This started out as a Frost Mage Blog, which I can now see was a very futile effort.
In the past month, my Mage has been repec'd more times than in her intire wow career.
She is now Arcane.
I had to try it out. And it is fun. I think i say that about every spec, but as far as this one goes, very exciting rotations. You have to stay on top of your mana, and regen, and all your regen mechanics, as well as your procs, of which i have 7, counting my trinkets.
Some spells get used only when certain procs are up. Some get used only when I am above a percentage of mana.
It's very different.
The thing that is appealing the most so far?
They are all very fast casts.
We'll see how raiding goes the next time I get into one.
Showing posts with label Spec. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Spec. Show all posts
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
The Outcome...
So.
I did my testing yesterday. FFB versus Frost.
Here's the talent trees.
FFB
and
Frost
The results?
On a Boss Training Dummy, self buffed, with the appropriate Glyphs for each spec. I did six runs in each spec. All twelve run were the length of one mana pool, no pots or gems. Three for FFB, no CD's and three with FFB with all CD's. Same for Frost.
FFB, single target, with no CD's pulled 2.23k DPS Vs Frosts 1.6K. Pretty big difference.
However....
Frost, single target, with all CD's pulled 2.6K DPS Vs FFB's 2.1K DPS. Very small difference.
What does this all mean? It most likely mean that for single target, in a situation where you can keep up the most ideal rotation, and your summoned pets wont take truck loads of damage, Frost might still be the better spec. Keep in mind that I am not yet geared for FFB, still low on crit, which I'm not willing to give up hit for yet. The mana pool lasted nearly a minute and a half longer while Frost also. The Ele's regen kept me going much better then MoE did.
So I think I might try the next raid as Frost. If nothing else, I'll be bringing another source of replenishment for bosses, and that's always welcome. :)
I did my testing yesterday. FFB versus Frost.
Here's the talent trees.
FFB
and
Frost
The results?
On a Boss Training Dummy, self buffed, with the appropriate Glyphs for each spec. I did six runs in each spec. All twelve run were the length of one mana pool, no pots or gems. Three for FFB, no CD's and three with FFB with all CD's. Same for Frost.
FFB, single target, with no CD's pulled 2.23k DPS Vs Frosts 1.6K. Pretty big difference.
However....
Frost, single target, with all CD's pulled 2.6K DPS Vs FFB's 2.1K DPS. Very small difference.
What does this all mean? It most likely mean that for single target, in a situation where you can keep up the most ideal rotation, and your summoned pets wont take truck loads of damage, Frost might still be the better spec. Keep in mind that I am not yet geared for FFB, still low on crit, which I'm not willing to give up hit for yet. The mana pool lasted nearly a minute and a half longer while Frost also. The Ele's regen kept me going much better then MoE did.
So I think I might try the next raid as Frost. If nothing else, I'll be bringing another source of replenishment for bosses, and that's always welcome. :)
Monday, January 12, 2009
On the subject of sucking...
They're getting more frequent.
/cheer
Been raiding pretty regularly last couple days, being on leave really helps that.
Been doing Naxx (10 and 25) and an OS run with the guild. And what did I get from this besides Gloves, A trinket, and some shoulders?
Might I add that two raids ending in T7, a really nice trinket, and some shoulders is nothing to scoff at?
I learned that my dps is really really sucking. I don't know if it's just lack of better gear. I know I'm very close to that o' so rediculous hit cap. Maybe I'm forgetting really often about the re-application of certian things. MaybeI just deep down inside really don't like the whole FFB rotation, and am subconcously fighting it.
Oh yeah. I kinda re-spec'd FFB to see how it works out, and what the big hype was. It's fun. Some big crits. Lots of big crits. But the rotation is a little much for my liking. Scorch > Scorch> LB > FFB > FFB (then the LB's and Scorches when they need to be refreshed. And you have to work in the random Instant Pyro when ever it procs. It's kind of a pain. Specially when you compare it to...
Frostbolt >Frostbolt > Frostbolt....Frostbolt > Frostbolt With the random fireball tossed in.
So, whats on the plate for today? Some target dummies. Some target dummies, and a couple different spec's.
That's what I'll be doing.
If your on Guru, don't mind the Mage in Org on the Heroic dummy for hours at a time.
/cheer
Been raiding pretty regularly last couple days, being on leave really helps that.
Been doing Naxx (10 and 25) and an OS run with the guild. And what did I get from this besides Gloves, A trinket, and some shoulders?
Might I add that two raids ending in T7, a really nice trinket, and some shoulders is nothing to scoff at?
I learned that my dps is really really sucking. I don't know if it's just lack of better gear. I know I'm very close to that o' so rediculous hit cap. Maybe I'm forgetting really often about the re-application of certian things. MaybeI just deep down inside really don't like the whole FFB rotation, and am subconcously fighting it.
