing us to wipe during a transition because they could not run for around two seconds.</li>
<li>It hits in a conal direction. For fights such as Paragons, this is "padding", or at least, lost damage on the more important target. I remember in Tier 14, Protectors of the Endless - I was asked to unbind it, because it reduced my single-target damage. It doesn't matter as much in a fight such as The Fallen Protectors (since they don't heal themselves when one boss dies).</li>
<li>The gain from using it correctly is almost insignificant.</li>
</ul>
<h2>
A Windwalker's Signature</h2>
</div>
<div>
I remember once stating that Fists of Fury was a signature spell for Windwalkers. I was very quickly "corrected" that a Windwalker's signature spell isn't Fists of Fury anymore - it's Tigereye Brew.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Well, that's pretty boring. Every boss encounter in which the boss is a monk utilizes Fists of Fury... so wouldn't one state that the monk's paradigm is, in fact, Fists of Fury? It's even listed in our Core Abilities to use any time we have 3 Chi.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Brewmasters and Mistweavers already have their signatures short(ish) cooldowns - a Brewmaster can (theoretically) cast Guard every 30 seconds (though, this isn't the time or place to state whether or not this is good practice). Mistweavers have Thunderfocus Tea in order to help them blanket the raid in Renewing Mist, and their longer cooldown for Revival (nerfed though it might have been). And of course, all three specs have their signature brews. Why can't a Windwalker have something similar for their rotation?</div>
<div>
<h2>
Current</h2>
<div>
While it's still somewhat of a gain to use Fists of Fury, even in my guide on MMO-Champion, I tell people to practice using it. I even wrote out a rotation that completely removes it because of how difficult some players find it to use.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
That said, I like that Windwalker is somewhat difficult to play. Fists of Fury adds flavor to the rotation, and can set a good Windwalker apart from a bad one, and a great one apart from a good one. However, it would be rather nice if the benefits from using it as often as possible were better - a 1-2% increase in overall damage can hardly be considered a major benefit, even from a high end point of view.</div>
</div>
<h2>
Assurance of Consequence</h2>
<div>
The very existence of this trinket suggests that part of the Windwalker paradigm is still to use Fists of Fury and Energizing Brew regularly, and yet, logs and simulations still show that this trinket is a loss compared to other trinkets from the tier that are of the same item level. No ranked monk is using Assurance of Consequence.</div>
<h2>
Haste. Vs FoF/Energizing Brew</h2>
<div>
One of the ways that Windwalkers have somewhat "bandaided" themselves from having to use FoF or Energizing Brew (EB) at poor times in an encounter is simply to stack more haste. While I can't see myself going beyond 13K haste, a few (ranked) monks have.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
However, higher haste gameplay just honestly... isn't compelling. It removes some of the challenge from the rotation. Having to consider when to use these is great and prevents me from going into auto-pilot.</div>
<h2>
Proposed Solutions</h2>
<div>
A few different solutions have been requested by the Windwalker community, but obviously nothing conclusive has occurred at this point.</div>
<div>
<ul>
<li>Let us glyph it to remove the stun, and perhaps be able to cast it while moving (for those times when the boss moves)</li>
<li>Glyph it to remove the stun, and perhaps also increase the damage (obviously, this is an issue somewhat for PvP)</li>
<li>Cause it to do more damage on non-stunnable targets, such as bosses</li>
<li>Glyph it to remove the conal damage component</li>
<li>Bake Energizing Brew into Tigereye Brew - have Tigereye Brew both increase energy regeneration as well as damage.</li>
<li>Buff Fists of Fury damage by around 20%, even if it means toning down the damage from other spells or increasing the cooldown on FoF.</li>
</ul>
<div>
A nice thing may even be to allow us to select a talent that accomplishes one of these solutions.</div>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13494564456400725318noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2154689283838283012.post-32615574210459174862014-03-04T09:50:00.002-08:002014-03-04T09:50:39.398-08:00Thoks, TeD, and Why Your Strength Users Hate YouThis post operates on a few basic premises:<br />
<br />
<ol>
<li>Agility is 2:1 ratio to other stats (actually, it's a little bit more than that)</li>
<li>All trinkets mentioned are the same item level</li>
<li>All trinkets are heroic with two upgrades (574)</li>
</ol>
<div>
<h2>
Ticking Ebon Detonator</h2>
</div>
<div>
This trinket has a baseline 2383 mastery and a proc of approximately 26000 agility that slowly ticks down to 0. Where slowly is actually somewhat quickly (it decreases by 1300 every .5 seconds). This amounts to approximately 2.5K agility over the course of the fight, possibly more with lucky procs and an initial proc.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
However, while the static agility and secondary stats are superb (that mastery can be forged into either haste or crit - garnering just under 1k of either) - the power of this trinket is more in its initial burst.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Many well-geared Windwalkers report that they can very easily burst at around 1M, if not more - mostly because they are able to use Rising Sun Kick and - MOST importantly - Fists of Fury with a HUGE amount of stacks from TeD. Considering that Fists of Fury snapshots, that means you are theoretically punching the boss in the face with however many stacks you begin your FoF cast at - preferably as close to 19 stacks as possible.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<h2>
Thok's Tail Tip</h2>
<div>
Thok's is a strength-proccing trinket, but this isn't want makes it strong. Rather, the baseline amplification of crit damage in addition to secondary stats makes this strong.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Note that this is crit <i>damage</i>, not crit <i>chance</i>. So, your chances of scoring a crit are the same, but the damage itself is amplified by 9%.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
In addition, most Windwalkers will gain around 1K haste and, depending on gearing choices, around 400 mastery. The strength proc will also account for roughly 14303 strength every 115 seconds or so - or approximately 2.3K strength during a 6 minute fight.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
However, it isn't the strength proc that gives this trinket its... strength. The secondaries scale more with more gear - that 1K haste can easily grow, depending on the amount that the Windwalker stacks (and of course, so would the mastery). The crit damage itself is also a fairly strong boost, similar to the non-legendary meta.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<h2>
So, Which Is Better?</h2>
<div>
First, strength only grants 1 attack power per point, while agility grants 2 attack power per point, in addition to a small hint of crit (I believe this was last estimated to be about 1/1200 crit? Would need to check my work, and I am not anywhere that I can. Feel free to correct in comments). Thus, the approximate amount of attack power granted by TeD over the course of 6 minutes is around 5k. Meanwhile, Thok's would only ever grant around 2.3k without additional crit.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
However, Thok's still grants slightly more haste, in addition to the crit damage (TeD, of course, grants more mastery, regardless of reforging). So, while the strength proc is AP, it's basically garbage compared to the rest of the trinket.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<h2>
Agility vs. Stats</h2>
<div>
It seems that the discussion of TeD vs. TTT has caused somewhat of a split in our community. On one hand, evidence shows that TeD - by all accounts - is much stronger than TTT.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Considering, again, that agility is 2:1 to all secondaries, we do see that the added secondaries from TTT are ~2500 : ~1400 secondaries. So, that requirement is filled in that the secondaries are slightly more than 2 agility (but not by very much). However, that is disregarding the extra 1k or so haste or agility - which can cause us to disregard almost 1K of the additional stats of TTT. That means that - when you also consider the 2.3k static stats on TeD - it pulls ahead.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
But not by very much. This isn't considering the crit damage from TTT (that does complicate things).<br />
<br />
So, it's time to simulate.<br />
<br />
Here is my gear setup with Thok's Tail Tip, as it appears in the armory - a heroic 2/2 upgrade TTT.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://i.imgur.com/VrjNlPo.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://i.imgur.com/VrjNlPo.png" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
And a pretty chart showing the bellcurve:</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://i.imgur.com/Unhhi5I.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://i.imgur.com/Unhhi5I.png" height="113" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<br />
And here is a simulation using TeD - adding in a reforge of mastery -> haste.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://i.imgur.com/U2rYIyn.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://i.imgur.com/U2rYIyn.png" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
And its own bell curve:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://i.imgur.com/lu5zXzi.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://i.imgur.com/lu5zXzi.png" height="116" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<h2>
Interpretation</h2>
</div>
<div>
So, these results do hold some water that Thok's is slightly - less than 1% - better than TeD. However, I don't believe that these sims really show the potential of TeD. Looking at World of Logs, almost every ranked Windwalker happens to be using TeD - and I'm sure that at least one of them has access to a heroic warforged TTT.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Either way, the results are incredibly close. I could perhaps run the simulation again with higher iterations (these were run with around 10K in the interests of time) and get slightly different results (though, statistically these work).</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<h2>
Conclusion</h2>
<div>
In the end, higher ilevel will win out. A heroic TTT will beat a normal TeD by around 5k in my experience, and a heroic warforged TeD will beat out a TTT. Nonetheless, monks should probably not receive priority for this trinket, simply because of how close the results are between the two. With a less than 1% difference, Thok's Tail Tip should be prioritized to strength users over Windwalkers.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Additionally, logs are showing that TeD is stronger than TTT. This could be because many ranked monks simply have overall better gear (and playstyle), and simply have not received TTT, or it could be a myriad of other things. Either way, the differences between the two are almost negligible according to sims.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Keep in mind that TeD does produce more burst, and more procs. I did not alter the simulation to account for FoF snapshotting, so there is also that - being able to snapshot the proc will increase your DPS more than just blowing TeB on it. And it does increase the potential of TeD.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13494564456400725318noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2154689283838283012.post-15668852069658211622014-03-03T09:14:00.000-08:002014-03-03T09:14:22.274-08:00Guilds, WoD, and WindwalkersOriginally, I had wanted to make a post about trinkets again (because those are the hottest topic since Leo not getting an Oscar again... Okay, so I didn't watch the Oscars, not really my thing, but I had to make SOME comment to that effect).<br />
<br />
Instead, I think I'm going to focus a little bit on the trends I am seeing in guild recruitment.<br />
<br />
<h2>
Why?</h2>
<div>
I tend to keep a pulse on guild recruitment between tiers, as it tends to somewhat display what specs and/or classes are in demand. It's not necessarily the greatest measure - not every guild will be recruiting rogues, for example, even if they are the most desirable class - if they already have them. However, we should see a trend of "many" guilds looking for rogues if they are desirable. Which, there has definitely been a high amount of guilds recruiting rogues during Mists of Pandaria.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
For Windwalkers, this data is even more important just by way of how few small representation is and because of how new the spec still is. Obviously, some guilds still have Windwalkers, but typically only one Windwalker (if any).</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<h2>
Disclaimer</h2>
<div>
My first disclaimer is that I don't necessarily have any tools with which to gather the best statistics for who is recruiting Windwalkers and who is not. In addition, I typically follow 25M guilds, as I am not as familiar with the 10M landscape at this point (yet another reason I welcome our 20M overlords).</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
In addition, this post is not meant to say that Windwalkers do not have a place in 20M raiding. I do know plenty who will have a spot, and chances are I will probably also have a spot somewhere in a high-end guild (even if it isn't Defenestrate).</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Thus, take this post more as a discussion topic, and less as "this is exactly what is happening right now."</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<h2>
Observations</h2>
<div>
When I look through the first twenty or so guilds on WoWProgress - which I typically sort down to US-only (as that applies more to me than a Russian or European guild), there are maybe a handful which are recruiting Windwalkers. I don't really try to look at these as the be-all, end-all of progression, however - especially in the top 10, there are typically guilds whose raid hours most people cannot meet, thus fielding trials and applications are somewhat more difficult for these guilds.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Sorting further, we see plenty of guilds are looking for Mistweavers and Brewmasters, yet not many are looking for Windwalkers. Of course, my own guild, Defenestrate already has two Windwalkers - which is already one too many for 20M.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
The other side of this that many high-end guilds also have recruitment simply set to "all classes", even though this is probably not the case. For example, I know that a few of the guilds on the front page are full of melee - and simply wish to gather the best applicants they can for going forward into WoD.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<h2>
So, are you saying this is hopeless?</h2>
<div>
Not necessarily, but it could be very difficult at the moment for a Windwalker to break into high-end raiding, or even to move around guilds. With the change to 20M and no information on what kind of class changes will be happening - such as whether Windwalkers will actually have a competitive raid cooldown similar to every other melee class ever - it is somewhat a "bad time" to really look at the recruitment process.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
The thing is, WoW is kind of in a dull place. Most are just waiting for more information on WoD before finalizing rosters. Typically, at the end of a tier, we will see a rise in recruitment - which continues into the first few weeks of a tier.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I think that once we see more word on specific class changes, it will be much easier to gauge how desirable Windwalker becomes.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<h2>
So, What Now</h2>
<div>
The best thing to do at this point is to simply sit tight and wait. A great Windwalker should still be able to find a place, however, the downside is roster shrinking.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Most 25Ms are looking to cut people. However, many also have people that are simply quitting or moving on to other games. Some guilds I know look to see which people remain through farm and plan their rosters through that - after all, a person who is not playing now may not play in the future. It is very hard to gauge and plan around a person who is not currently appearing in raids.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<h2>
However, I Am Still Concerned</h2>
<div>
No word has been stated on raid cooldowns (read: NOT throughput, we have already learned the only throughput cooldown remaining is Heroism/Bloodlust/Timewarp), and Windwalker is currently the only melee to not have a cooldown. While many guilds are still picking up hunters (the ranged Windwalker, in the sense they have no CD), not many will entertain the thought of an extraneous melee.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
The truth is, if we do not see some changes to the current class paradigm insofar that cooldowns are considered, we will probably see many homeless Windwalkers (or at least, many people which played Windwalker be forced to either respec or reroll).</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<a href="http://monkwalker.blogspot.com/2014/02/tanking-is-not-utility.html" target="_blank">Yes, I get that Windwalkers can do damage and have personal utility, but that is not the point of this post, nor is it something considered "important" in high-end raiding.</a> Link to relevant post on this topic, as I'd rather not waste time by explaining what "is" and what "isn't" high-end raiding utility.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<h2>
Conclusion</h2>
<div>
Without some pretty sweeping changes to current spells and paradigm, Windwalker is going to be in an extremely iffy spot in 20M. I am sure that some guilds will still pick one up or keep their current Windwalker, but many Windwalkers will also be rerolling to other classes in order to be able to maintain a core spot (I myself am gearing and considering swapping to my shaman, at least for the amount of spot-off-healing that Enhancement offers).</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
So, for those of you that are considering changing social packs or are otherwise trying to break into high-end raiding, right now is probably not the best time. Closer to WoD, we should probably see a flurry of applications for T17, in addition to knowing more about the desirability of Windwalker.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13494564456400725318noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2154689283838283012.post-73317818936634014092014-02-28T10:57:00.003-08:002014-02-28T10:59:13.183-08:00TweetersOne of the things that has come up in the last few days is the win-loss in using Twitter. On the one hand, it's great for releasing small amounts of information. On the other, it's kind of terrible at it.<br />
<br />
<h2>
Celestalinka Holinkalon</h2>
<div>
Last night, <a href="https://twitter.com/Celestalon" target="_blank">Celestalon</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/holinka" target="_blank">Holinka</a> released a flurry of tweets following a <a href="http://us.battle.net/wow/en/blog/13107743/dev-watercooler-pruning-the-garden-of-war-2-27-2014" target="_blank">blog post</a> with new information about Warlords of Draenor. Mostly, this included information about racials, but also on spells that were being removed in addition to some design philosophy.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
The downside - many questions were asked more than once. Many questions also went unanswered.<br />
<br />
Fansites kind of picked up the slack - publishing tweets as they went live - but what if there weren't fansites?<br />
<br />
<h2>
Theorycrafting</h2>
</div>
<div>
Theorycrafting usually happens in forums, but sometimes it's nice to ask for someone to quickly check math. Also, it pulls in people from other classes (vs. relying on just other Monks to check my math this morning, I also managed to rope in a druid).</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
However, it then turns into a discussion about the trinkets in question, if they are a great set up... The list goes on, and frankly, forums are also a better dumping ground for this (even if conversation is somewhat slowed). It also allows for people to better follow the information, and ensures it's not later lost on the 'net from the hundreds of Tweets that go out.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<h2>
However, Twitter is Great.</h2>
<div>
Despite its shortcomings, I rather like the flow of information that has happened. Ghostcrawler and now Celestalon's responsiveness - in addition to the responsiveness of other devs and CMs - have done an incredible amount of community interaction that was not previously possible. Sure, not every @ will be responded to, but then you can't really expect someone to respond to the many hundreds - if not thousands - of tweets they receive on a daily basis.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I feel that the flood of Twittering that happened last night in response to the dev watercooler was a fantastic thing to follow - even if I do admit that it highlighted some of Twitter's shortcomings. However, being unable to elaborate on ideas limits said sessions - things can't exactly be explained sometimes (especially in the eye of design ideas), so it limits it to very simple question/answer. Then, perhaps that is all the devs expected.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
***</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
That being said, I'm still glad that Skull Banner and Stormlash are gone. This has placed Celestalon near the top of my list of favorite people in 2014.<br />
<br />
<h2>
TL;DR:</h2>
</div>
<div>
Twitter is nice for quick and easy QA, and it's done tons for the community, but forums and blog posts are hear to stay for more elaborate ideas.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13494564456400725318noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2154689283838283012.post-23300341303608468312014-02-27T10:59:00.000-08:002014-02-27T11:04:35.091-08:00I Like Fun ThingsHOLY MOTHER OF TWITTER DRAMA.<br />
<br />
That's my first thought this morning. Well, not the first, but certainly an early one once my phone came on and my notifications attacked me.<br />
<br />
<h2>
Backstory</h2>
<div>
This week, <a href="http://us.battle.net/wow/en/character/whisperwind/Rotund/advanced" target="_blank">Rotund</a> and <a href="http://us.battle.net/wow/en/character/illidan/Gulvan/advanced" target="_blank">Gulvan</a> both tried out a mastery build. Their results were... well... not terribly promising. Both are skilled Windwalkers, so the community watched.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Logs showed that their output was not nearly as good with a build that leaned toward higher haste. This is precisely what math has already shown would be better.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<h2>
This Morning</h2>
<div>
Last night, I crashed at around 9:30. This morning, up at my typical 6:30, and got to work at 7:30. Phone was dead due to taking 2 hours to get home... it had wound up in my car overnight (thank goodness I had my tablet as a backup alarm). I went, got my cheese danish (yay!), a bagel, and some mango juice...</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