Oh yeah. I kinda re-spec'd FFB to see how it works out, and what the big hype was. It's fun. Some big crits. Lots of big crits. But the rotation is a little much for my liking. Scorch > Scorch> LB > FFB > FFB (then the LB's and Scorches when they need to be refreshed. And you have to work in the random Instant Pyro when ever it procs. It's kind of a pain. Specially when you compare it to...
Frostbolt >Frostbolt > Frostbolt....Frostbolt > Frostbolt With the random fireball tossed in.
So, whats on the plate for today? Some target dummies. Some target dummies, and a couple different spec's.
That's what I'll be doing.
If your on Guru, don't mind the Mage in Org on the Heroic dummy for hours at a time.
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
It's Been Awhile...
I really don't like Nickleback that much, the title just seems to fit.
So, little while from the last time I posted.
What's been new?
Quite a bit!
Gruul and Mag are officially on farm for Bada Bing, and we have step foot into TK!
Void Rever, is of course, cake, Solarian gave us some troubles.
PAY ATTENTION!!!
Best advice I can give you for TK is pay attention. If your not aware of whats around you, or on you, you can easily kill yourself or the whole raid.
Did we kill our raid? Of course not! We knows what we're doin!! Did a few Bada Bing'ers kill the raid? One or two.
But that progression, and it happens. Tier five shoulders went out to a few including our MT and MH. Gratz to them.
We even tried fire for a while.
GASP!!! Fire you say? Teh Sunrath going back to fire?
NO!
We tried it, it sucked. Still doing good damage, but just didn't seem as much fun. And fireball is a very long cast. I don't remember it being that long. But it was. We did hit pretty hard with those Pyro's though. About 4k non crit, and well into 5.5-6k crits. That was fun. And we crit ALOT!!!!! switched out our frost gear, and we we're promptly at 36% unbuffed, with 980 fire damage.
Not the best, but damn fun.
Not fun enough though.
So, little while from the last time I posted.
What's been new?
Quite a bit!
Gruul and Mag are officially on farm for Bada Bing, and we have step foot into TK!
Void Rever, is of course, cake, Solarian gave us some troubles.
PAY ATTENTION!!!
Best advice I can give you for TK is pay attention. If your not aware of whats around you, or on you, you can easily kill yourself or the whole raid.
Did we kill our raid? Of course not! We knows what we're doin!! Did a few Bada Bing'ers kill the raid? One or two.
But that progression, and it happens. Tier five shoulders went out to a few including our MT and MH. Gratz to them.
We even tried fire for a while.
GASP!!! Fire you say? Teh Sunrath going back to fire?
NO!
We tried it, it sucked. Still doing good damage, but just didn't seem as much fun. And fireball is a very long cast. I don't remember it being that long. But it was. We did hit pretty hard with those Pyro's though. About 4k non crit, and well into 5.5-6k crits. That was fun. And we crit ALOT!!!!! switched out our frost gear, and we we're promptly at 36% unbuffed, with 980 fire damage.
Not the best, but damn fun.
Not fun enough though.
Friday, May 9, 2008
AOE Frost: The How To
After thinking about it for awhile, I decided my second post would be about the speccing, gearing, and how to of an AOE Frost mage. I know this isn’t exactly were to start, or how to finish in a since either. But it’s currently my favorite part of the game. There’s nothing like flying up to BT, seeing a Warrior and Priest combo grinding their way through the mobs, making a decent amount of money, and picking up signets left and right, and then showing them up ten fold.
So. Where to start.
Hmmm.
Spec would be the best I think. That’s the easiest way to really screw yourself on a frost mage. I’ve seen a lot of people that think they are AOE specced, and then I prove to them that they have no idea what they’re doing.
First and foremost, don’t even try it till 30. Stay fire, enjoy some big hits. And if you don’t have a ton of patience and you’re looking to really get leveling on the ball, don’t do it till 40. Seriously, a mount and Ice Barrier is what it’s all about.
So, the spec.
At 30 you, to maximize AOE ability, you should look a little like this.
Improved Blizzard, Improved Ice Armor, and Permafrost are a must for aspiring little frost mages. DO NOT. I REPET. DO NOT GET FROSTBITE!!!! This is one of the biggest killers of frost mages trying to AOE everywhere. AOE is about control and predictability. This will toss a real monkey wrench in the whole damn thing. As you level, look to put points into talents that either: lower mana costs, reduce Cooldowns, increase frost damage done or increase slowing effects. A frost mage can crit, and crit well, but it is not a focus of AOE’ing. You want even damage.