And suddenly got the flood of Twitter notifications of something something haste and mastery. And something about how heroic raiders telling normal raiders how to play, and something like that. What.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<h2>
OK, First Thing's First</h2>
<div>
Not all heroic raiders are theorycrafters, and not all theorycrafters are heroic raiders. Granted, I know that most "popular" theorycrafters wind up in heroic raids (at least, the ones that make their results public). </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
For example, in this tweet I somewhat explain how I write my guides. First, I get my tiny monk self on the big ole PTR, and I hit things a lot. Then I adjust things, and hit things a little bit more. I keep doing this sometimes for hours. And then I post my results, and then I get the results from other people who did the same thing.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
At that point, I begin compiling a guide. Sometimes I just take the old guide and change up a few things, but at least for a major patch - such as 6.0 - I typically try to do an entire re-write and re-organize it so that it flows a bit better.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Following the release of said patch, however, things continue to change. Logs happen, and people actually test things live. Basically, you have an even larger testing group and therefore WAY more data than you did in beta - and as a result, conjectures will or won't be proven.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<h2>
What's More Fun</h2>
<div>
One of the arguments happened to be that something was more "fun." Now, I'm having a heck of a time understanding this.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
The entire point to the Windwalker playstyle is basically a fast, fairly steady rotation with very very few gaps in it. Stating that lower haste is somehow more "fun" makes me really have to scratch my head and wonder why they aren't playing an Enhancement Shaman or a Retribution Paladin if they feel that slower with more burst is more fun. This was somehow then compared to a Mage playing Fire instead of Frost because they found it more fun....</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Another side of the argument stated that part of a DPS's job is to optimize their damage as much as possible - and I 100% agree. In fact, half of the "fun" of being a DPS is being able to min-max your damage (at least, that's my opinion).</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I suppose that these can kind of converge on the point that trying new things is "fun", but editing a spec's stat priority isn't even nearly the same as comparing a Fire Mage to a Frost Mage. As someone who's dabbled in mage just a little bit, I will honestly state that they are two different playstyles. Lower haste and higher mastery IS NOT A CHANGE IN PLAYSTYLE.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<h2>
NM Raiders vs. Hc Raiders</h2>
<div>
I don't think that there is honestly anything wrong with optimizing, but what I see is tension on the side of people who consider themselves "normal mode" raiders and people who consider themselves "heroic" raiders. Like, what?</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Why are you seriously putting us into two camps? Stating that you aren't that interested in heroic modes is selling yourself short. Further, it creates an us vs. them mentality. The community hardly needs that. There have already been protests about the elitist mentality in heroic raiders, and acting like they are two different breeds is honestly not going to help the future of this game.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Everyone has their different reasons for enjoying a class or role. I enjoy tanking because I don't like relying on other people. I like healing because I find it much less stressful than DPS or tanking. And I like playing a DPS because I feel much more pushed for results than I do as a tank or healer.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Further, if you put people in camps like this, it creates a closed-minded mindset. People forget that residents of each "camp" will come and go. In Wrath, I played at a high level. In Cata, I played "casually" with a guild that didn't have a single min-maxer in it. In MoP, I decided I wanted to challenge myself... so the rest is history. I honestly don't like the idea of barring people from content or socially because they are in one "camp" or another. I always tell people: <b>don't sell yourself short</b>.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<h2>
Optimization</h2>
<div>
Another argument I heard is that some people simply cannot optimize for whatever reason - they find that they cannot play an optimal rotation, or play an optimized version of their class.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I don't have much of a response to this. Then again, I've always been the type of person who hates limiting themselves to saying I "can't" do something. In every guide I have read, written, or contributed to, haste is always referred to "get as much as you need for as close to a steady rotation as you can."</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I guess the best way to put it is this: WoW isn't rocket science. Windwalker Monk isn't rocket science, either. I don't understand why some people feel that theorycrafters are just here to "tell them how to play" or that we somehow think we're superior to them (I'm sure some do, but I certainly don't.) We will instead just give them advice and try to figure out the most optimal setups - and then provide the community with that information. We aren't calling Blizzard to get their characters banned because they decided they like a higher Mastery build for whatever reason.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<h2>
Final Thoughts</h2>
<div>
Gulvan tweeted about how having a 60% uptime on Mastery probably seems nice on paper, but you're basically punching with feathers at that point - and he's right. However, my issue with the Mastery test is that it sacrificed Attack Power - that's where your feathers come from. I also feel that it would have been a stronger test if we simply had more secondaries to go around, but we just don't. And that's fine.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Just looking at the (datamined) formulae for Windwalker attacks, and sacrificing AP is almost never the best idea. I assume the people who want to have mastery up all the time also like seeing big numbers on their screen - if that's the case, then it mathematically just doesn't make sense to sacrifice AP.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
(In fact, my biggest complaint with people recommend Thok's Tail Tip as a trinket is that it sacrifices AP... but that's for another day).</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Mastery is still - similar to 5.0 Mastery - HasteLite(TM) in the sense that it gives us stacks of Tigereye Brew. However, it doesn't fill the gaps in our rotation the way that 5.0 Mastery did, nor does it increase our RPPM procs, nor does it increase our AA speed. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
So, treat each other with respect. <b>Apply Wil Wheaton's Law.</b></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13494564456400725318noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2154689283838283012.post-38029420615341708082014-02-26T13:46:00.000-08:002014-02-26T13:46:00.069-08:00Theorycrafting ForumsI have a few guides up now. One on EJ that I know I need to update, and I also wound up taking over the one on MMO-Champion when the original writer kind of disappeared.<br />
<br />
I also happen to currently mod MMO-Champion's monk forums and I'm also currently a mod over at ChiBurst. Originally, this was just because I already spent tons of time on there, and for ChiBurst because I care about what that forum is trying to do. However, I admit that sometimes I wish there were more I can do.<br />
<br />
<h2>
Being Nice</h2>
<div>
I am just going to be egotistical and say that I'm actually much nicer than most. I try to avoid giving infractions where I can, and just ask people to edit posts. I want people posting, because it encourages discussion.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Inevitably, this makes things difficult. There's a difference between being nice and being too nice. One of the issues that MMO-Champion has recently run into (at least, what I hear the most) is that there's simply quite a lot of bad information. I also see posts that have glaringly wrong information in them and as a mod... it puts me in a tight fix, because there isn't very much I can do.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
When a person has to deal with the same questions multiple times, and is powerless to stop bad information from being posted, they tend to get frustrated (especially when they try to correct said bad information, and someone starts a flame war, and then I have to step in). As a result, many of the more knowledgable posters simply... well... stop posting. They get tired of the headache of dealing with bad information.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<h2>
Being Mean</h2>
<div>
The opposite issue exists on Elitist Jerks. Many people shy away from that forum due to more strict moderating guidelines and a heavier hand on infractions (however, even when I first began theorycrafting, I never received an infraction... there is a difference between posting bad conjectures/information and then having another pair of eyes look at it, and - what gets most people a bad mark - making a post that doesn't contribute to the conversation).</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I don't want ChiBurst or MMO-C to become like EJ. I feel that most of the community died out because of the heavy hand in moderating (in addition to the fact that the game does not really call for that much theorycrafting outside of figuring out an optimal rotation/stats early in a patch - MMO-C wins by also just encouraging general/fun discussion). </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<h2>
So How Do We Win?</h2>
<div>
That's the difficult question. When are we being too heavy handed, and when are we being "too nice"? Obviously it's a matter of opinion.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I spoke with one of the people in charge of MMO-C about my concerns with moderating, and I have to agree with them. Theorycrafting is not an exact science. The math is a bit grey in some areas, and we rely on "proving" it with simulations (which also aren't perfect, relying on data mining) and logs (also not perfect, as they require human input). </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I would also hate to ban a potential theorycrafter who simply has the wrong information for whatever reason. I've been that person before. There have been times that my math has been off for one reason or another. And, in the future, I'm sure that there will be other things that I'll be wrong about. I would hope that someone would find where I am wrong, and correct that - and perhaps that is a newer theorycrafter. <b>Because, correcting me would not only help the community as a whole, but also improve me as a theorycrafter.</b></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Hopefully, we can eventually find this middle ground. I'd hate to see theorycrafters die out.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13494564456400725318noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2154689283838283012.post-54160972942582589692014-02-25T14:00:00.000-08:002014-02-25T14:00:02.089-08:00Tanking Is Not UtilityI suppose I should add - <i>spec swapping </i>isn't a utility.<br />
<br />
<h2>
Yes, But, Rogues-</h2>
<div>
I'm not a rogue. Rogues wear leather, sure, and it happens to have agility. They also have some similar gameplay mechanics.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
My monk, however, is not a rogue.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
(Besides, Rogues have Smoke Bomb.)</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
(And, also, there are also other classes that can swap to tanking, too! Yet they happen to have Death Grip, magic damage reduction, and banners.)</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<h2>
So Why Don't You Reroll?</h2>
<div>
Why don't you reroll first and then tell me to do that?</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
While you are at it, please, continue telling me how to spend my $15/month.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Besides, this is dodging the issue of having a spec that is completely undesirable. It'd be one thing if we had another spec that served another function, but that simply isn't the case (and, honestly, even that is a weak argument - many Rogues were already frustrated with Assassination being ahead of their other specs, if I recall).</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<h2>
But X is a Utility!</h2>
<div>
Not in the eye of high end raiding.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Honestly, Mythic raiding can and probably <u style="font-weight: bold;">will</u> see a general decrease in the representation of Windwalkers. Unless Bring the Player Not the Class (TM) is actually implemented as far as cooldowns are concerned (in addition to interrupts, disarms, etc), many Windwalkers will probably become frustrated at their lack of utility and leave.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Healing? Hah. My enhancement shaman already has that covered more than my monk ever will with Healing Stream and Ancestral Guidance. Oh, and my shaman also has Stormlash.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Survival Cooldowns? We're compared to Warriors here - but what about Rogues?</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Movement? Great... why aren't you bringing a Disc Priest to your raid again?</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<h2>
High End Raiding</h2>
<div>
The next arguments I get are that maybe I'm in the wrong guild... or this, that, and the other thing.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I like high end raiding. And I like playing a Windwalker. I'm happy as a clam (assuming clams are happy) when I can do both. Do you <i>honestly</i> believe that high end raiding shouldn't be enjoyable? It is - gasp - a video game.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Sure, there are certain stereotypes about it. And sometimes those are true, just like it's sometimes true that there are many people who roll Hunters just because they want to have a giant cat at all times. But, it's also often not true (my first character was not a Hunter... I think.)</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
And, if you ask most high end players, they will tell you something similar: "Play what you enjoy. Oh, you enjoy tank/dps/healer? X or Y class is pretty fun and strong."</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
(That last one being because this game is never balanced.)</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
There are also arguments about Windwalkers bringing great damage. We most certainly can - especially for certain encounters (namely, cleave encounters). However, think about Ret Paladins for a moment. They are fairly low DPS compared to other melee, yet... they have fairly good representation. Because Devo Aura.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Yet Windwalkers bring high damage and - starting at level 1 aside, given that the expansion has been out for a year - have very low representation.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I think I am going to have to get on the "Give Us Utility" bandwagon at this point, especially with 5 raid spots cut.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13494564456400725318noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2154689283838283012.post-65902453776144303272014-02-24T13:39:00.002-08:002014-02-24T13:40:38.397-08:00Looking Back: Combo Breaker MasteryMany 5.0 and 5.1 monks will probably wince the moment I mention Combo Breaker as a mastery.<br />
<br />
Honestly, though, hear me out on why this wasn't such a bad mastery early on.<br />
<br />
<h2>
Low Haste, Slow Rotation</h2>
<div>
It's basically accepted that Monks have a very spammy rotation compared to other classes. I know that my Enhancement Shaman has a rather slow rotation in comparison to my Monk. When I swap between the two, I find that I just don't enjoy the mechanics as much. This has been roughly the same with other classes/specs - they just don't have the same amount of high speed that monk honestly has.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Preferences aside, I look back and still fairly clearly remember avoiding Combo Breaker as a mastery because of how jilted it made the rotation feel. Yet, monks were also able to deal with having 4-6K Haste (very rarely higher), and then stacking Crit. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
The following tier, we adjusted to higher Haste values because Combo Breaker had been reduced to 12% proc rate, thus we needed "more" haste in order to compensate. (This is also riddled by Rune of Re-Origination, but that's a whole 'nother topic).</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
However, early in the tier, having some Mastery was somewhat desirable (even if theorycrafting stated otherwise), especially if one could not reach the desired level of haste comfortably. Mastery was - for lack of a better term - HasteLite (TM). It smoothed a poorly geared player's rotation (though it was still not as useful as Haste).</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<h2>
Okay, So What?</h2>
<div>
In Warlords of Draenor, we are going to want more haste than what we have now. That's kind of a no-brainer.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
However, I think that many monks are going to find that in early gear, it will be more difficult (again) to reach a level of haste in which their rotation is "smooth". Theoretically, we will also still be at 12% chance to proc either/both Combo Breaker.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Of course, Fists of Fury and using Energizing Brew will help fill this niche. I know that as a player, I am somewhat bad in that I am not as good at hitting my Energizing Brew button as I should (but I still do). Perhaps, the Windwalker community as a whole will also need some practice with Fists of Fury and Energizing Brew - as it stands, those two spells are somewhat termed as either boring or drama magnets (you can guess which is which).</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<h2>
I still don't see your point.</h2>
<div>
Combo Breaker was great as a mastery when implemented. Mastery still parsed to be worse than Haste or Crit, but having nearly 20% chance to proc Combo Breaker meant that even worse-geared Monks did all right damage-wise. It basically balanced the rotation somewhat because Monks are designed to constantly be hitting something - and a higher amount of Combo Breaker allowed that.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
In other words, while we complain about having had this as Mastery early on, I believe that it filled its niche at the time. It didn't scale well, no, and would have been absolutely terrible in 5.2 and 5.4, but for 5.0 and 5.1 it certainly helped the class somewhat.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
It will certainly be interesting to see what fills that niche in Warlords of Draenor, given that there are proposals to change certain spells. Many theorize that Fists of Fury and Energizing Brew will fill its spot, and I simply hope that those <i>will</i> work to compensate.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13494564456400725318noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2154689283838283012.post-38371364494077184462013-12-19T09:45:00.000-08:002013-12-19T09:45:00.448-08:00Feeling (Un)TalentedMonk talents are boring.<br />
<br />
No, really. They are. A discussion on the WoW forums started up by Jim points this out. Everyone agrees, so it must be so.<br />
<br />
Actually, they're boring for a greater reason - very little variety. I won't go talent by talent, but I will post some of my complaints here (and then probably copy them to the official forums, like I'd promised weeks ago).<br />
<br />
<h2>
Variety</h2>
<div>
Other classes seem to get some variety. There will always be one or two talents which pull ahead, or some that are simply better suited for different situations.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Let's take the first tier, because I think this one is even underestimated in just how disproportionate the talents are.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Tiger's Lust is the go-to here. It's castable on other targets. It's a sprint. Low cooldown. It's basically amazing, and I don't think I've ever talented out of it (after getting used to it, anyway). I don't think I ever WILL talent out of it, in its current state.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
It's competing with an additional charge to our roll, and having our roll give us a minor, stacking speed buff. In theory, these seem to be strong... but how do they even come close to being able to give another player a root clear/speed buff? They really don't. Sorry, but no.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<h2>
Sphere of Issues</h2>
<div>
Then there's talents like Healing Elixirs. Zen Sphere. How often have we honestly talented into these?</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Never.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Zen Sphere, in theory, would be nice to balance Windwalker for single-target, except it doesn't. It's too weak. It's still better to simply take Chi Wave for the overall damage increase.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Healing Elixirs - let's not even talk about that. When my health is under 35%, it's not going to stay like that for very long (and my raid leader is probably going to yell at me for not using Diffuse Magic or Dampen instead). Dampen Harm at least can be used while stunned, AND reduces more than one attack (I used it pretty often in Heart of Fear to reduce physical damage taken). It even has a few usages on physical damage fights in SoO.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<h2>
90 Problems and a Talent is One</h2>
<div>
Ok, sorry about the horrible joke in the heading, but our 90 talents are a seriously bad joke themselves. Xuen is cool in concept, but an enhancement's earth elemental (read: not fire elemental) could smack that stupid cat in the face. It doesn't help that he can't even hit the crap that's right in front of him.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Honestly, the fights where we shine are where we use Rushing Jade Wind - our cleave ability, the reason I can top the charts on Protectors of the Endless. This tier is boring aside from that.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Like, does Chi Torpedo even exist for anyone other than Mistweavers?</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<h2>
Insert Some Other Talent Bile</h2>
<div>
So, while other classes seem to have a variety of options, I hardly even see myself swapping talents or desiring to. I guess there's a slight amount of variety as far as choosing between our inbred white tiger or our fart cloud (Rushing Jade Wind), but honestly our talents have remained relatively flavorless.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Maybe level 100 will give us some flavor? I admit, I highly doubt that there will be too terribly much choice between those, either. But maybe I'm just a spoil sport.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13494564456400725318noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2154689283838283012.post-27903435874308080582013-12-18T09:24:00.000-08:002013-12-18T09:24:00.241-08:00LevelingI'll be pretty honest. I RAF'd my monk; I never leveled it.<br />