Once your specced right, you need to take a gear assessment. Gear is a huge factor in being able to AOE effectively. As the spec is about killing many mobs at one time, it is very gear dependent. You need to focus on stam and int at lower levels. You won’t have enough + Spell damage to make a difference. If you’re going to pick up spell damage at lower levels, then make sure your looking at good stam/int gear as well.
Blizzard is an expensive spell. And you’ll be using mana shield a lot until 40. The combination of these can drain your mana fast. Once your mana shield is down, you’ll need to be able to rely on raw hit points. (it shouldn’t come down to that, but if it does, you’ll need it)
So your 30. You’ve re-specced to frost, and picked up the right gear so you can enjoy all AOE has to offer. But your unsure of how to use this new spec to it’s fullest.
How to AOE:
Find a place that has a decent number of melee only mobs and ideally two to three levels lower (this level difference will minimize resists and crushing blows when they get to you). Beasts are usually good as they don’t often run, however, anything that won’t stand at range and cast is good. At lower levels, stand in a spot, where you have about 4/5 mobs in range to wand, and pull away. This will help you conserve mana, while still gathering mobs. Once you get Ice Barrier and a mount, then run through some shit to gather ‘em up.
Once mobs are gathered: Frost Nova and move away. It is almost always better to just blink in the direction that your mobs just came from. That way you’re not backing up into other mobs.
Start your blizzard: Place the blizzard in a position that covers all of the mobs you are kiting. You want them all equally slowed, and damage to be dealt as close to the same across all mobs as possible. As soon as you click and start your channeling, you can position your next one, guide it in front of your groups of mobs and try to get the farthest edge of the circle to cover all your mobs. You’re attempting to position the Blizzard so that the mobs have to walk all the way through it. If you have chosen your mobs correctly, you should be able to finish them off with a Cone of Cold, and maybe a couple Arcane Explosions.
Loot.
Eat and Drink.
Rinse and repeat.
So. Where to start.
Hmmm.
Spec would be the best I think. That’s the easiest way to really screw yourself on a frost mage. I’ve seen a lot of people that think they are AOE specced, and then I prove to them that they have no idea what they’re doing.
First and foremost, don’t even try it till 30. Stay fire, enjoy some big hits. And if you don’t have a ton of patience and you’re looking to really get leveling on the ball, don’t do it till 40. Seriously, a mount and Ice Barrier is what it’s all about.
So, the spec.
At 30 you, to maximize AOE ability, you should look a little like this.
Improved Blizzard, Improved Ice Armor, and Permafrost are a must for aspiring little frost mages. DO NOT. I REPET. DO NOT GET FROSTBITE!!!! This is one of the biggest killers of frost mages trying to AOE everywhere. AOE is about control and predictability. This will toss a real monkey wrench in the whole damn thing. As you level, look to put points into talents that either: lower mana costs, reduce Cooldowns, increase frost damage done or increase slowing effects. A frost mage can crit, and crit well, but it is not a focus of AOE’ing. You want even damage.
Once your specced right, you need to take a gear assessment. Gear is a huge factor in being able to AOE effectively. As the spec is about killing many mobs at one time, it is very gear dependent. You need to focus on stam and int at lower levels. You won’t have enough + Spell damage to make a difference. If you’re going to pick up spell damage at lower levels, then make sure your looking at good stam/int gear as well.
Blizzard is an expensive spell. And you’ll be using mana shield a lot until 40. The combination of these can drain your mana fast. Once your mana shield is down, you’ll need to be able to rely on raw hit points. (it shouldn’t come down to that, but if it does, you’ll need it)
So your 30. You’ve re-specced to frost, and picked up the right gear so you can enjoy all AOE has to offer. But your unsure of how to use this new spec to it’s fullest.
How to AOE:
Find a place that has a decent number of melee only mobs and ideally two to three levels lower (this level difference will minimize resists and crushing blows when they get to you). Beasts are usually good as they don’t often run, however, anything that won’t stand at range and cast is good. At lower levels, stand in a spot, where you have about 4/5 mobs in range to wand, and pull away. This will help you conserve mana, while still gathering mobs. Once you get Ice Barrier and a mount, then run through some shit to gather ‘em up.
Once mobs are gathered: Frost Nova and move away. It is almost always better to just blink in the direction that your mobs just came from. That way you’re not backing up into other mobs.
Start your blizzard: Place the blizzard in a position that covers all of the mobs you are kiting. You want them all equally slowed, and damage to be dealt as close to the same across all mobs as possible. As soon as you click and start your channeling, you can position your next one, guide it in front of your groups of mobs and try to get the farthest edge of the circle to cover all your mobs. You’re attempting to position the Blizzard so that the mobs have to walk all the way through it. If you have chosen your mobs correctly, you should be able to finish them off with a Cone of Cold, and maybe a couple Arcane Explosions.
Loot.
Eat and Drink.
Rinse and repeat.
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