<br />
So, I decided to try to level one.<br />
<br />
What a headache.<br />
<br />
<h2>
Broken.</h2>
<div>
Yep. That's the only word that can really describe how Windwalker (and monk) feels, especially early on. I don't see terribly many people paying attention to their monk long enough to so much as desire to level it, much less keep it on their account without an instant-90 boost.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
For one thing, getting past level 20 on any class is difficult because the game just isn't compelling, and the only way to make it MORE compelling would be to completely overwhelm a player with too many new spells/abilities.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
However, sitting and spamming Tiger Palm is just about the least compelling thing I've experienced since attempting to level a disc priest. I mean, jab returns 2 chi... it's bad enough that I feel like beating my head in from how much chi I've wasted by punching nagas in the face over and over again. At LEAST give us blackout kick before complicating our chi usage with jab. Or at least, don't make us wait through half the area after our starting zone to actually let us kick shit in the face.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<h2>
Rising Sun Kick</h2>
<div>
RSK's been the main pain behind leveling a monk, and I can understand it. It's the cornerstone to most of Windwalker's rotation (outside of Tigereye brew, though that's just the flavor of the specialization). I mean, at LEAST we get Fists of Fury upon reaching level 10, but even that is training us to be bad monks because we aren't learning to time FoF with RSK's CD, so we're just going to get used to using FoF at all the wrong times and that's not going to be a fun habit to break.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I don't actually see why the two can't be swapped - RSK does considerable damage, yes, and so does FoF, but FoF's stun component is also very strong (which I guess is also very strong for leveling - I mean, we'd be immortal if we kept everything stunned, right?)</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<h2>
I Kind of Gave Up</h2>
<div>
So, after getting said monk raised a bit... I honestly couldn't focus long enough for me to give leveling a monk a worthy enough post other than pointing out these two glaring issues of just how god damn boring it is to level a monk, much less a DPS monk.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I've leveled two paladins, a few shamans, even a couple of different druids, and it wasn't the spec itself that caused me to stop - usually, it happened to be obligations in-game such as raids or trying to VP cap on my main. Never ever ever was it the feeling that I wanted to gouge my eyes out if I had to hit Tiger Palm yet again at a time that went against my every instinct as a player.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Honestly, I can't see myself having ever gotten my monk to 90, outside of my zeal of having played one on PTR. I'm not even sure how I got it past the Pandaren starting zone at this point - and I can honestly understand how this is a limiting factor in numbers for the class.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13494564456400725318noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2154689283838283012.post-91535625532589840462013-12-17T09:06:00.004-08:002014-03-04T10:26:33.138-08:00Siege of TrinketsSiege of Orgrimmar released some very interesting trinkets which have created some very interesting discussions on and off of the web.<br />
<br />
<h2>
The Trinket Types</h2>
Here is the basic breakdown of the trinket ideas. It seems that almost every role receives at least three to four type of trinket.<br />
<br />
Amplification: Amplifies your secondary stats (crit, haste, mastery) and then procs strength/int.<br />
<br />
Reversed stacking buff: Has some sort of base secondary, and then has a large proc of your primary stat which very quickly disappears.<br />
<br />
Multistrike: Has a proc which will cause your attacks to occasionally hit the target for X% of the attack. Also procs your primary attack. This is very similar to how elemental shaman's mastery works.<br />
<br />
Cleave: Similar to the multistrike in that it will proc a smaller attack, except the smaller attack proc will instead hit other targets and not your primary.<br />
<br />
Cooldown Reduction Trinket: Reduces the cooldowns on some of your abilities.<br />
<br />
<h3>
Agility Specific</h3>
<div>
Agility users are technically able to use a multistrike, reverse stacking, cooldown reduction, and/or cleave trinket (that is, we have access to rolling for them with our coins). However, we do seem to be able to use Thok's Tail Tip, which is a strength amplification trinket with a strength proc (given that strength still gives us attack power).</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I will refer to our trinkets as such:</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Haromm's Talisman - Multistrike</div>
<div>
Ticking Ebon Detonator (TeD) - Reverse Stacking</div>
<div>
Assurance of Consequence (AoC) - Cooldown Reduction</div>
<div>
Thok's Tail Tip - Amp</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Note that I am not discussing our cleave trinket - it seems to be more gimmicky this tier.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<h2>
AoC</h2>
<div>
Let me start with my analysis of AoC, why I enjoy it, and why I don't think that other high-level monks will use it.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
AoC reduces Fists of Fury and Energizing Brew, in addition to some of our survival cooldowns (NOT Touch of Karma). This is really where our only gain is - it reduces our theoretical haste points from being 12-13K to being closer to just over 9000. This - as you may well know - brings back the Fists of Fury Debate.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Fists of Fury (FoF) is one of those strange things that can be a huge gain for us (considering that just 1% of DPS and damage for most high-end guilds can place you at the top or bottom of the chart). Being able to use it more is not such a bad thing - provided you do, and provided you are able to effectively also time Energizing Brew (EB).</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
The strange thing is that the reduction of both EB and FoF makes timing them a little bit... strange. It seems that one is almost always up at the same time as the other with this trinket, and part of the fun is deciding which to actually use.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
However, because of FoF's theoretical gains, that makes AoC seem like a great trinket. However, it is only marginally so, and this is why.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Windwalker stats. That's right, our <i>stats</i>. This tier, we are easily hitting our crit cap for yellow attacks, and in addition to that, our mastery now scales so very quickly that pushing into it more is virtually worthless. When AoC was first announced, I did find that it would allow us to use much less haste - however, haste is the stat that Windwalkers will turn to as their gear improves. At our best in slot level, AoC is virtually useless due to the fact that we will simply have too much haste to effectively need our EB and FoF.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Does this make it useless at the top? I want to say no. FoF still scales with haste (so more haste is not necessarily bad), but the more geared a monk is, the more difficult it will be to effectively use AoC to the point that it is more effective than another trinket.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<h2>
Haromm's</h2>
<div>
This is my next favorite trinket. It's a flat increase just because of the multistrike proc. The difficult thing with this trinket is the fact that Storm, Earth, and Fire clones do not copy the procs, so perhaps it is still better for other classes (I'm not entirely sure if Blade Flurry copies? A rogue would need to confirm.)</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
With its agility proc, it is a very strong candidate for a Windwalker trinket.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<h2>
Ticking Ebon Detonator</h2>
<div>
TeD is another that seems to be difficult to use at times. It procs extremely often, but the best usage of it is at the very beginning of the proc - which is when one would want to use FoF or Rising Sun Kick (RSK). I honestly feel that this causes it to work even better in conjunction with AoC (due to the lower cooldown on FoF), but really it can work anywhere.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Additionally, the secondary stats gained from TeD can almost make up for not using AoC if one were to forge TeD to use Haste, but not quite - it's still less than a thousand haste, whereas the delta between what is needed for AoC and what is not needed for AoC is 3-5K depending on several different variables.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<h2>
Thok's Tail Tip</h2>
<div>
This seems to adjust some of the delta in how our trinkets work - using a strength trinket over an agility trinket. I admit that, on principle, the idea is not something I am fond of. However, math and logs are showing that Thok's Tail Tip is very viable for Windwalkers who may not have TeD and Haromm's, for the general boost to secondary stats is still quite usable.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
However, I do not believe the amplification of our secondaries would pull ahead of having agility. While strength does provide attack power, agility provides more in addition to a hint of added crit. I also believe that agility users - and Windwalkers - do have some very viable choices as far as trinkets are concerned, without really needing to worry about taking a trinket from a strength user.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<h2>
Final Thoughts</h2>
<div>
Trinkets will come down to personal choice. I hope that this provides enough of my own observations of having used several of SoO's trinkets to really provide a bit of thought to other Windwalkers which are looking to decide which trinket to use.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Honestly, any one of these combinations can be very good and strong. However, certain ones will contribute more to a certain playstyle - and may make it more or less difficult to capitalize on every gain as a DPS.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13494564456400725318noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2154689283838283012.post-60399755084854854292013-10-03T13:36:00.000-07:002014-03-04T10:27:09.445-08:005.4 - Chi Brew and Ascension<div class="p1">
So I thought that it might be amusing to see that my last post - back in March - discussed whether or not Ascension or Power Strikes would be more powerful. It's TLDR is that Ascension scales, where as Power Strikes does not.</div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
Now we're about a month into 5.4, and we've had yet another change concerning that same tier of talents - now Chi Brew, which previously granted 4 Chi and nothing else - has 2 charges and grants 2 Chi in addition to 2 stacks of Tigereye Brew.</div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
We've also had yet another change to our mastery, making our choices this tier being about "how quickly can we generate stacks of Tigereye Brew", which coincides with the overall desire to eat through Chi.</div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
In this sense, most math suggests that Ascension and Chi Brew are tied. That's all the theoretical stuff, though - what it can't always take into consideration is the simple ability to CONTROL your stacks of Tigereye Brew.</div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
Take, for example, the fact that monks typically suffer from their raid opting to use Lust very early in an encounter. With Chi Brew, not only are we able to generate more Chi, but we're guaranteed at least 4 stacks of Tigereye Brew - that's not even counting the fact that the Chi generated causes this ability to scale with Mastery in a similar sense to how Ascension scales with Haste.</div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
Basically - if you spend those 4 Chi, you get the same roll as for any Chi generated in any other way. When they're spent, you have the chance to gain an extra stack (or more, if you are above 100% Mastery). Therefore, this has the following impacts for Chi Brew as a talent:</div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
</div>
<ul>
<li>You can enter a fight and within the first few seconds, have as many as 6 stacks of Tigereye Brew.</li>
<li>When using Chi Brew, the value of Mastery on your gear is elevated very slightly</li>
<li>As a result, we scale very well with Chi Brew, especially in the fact that - when used mostly on Cooldown, not only does it provide us with a higher rate of Chi generation, it also provides us with a more elevated rate of stack elevation.</li>
</ul>
<br />
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
However, user beware. Incorrect usage of this talent (i.e., not using it on cool down) significantly reduces its output (just like with any other talent). It certainly takes a rotational adjustment in order to gain the best benefit from it.</div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="p1">
In the end, I believe that a min-maxer will gain more benefit out of Chi Brew than they will out of Ascension. The control over resources allows for more strategic play, and therefore is more beneficial to a knowledgable user. However, I think that the benefits are easily cancelled out if said user cannot properly track their CDs and maximize the stacks and Chi gained from this talent.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13494564456400725318noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2154689283838283012.post-28814085948936851102013-03-07T12:59:00.002-08:002014-03-04T10:27:55.059-08:00Trying to Prove Power Strikes<br />
Currently in 5.2, Windwalker has had some interesting changes. Haste scaling is even more delicious with our new Mastery, and the thought that Power Strikes might overtake Ascension has been considered.<br />
<br />
Last night, I stuck with my 5K haste build, on Ji-Kun and Durumu. When targetted with ice, our strat for Durumu was for the person to remain still. Well, I was targetted by ice twice - so it became fairly patchwerk-esque for most of Phase 1 for me. That's where I saw my own testing's flaws (though, I'm not sure why on fights like Jinrokh I noticed few problems).<br />
<br />
5K isn't enough, and I'm leaning toward the Power Strikes camp myself. If we keep in mind that Ascension only grants energy regen, while haste is energy regen + attack speed, it makes mathematical sense why the added regen isn't necessarily weaker or stronger. In addition, Ascension should only average a small amount of additional energy/s - on base, it brings us from 10 e/s to 11.5 e/s. I forget my calculations on how much haste it takes for 1 e/s, but I recall that it's pretty significant - around 2% haste for just barely under 1 e/s. This is, of course, increased by Ascension - if I recall, on 5.1's launch date, I went from 10.85 to 12.5 with Ascension, or an increase of ~1.63, with (I think) 4K haste (if memory serves, it took .<br />
<br />
Next - revisiting calculations for arguments over the L45 talents:<br />
<br />
Ascension: .75 Chi/s at 10.85 base e/s<br />
Power Strikes: .56 Chi/s<br />
Chi Brew: .44 Chi/s<br />
<br />
However, Ascension's Chi/s degenerates if we are energy capping (in theory), as it turns into wasted energy. It's pretty easy to get hung up on e/s as being the major benefit - but when we gain more value from haste, we have to look at where it begins to fall short. So, my thought was to find where it falls off - which is something I mentioned in 5.1, for people who required a higher haste build if WW was their offspec.<br />
<br />
Going back, here are my variables (choosing 4K haste as that's something I've gathered data on, and I can't do it right now with 7K - but I can translate it in a moment):<br />
<br />
Base energy, or 10<br />
Base energy w/ ascension, or 11.5<br />
Energy with 4K haste, no ascension, or 10.8<br />
Energy with 4K haste, ascension, or 12.5<br />
<br />
So, 4K haste gives me an added .8 e/s. I normalized the .8 with a simple ratio, so that I could compare my haste value of 1 e/s to haste. It came to ~5k.<br />
<br />
So, it takes 5K haste (roughly) to gain 1 e/s without Ascension.<br />
<br />
With Ascension, things get a bit weird because of the nature of the talent - it isn't 15% base additional energy, but 15% overall.<br />
<br />
So, if 4K haste with Asc gives me 12.5, then how much do I get from 5K? Well, I am at 5K, and I have 12.8 e/s. But, that doesn't really tell us much about what kind of e/s at 7k - so I'll revisit my original formula. Here's the ratio I used, where x is the e/s for having 7K haste.<br />
<br />
1/5000 = x / 7000<br />
7000/5000 = x<br />
x = 1.4<br />
<br />
OK. Now - we see 7K haste gives us around 1.4 more e/s, bringing us to 11.4 e/s total. With ascension, we add another 15% of 11.4 on top of that - bringing us to 13.11 e/s.<br />
<br />
So that's a lot of math already to see where our e/s is at 7K haste. It doesn't actually solve the problem of "Power Strikes or Ascension?" now does it?<br />
<br />
Well, it helps, because now I can look at the possibility of wasted energy, and therefore wasted Chi.<br />
<br />
At 12.5 e/s, Ascension gives us .75 Chi/S. But, it takes us 8 seconds to fill our energy bar and cap. That's 8 GCDs, and we know it's possible but not likely. At 13.11, it brings it down to 7.63 seconds (rounded).<br />
<br />
With Jab requiring 40 e and providing 2 Chi, we will be able to Jab every 3.05s, vs. 3.2. That doesn't seem like much of a difference off the bat, until you realize the .2 adds up very, very quickly in a 6 minute fight.<br />
<br />
But, energy capping. Let's assume that 3% of the time in a 6 second fight (upon average) we are not going to have anything to hit. (3% translates into 10.8 seconds - you would be doing quite a bit of rolling!). In addition, let's say we are very lucky and are on a local server, and only receive 50MS of lag, averaging to (I think) a loss of ~3 seconds. That brings our total lost "time" for Jabbing down to 13.8 seconds. In addition, for every Jab, we want to pair it with a BoK, or a TigerPalm, or whatever - yet another second of the fight. Let's say that we do a roughly even amount of finishers per Jab (we'll account for Combo Breaker in a moment). So, 360 seconds, minus 13.8 seconds, is around 346.2, which we would have to split in half to get a roughly even amount of globals for using Chi (bringing it to 173.1 seconds to Jab). Now, to figure in Combo Breaker procs, we have to subtract 12% of those seconds - only once in this case, as I know many who ignore Tiger Palm procs (which makes things much, much more difficult). We lose 20.772 seconds, bringing us to 152.328 possible GCDs to Jab. For pessimism's sake, I'll round it to 150.<br />
<br />
So now - we have to keep ourselves below 100 energy that entier 150s. This is where the math gets a bit tricky for me (I knew I should've paid more attention in class). <br />
<br />
You use 40e to Jab, but we'll cut it in half to account for finishers. That translates to 20e/s used. You gain 13e/s, however - more than half of the energy/s you are using. 2 Jabs in a row (4 Chi) or 80 energy used leaves you at 20 with 0 e/s, but in those 2s of Jabbing you already have regained 26 energy, putting you at 46. You BoK - you're now at 59. Jab to 19 (and regain 13 in the process, for 32 energy), BoK, back at 35 - you're starved for part of a GCD, maybe. By the end of that, you're at 48, so you Jab for 40, but you don't go down to 8 - by the time you Bok again, you're at 21, and at the end of BoK, 34.<br />
<br />
But we aren't robots, and we can't use every GCD like that. And it's not something that can be proved mathematically. So, in the end - it will come down to practice. What we HAVE done already is mathematically prove that in the range of 8 and 9K energy, mastery becomes amazing. The honest truth is that Ascension scales, unlike Power Strikes - because it is increasing by a percentage rather than a falt rate.The flaw with this, however, is that we can't possibly use every single GCD - even when accounting for server lag, CB procs, and light movement, I found that with 7K haste we can certainly become energy starved without FoF or EB, though for only intervals of half a second. <br />
<br />
If we recall in 5.0, 6-7K haste is where Windwalker became "fluid" with Power Strikes. This is what I think I will fall back on for now. Let's also keep in mind that current math points to 8 or 9K haste making mastery overwhelmingly delicious - and the fact that we don't necessarily want to scale with Energy Regen, but with Haste (given that it is a stat we technically triple-dip from, via Tiger Strikes, Energy Regen, and AA speed - quadruple dip with TeB active, in fact, when you account for higher AA + TeB = rainbowvomit).<br />
<br />
I have the feeling that there may be no real "break even" point mathematically - but on a personal level. For a higher-level player with higher APM, the break point between PS and Asc may be 7-8K haste. For others, it could be 9-10K. I think it will fall into the realms of personal experimentation. Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13494564456400725318noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2154689283838283012.post-33747003818725432942013-02-12T12:00:00.000-08:002014-03-04T10:27:34.120-08:005.2 RoundupPatch 5.2 is looming on the horizon, and expected to drop February 26, 2013.<br />
<br />
<br />
Nevertheless, 5.2 has some fantastic changes coming our way! Let's try to compile some facts.<br />
<br />
<h2>
Gear</h2>
We will now actually WANT gear with mastery on it! However, we will still wish to value Crit above Mastery.<br />
<br />
Our stat priority appears to be coming out to the following:<br />
<br />
Hit/Exp (7.5%) > Haste (to ~6-7K) > Crit > Mastery<br />
<br />
After 8K Haste, we will certainly favor Mastery over Crit. However, with our range of cooldowns (looking at you, Energizing Brew), I don't think (after some testing) that it will be desirable to get to that level. I also believe there will be a preliminary amount of Mastery we will desire, which should be attainable by gearing.<br />
<br />
The major thing with this change is that it will be less of a loss for us to pick up non-BiS pieces (those with Mastery) and not have secondary stats work against us. I believe there should be less of a desparity between using a BiS piece and one with less desirable stats on it.<br />
<br />
<h3>
Tier Bonuses</h3>
2P: Chi generating abilities have a 15% chance to generate an Energy Sphere, which will grant 10 energy when you walk through it.<br />
<br />
This is not the greatest set bonus. Gearing for desirable secondary stats (haste/crit/mastery) will take precedence over gearing for this set bonus, unlike the T14 set bonus.<br />
<br />
4 set: You have a 10% chance to gain an additional charge of Tigereye Brew every time you gain a charge of Tigereye Brew.<br />
<br />
The low chance of the extra charge makes this less than 1% of a damage increase. I again believe that gearing for secondaries will take predence over this set bonus, similar to the current T14 set bonus. However, on that same note, I believe it will become strong as one approaches BiS.<br />
<br />
<br />
<h2>
Spell Changes</h2>
Paralysis now has a 20 yard range. Yay, we have an instant-cast CC that has a range on it, without sacrificing Leg Swee!<br />
<br />
Charging Ox Wave's CD has been brought down to 30s. This may make it more desirable for certain fights, perhaps as a ranged stun. However, I believe that Leg Sweep will still remain stronger. It does mean that we have more choice between the two.<br />
<br />
Dampen Harm can be cast wile stunned. The cooldown will begin when used - rather than when the effect ends. Mostly a PvP fix, but should make it somewhat more desirable in PvE above Diffuse Magic - though the two remain fight-dependant.<br />
<br />
Healing Elixirs - 15% health when a Brew (Tigereye Brew) is active, up from 10%. Though, it will still be the weakest link for its tier.<br />
<br />
Tiger's Lust - no Chi cost, which will make it a great utility rather than the weakest link in its tier.<br />
<br />
Zen Sphere - 2 can be up at a time, and will automatically detonate. 10 second CD, but free! Though, it still pales in comparison to Chi Wave.<br />
<br />
Chi Wave - 100% more damage and healing, 15 second CD, and no chi cost. This will most likely become a "filler".<br />
<br />
Chi Burst - 100% more damage and healing, no chi cost, but 30 second CD. Chi Wave will still be stronger.<br />
<br />
Tigereye Brew - we can now hold 20 stacks, but can only use 10 stacks at a time. <a href="http://elitistjerks.com/f99/t131848-ww_5_1_still_fisting_windwalker_thread/p12/#post2244669" target="_blank">Please view this post on Elitist Jerks for how long it can theoretically take us to build those 10 stacks with no Combo Breaker procs, and no T15 set bonus procs - there will still be some disparity.</a> Our Mastery will now make our Tigereye Brew damage multiplier higher (part of why crit > mastery is surprising, though I think it will be relative to play style). Only 10 can be used at a time, and 2.6% base damage increase (up from 2% per stack, again modified by Mastery).<br />
<br />
Touch of Karma - No Chi cost!<br />
<br />
Chi Torpedo - 15% more damage!<br />
<br />
Path of Blossoms - Gone!<br />
<br />
Spinning Fire Blossom - nerfed to scale with weapon damage rather than AP.<br />
<br />
Spear Handed Strike - Free!<br />
<br />
Cyclone - now shares diminished return with Paralysis.<br />
<br />
Ring of Peace - New! 8 second Sanctuary around the target that disarms enemies. Silences enemies as well for 3 seconds if they attempt to use a harmful spell while within it. 45 second CD. Leg Sweep and Charging Ox Wave will most likely remain strong on this tier (as this talent is taking the place of Deadly Reach).<br />
<br />
Combo Breaker - Rather than being our Mastery, this is now a Passive effect with a base 12% chance.<br />
<br />
Storm, Earth, and Fire - 40 yard range. This will be our basic "Cleave/multidot" mechanic which will summon a clone of the monk that will mirror the monk's special attacks. The first clone will cause itself and the monk to deal 60% of the monk's damage. The third and final spirit will cause all spirits and the monk to deal 45% of the monk's damage. It benefits from Tigereye Brew, but will not mirror Leg Sweep or Charging Ox Wave. They WILL mirror Chi Wave/Zen Sphere/Chi Burst, but the healing will be reduced in addition to the damage dealt. They will NOT affect Xuen.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13494564456400725318noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2154689283838283012.post-42409289345086951872013-02-11T15:35:00.003-08:002014-03-04T10:26:53.334-08:00Where Should Windwalkers Go?<br />
Raid leaders appear to question Windwalkers - why bring the spec? What purpose could it serve on my roster? What type of fight would it be good for? I hope to be able to answer some of these questions.<br />
<br />
<h2>
Utility</h2>
Windwalker has arguably the lowest amount of utility for a DPS spec. We have interrupts, a roots break (if spec'd into it, but note that it isn't necessarily the best talent for its tier for us), a single-target dispel, and a tier of talents that include hybrid damage-healing effects. In addition, we can filly in as a "tank" for a few seconds were things to go awry.<br />
<br />
In other words, everything we can do another class can - theoretically - do better.<br />
<br />
We don't bring a damage increase for other classes - our armor debuff is personal only - and our crit buff doesn't include spell power, which makes it inferior to other crit buffs (such as Arcane Brilliance).<br />
<br />
As a hybrid healer, shadow priests do much more healing with simply Vampiric Embrace, Druids with their talents, and Ret Paladins with just the ability to hit Flash of Light.<br />
<br />
We also have our own "evasion tank" mechanic - which I've been happy to act as in the past. Between our myriad of self-heals and CDs, a 4-tank fight in 25 could be brought down to a 3-tank fight, and in 10M, a 3-tank fight could be brought down to 2. Plus - unlike Rogues or Feral druids - the only downside of us fighting a boss from the front would be the fact that we don't cap our Expertise (provided we glyph properly).<br />
<br />
So no - our utility is only in our damage, which - arguably - is fairly lackluster.<br />
<br />
<br />
<h2>
So what are we good for?</h2>
Windwalker can put out some incredible numbers for single-target damage. However - they are incredibly gear and weapon dependant (arguably, just like any other class) but the disparity in numbers between a BiS Windwalker and one in 490 can be fairly high simply because of stat differences between Haste, Crit, and weapon damage. If I recall, my numbers increased by almost 80K single-target damage when I gained 10 item levels (and switched from 2H to DW). So if the WW in your guild is complaining that they're stuck with a staff, and you feel their numbers are low - it would bequeath both of you to even just give him or her the strength axe/sword. I can guarantee that it'll be an upgrade over that staff (provided there isn't a major item level disparity - 10 or more item levels).<br />
<br />
In addition, they can be very strong for multi-target fights. A Windwalker's priorities barely change between AE and single-target. In an AE situation (Wind Lord Mel'Jarak), they can be told to focus the boss while spamming their Spinning Crane Kick for Chi. Maybe they won't top out your multi-dotters or even your rogues - but the simple fact that they are targetting the boss with their Rising Sun Kick and their Tiger Palm will kill him much faster than having him or her target - for example - a mender.<br />
<br />
Also, for target switching, the fact that they do not need to worry about diseases or other DoTs - that is, the fact that all of their damage is front-loaded - can make them very powerful. Though, I would recommend having a ranged on addspawns above a melee, due to the fact that there is still travel time involved.<br />
<br />
<br />
<h2>
Final Words</h2>
5.2 has some great changes for Windwalkers. Our weak points have primarily been due to lack of execute, and lack of strength in a fight with 2-3 targets. However, our numbers should be improved in 2-3 target situations - which there are more and more of - making us - in my opinion - as desirable as a Rogue in those type of situations. I'd say that comparing us to a rogue would be arguable (as they do not lose single-target damage in a cleave situation), but even on Garalon we should see some significant benefit.<br />
<br />
I believe that having at least one Mistweaver or Brewmaster who can play Windwalker well would be ideal in a 10M situation, and in 25M having 1-2 people play it as their main spec should be just as desirable as having DKs, rogues, or fury warriors. However, I don't believe Windwalker is in a spot right now to be favorable in a 10M due to roster balancing issues. I will admit that I feel we would need more utility - otherwise, our spot would be better filled with an Fury Warrior (rallying cry, skull banner) or an enhancement shaman (Stormalsh Totem). In 10M, though, perhaps we would do well on a roster that does not have an extreme amount of melee - perhaps we would do fine as the single melee player. However, most raid comps would not find that ideal, especially when they would be sacrificing the range of CDs that a Ret would bring, the battle resurection of a DK or Druid, or a rogue's pure damage potential. <br />
<br />
Of all the 3 specs - I will even go as far to say that Windwalker is the furthest away from being a true hybrid. Death Knights can easily swap into Blood Presence (and Rets can turn on Righteous Fury) to tank for a few seconds, and both Retribution Paladins and Feral Druids can still shift out of Catform to cast the occasional healing spell or summon their armored Bear CD. Meanwhile, our main "healing" spell has an 8 second cooldown (increased in 5.2) that doesn't do nearly the amount of healing as their other hybrid counterparts, and while we have shield wall - we can't tank but for a few seconds (though this is perhaps the strongest part of our being a hybrid class). Despite being as close to a pure DPS specialization as possible, we simply do not have the toolset of other hybrids.<br />
<br />
Perhaps Windwalker is, in fact, the main reason to join a 25 guild.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13494564456400725318noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2154689283838283012.post-92109740921205175212013-02-08T12:12:00.005-08:002013-03-07T13:09:43.213-08:00Casuals<br />
<i>The casual players of today are the hardcore players of tomorrow, and the hardcore players of today are the casual players of tomorrow.</i><br />
<br />
<br />
Not too long ago, I happened to play on Arthas with a guild whose tag I no longer carry. We had an interview with a shaman. I don't recall which spec he happened to play. All I remember is that he played with <Premonition> during their glory days, when they were one of the best guilds in the world, and now he wanted to go casual.<br />
<br />
It intrigued me. For one thing, people's definition of "casual" is very individual. To this guild, people that don't play well are "casual". To the person we interviewed, people who don't raid as many working hours as a full time job were "casual."<br />
<br />
To me, "casual" is what you make it.<br />
<br />
Casual also seems to be applied to newer players. I don't think this is the case. Not too long ago, there happened to be a <a href="http://www.reddit.com/r/wow/comments/183zo8/the_rise_of_the_catababy_people_posted/" target="_blank">thread from someone who began playing at the onset of Mists of Pandaria</a>. Perhaps he isn't in full 510 gear, and hasn't downed Heroic Sha, but he's done very well at PvP - better, I think, than most players. He also displays a very keen knowledge of his class and tools to better his understanding of it.<br />
<br />
My early days during Vanilla were nothing but casual. I think it would absolutely fit anyone's definition, given that all I did was level new characters. I don't think any made it past level 20. My favorite at the time was a warrior, and then a paladin, and then a hunter... And then I made my shaman on a completely new account on the eve of Burning Crusade.<br />
<br />
The shaman was the turning point. I just stuck with it.<br />
<br />
For anyone who's not aware - that should be a surprise. In those days, shaman class quests were an absolute pain (the water totem quest in particular spanned several levels). Actually, I nearly quit it an hour after rolling it, because I became stuck above a cave in Durotar that I happened to jump on, and couldn't get out of the crevice I landed in. I had forgotten about my Hearth Stone. Luckily, things were only uphill from there. Let's try to ignore that I didn't even use lightning bolt to kill things - I thought rapidly right-clicking would make me attack faster (don't judge til you've tried it!).<br />
<br />
I opted to level as resto for the first 30 levels, because I could do instance groups and somewhat escape the leveling grind. However, I forgot that healers aren't supposed to attack mobs, and often ended up pulling off of the tank (their fault, anyway! Though, earth shock did have a mechanic that created extra threat at the time - almost a pseudo-taunt - shamans were definitely meant to have a tank spec). I switched to Enhancement when a friend helped me gear/spec, and explained that I wanted agility - not spell power. And certainly not the combination I seemed to be picking up.<br />
<br />
Anyway, after a long, uphill battle on a very small server, I hit 70 and the game sucked me in. I joined my first raid - as a healer. Albeit, a healer who still had partial agility gear from leveling as enhancement, but my guild was very understanding at the time. Later, I had my second turning point - Sunwell. The friend who had helped me with stats invited me to a guild that happened to be progressing through Sunwell, and I made a new friend through the guild's resto shaman. He taught me the basics of secondary specs (Haste was a brand new stat at the time), and even had me send him screenshits of my UI so that he could pinpoint where I could perform better.<br />
<br />
And that's my point. My guild pulled me into a raid, rather than benching me because I had no idea what I was doing, and later, another guild - a high-end guild at the time - saw that I just needed to learn how to learn, and taught me just that in the span of around twenty minutes. I would not be the player I am today if they hadn't, and I wouldn't have been resto for 6 years. Nor would I so much as care about monk theorycrafting - or, for that matter, progression.<br />
<br />
Intolerance kills our community. There seems to be a stigma with "BC babies" or "Wrath babies" or "Cata babies". If you haven't been playing since Vanilla, you're bad! Except, maybe they have been playing since Vanilla, and just have never had anyone take the time to teach them how to learn - the same turning point I had, when my guild showed me the kind of resources I could use to become awesome.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://us.battle.net/wow/en/forum/topic/7864486403" target="_blank">This ties in to a pretty recent post on the Korean forums.</a> A warrior DPS had become a loner because nobody cared to teach him - until he encountered a PuG raid leader. It's a great read if you have the time. This is where we need to go with newer players. Rather than shaming them for not knowing their spec, teach them how to learn. The only people who should be shamed are the ones that refuse to learn in order to do what content they want.<br />
<br />
The high-end raiding community has a reputation for being elitist jerks - but I think there's a reason behind it. Many people in said community have been burned by people they want to help, and perhaps have finally found it to be a waste of time to even try. It's unfortunate, because so many of them complain about not finding what they are looking for in a recruit - meanwhile, recruits become frustrated because they can't get into a high-end guild. In addition, many point out that it shouldn't be their job to teach someone how to raid (or, in my words, to learn how to learn). This creates a disparity, I think, in bringing people into this community, because not ALL information happens to be available. I feel that there needs to be a dialogue here in order to preserve high-end raiding.<br />
<br />
<br />
<ol>
<li>High end guilds are not required to recruit you just because they need someone of your spec/class. They have a certain set of standards because it wouldn't be fair to long-term members to have to carry another player.</li>
<li>On that same note, I don't believe in encouraging guild hopping. While experience can be an issue, I honestly believe that - if a player displays through logs that they can do a proper rotation and maintain proper survivability - they should at least be considered. Some of the best rogues I have ever met (not sure why rogues specifically) had never had raiding experience, but showed the guild through their application that they were worth the chance, and soon became some of the best theorycrafters in the guild because they simply learned how to learn. I am likely to vouch for someone with the right attitude and no credentials, than someone without it. One applicant sticks out in my mind who had no experience or gear, but was only denied acceptance because when we gave him recommendations (I even whispered him in-game in order to open discussion about what he could do better, etc and how he could work to get his application accepted), he chose to instead show an attitude that was disrespectful while at the same time, despairing (to be nice). Eventually, I explained to him that I had really wanted to accept his application - and that by simply following my advice (it had to deal with providing meaningful logs) he would have probably been accepted just by how well he knew his class - his lack of experience being set aside.</li>
<li>However, to grow on my second point, they should also be understanding if said high-end guild selects to recruit an application with more experience, provided that applicant has shown that they also know their class/spec very well.</li>
<li>High-end guilds should not encourage guild hopping. That is where my experience point comes from - they should not encourage an applicant to join another guild for a month or two just to gain a little bit of experience. It is not fair to the applicant nor the other guild, and in addition, I feel this hurts our raiding community by perhaps crippling yet another raid team. If you are interested in an applicant, then see how they do with farm content. Otherwise, let them go their way. Don't encourage them to reapply in another month.</li>
<li>However, I feel that in this situation, it should be acceptable for a guild to take on an applicant on a temporary basis, and that the applicant should feel comfortable admitting that they only wish to gain experience in order to (hopefully, eventually) join a high-end guild. That way, both parties are satisfied - the guild can continue to try to fill the spot with someone who has the same mindset and goals, meanwhile they can continue to progress to attract more, better applicants, and the recruit in question can gain the experience that they need. Additionally, the recruit might find that they enjoy this particular guild - which would be mutually beneficial.</li>
<li>Nevertheless, in the relationship of an applicant and a guild, note that neither one owes the other. The guild has their own discretion to recruit the applicant, but the applicant has their own discretion on whether or not to accept the tag.</li>
<li>Raiding should not be exclusive - especially if it is to survive. Nonetheless - even if this sounds hypocritical - hard modes should be exclusive. Encounters for the next tier are not designed around hard mode gear from the previous tier, as they should not be. I also feel that LFR should not be an outlet to endgame content - I feel that normal modes should be, and perhaps a few hard modes from the same tier. But I do believe that certain people wish to feel accomplished, and that is what hard modes should be. If they are heroic modes, so be it - though, I personally preferred the early Wrath model of doing an encounter a different way. I feel that encounter tuning in Mists of Pandaria has been very good on this front, in that many guilds view normal as progression. Sure, people will scoff at that - but I'll just be a honeybadger about it. Hard modes should be difficult and exclusive - because that's what the name is supposed to entail. Normal modes should be normal progression for the average player.</li>
</ol>
<br />
<br />
So where does this tie into the "new" player, or even into the casual vs. hardcore debate? New players have a difficult time finding raids, meanwhile casual players that wish to do exclusive content do, too. The people pushing our normal modes today are the people we need to prepare to do our heroic modes tomorrow, or maybe the day after. The new players need to be the ones cutting their teeth on normal modes, and discovering whether they want to join the high-end scene of heroics, and learn whether or not they want to learn to be on that level.<br />
<br />
By barring people from our guilds because they have never zoned into a raid or a raid difficulty, we are killing our own game. No, I don't believe that a brand new player should consider a US Top-50 guild - not unless they are truly ready to be competitive and already know how to find new information on their class and on encounters (again, have already learned how to learn). Nor should a typical raider feel that these same guilds "owe" them or are elitist when he or she chooses to fill in an app with one or two statements before hitting "submit". All of us are to blame. If you are a player in a high-end guild that shames a new player who has done nothing wrong other than be new, then you are part of this, too. On the other hand, if you are a new player who throws the advice of a high-end player back in their face and call them an elitist, you have only yourself to blame if your application is rejected. That being said - approaching a high-end player respectfully (vs. treating them as if they owe you something) is typically successful for a new player. Show them that you have already done part of the work, and just have them fill in the gap. I've made some lasting friendships by simply displaying I had done the theorycrafting, and only asked the high-end player what their thoughts were. This helped me learn how to approach the subject of class changes and encounter design. That is the obligation of the new player - to try to find the information on their own, and learn to use the tools at their disposal, and then begin asking individual questions about how to interpret results. This is the model in my mind:<br />
<br />
<br />
<ol>
<li>Theorycrafting players write out theorycrafting, provides basic information of how they came to their results.</li>
<li>Theorycrafting is interpretted into guides for laymen's terms. (Note that the guide writers have an obligation here to edit their guides to fit new theorycrafting and class changes)</li>
<li>New player reads guide, works to understand it. Eventually, they are able to read the theories behind it, and work to understand. Following that, they begin to learn how to use the tools provided by the other players, and work to understand them and experiment with them.</li>
<li>This is where the relationship gains a different dynamic - intelligent questions from the newer player to the high end player. Not "What is our stat weight for crit?" but "What are your thoughts on delaying Fists of Fury in favor of Energizing Brew?" or "What are your thoughts on increasing the stat weight for crit once we've reached a haste threshold of 7.9K? Simulations seem to show that Mastery is better, except that our Crit is a multiplier, so I'm not sure if I'm missing something." Notice the difference between the first question and the third one.</li>
</ol>
<br />
<br />
Note that point one states "Theorycrafting players" vs. high end players. Not all high end players are amazing theory crafters, but not all theorycrafters are high end players (though, I'll admit that the majority of the community happen to be). I don't think that someone from Blood Legion should have to commit to writing out a guide, as it's quite the monumental task. However, I do feel that these same players should not be offended when someone asks them a question about why they are making the choices that they are.<br />
<br />
We are all connected in our community. Other games have fallen apart due to a lack of available information and a lack of effort from veteran and new players alike. Let's not make ours one of them.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13494564456400725318noreply@blogger.com0