5PM PST is like 2AM CET. I’m not going to see the patch today.
Managed to score a bunch of updated addons while I waited. And waited.
My previously clever idea of downloading and testing addons on the Public Test Realm worked well, on one hand, and backfired on the other. I was getting add-ons, dropping them in the add-on subdirectory under WoWTest, and setting them up and seeing how they functioned.
Did you know Blizzard will, without asking you, put files on your machine? They will also, without asking you, remove files from your machine. They will remove files YOU YOURSELF have stored on your machine. If it was in the WoWTest directory it gets deleted at Blizzards whim. Not yours. Thanks for the heads-up on that one Blizz. Oh yeah, and thanks for keeping the server down all day with your patch, delivered on your schedule, at your descretion, and to your scope. Patch first, then figure out why you can’t bring the servers back online.
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December 6, 2006 at 2:11 pm
Doeg
I had left my computer up for four days to pull the patch. Then we copied the patch files from my box to the other two computers. We were up-and-running on Rexxar by about 8:00pm CST, with a couple of strange bugs (Arathi Basin was down – may have been a server down in the battlegroup).
When you spec, visit the trainer and bring $$$. It took close to 60g to fully train, so I won’t be respeccing for a long while. I love the addition of the previously book-learned skills to the trainer list. Also liked the Stance Mastery skill.
I went Arms (41-5-5). I *had* to. I PvP too much not to go Arms. Immune to Disarm. Rage and life generation when immobilized. Mortal Strike. Endless Rage. Need I go on…?
The divergence of the warrior trees has gotten to the point that I would welcome a ’stable’ of specs rather than just one. At least two specs, please – the active Prot tree talents after Concussion Blow are essentially useless in PvP. Basically, it has become “Arms to deal damage” and “Prot to mitigate damage and generate threat” – correctly, I might add. Fury seems to be the ‘poor step-child’, giving the automatic choice of: “5 points into crit, and that’s about it”.
I accidentally used a calculator set on level 70, so I didn’t quite get my last 5 points (prot tree) quite right for level-60. I went the full 5 in the +defense, when I might have put 2 in Improved Bloodrage if I had noticed. No biggie though. Won’t turn down +defense.
Now it’s off to the Eastern Plaguelands to that town where I grind for Argent Dawn rep, with a variety of mobs to try my new skills on. I need to learn my new skills, and I’ll be running Battle Stance again for a change. May need to stance-dance; Berserker Rage is really nice in PvP (breaks Sap, immune to fear).
I’m currently set with the following ‘hand’ gear:
Frostbite [one hand] (enchant: +4 weapon)
Cold-Forged Hammer [main hand] (enchant: +3 weapon)
The Immoveable Object (enchant: +7 stamina)
Pre-patch I looked at the WoW in-game character sheet stats, and Frostbite + The Immoveable Object was dealing about the same damage as Cold-Forged Hammer (main hand) + Frostbite. So same damage but way more armor with shield made that ‘choice’ a no-brainer then.
I didn’t get the money to buy The Unstoppable Force, and didn’t push for it, because frankly I didn’t anticipate going Arms.
Seems wrong to run Arms with Frostbite + The Immoveable Object though.
My spec did not specialize in either weapon type or weapon handedness, so any weapon is on the table.
Recommendations welcome…
December 6, 2006 at 2:30 pm
Kinless
I’m looking forward to getting into the game tonight. I’ve got some Honor Points, and Marks, to accumulate for my last two PvP rare-set items.
Yeah, I’ll be going all Arms, and I’ll have to check out your other 5 & 5. I’m hit all too often by Disarm and I’ve never seen the Weapon Chain plans drop or sold.
And Mortal Strike was/is amusing to drop on Druids. All of a sudden they’re all green and glowing with those vapor trails and ears a’bouncing and then they drop dead.
In some UBRS raids we had a Fury Specced Orc who just blew us all away. His DPS was off the charts, and this was pre-MC gear. Being a Resto Specced Shaman at the time I just healed him and thought: “I’ve got to get moving on my Orc warrior!” Msaker was reenergized.
“Get into the game tonight to PvP?” Hah! Did I say that? I’ll be spending some time recreating my add-on environment!
December 6, 2006 at 8:25 pm
WRATHofGOD
60g to train??? Why? Did you respec after you put all your talents in?
It took me maybe 6g as a 60 holy/disc priest.
I think you are kinda selling Blizzard a bit short. They had amazing communication during the whole process. They actually went live before their (albeit altered) estimated time. Yes there were bugs, I had them myself- but all in all pretty sucessful. I ran Gnomergon with an alt with no issues (got really exited when I could choose gnomergon at the Heroic dungeon level…then found out that doesnt work with gnomer.
)as well as a ZF run with another alt. No problems, no lag at all. The LFG UI worked great.
Not sure why you get upset about Blizzards TEST realm policies – it’s all in the fine print they give you when you sign up for it. You agreed to it, it’s not their fault you didnt read everything.
Organizing, implementing, and supporting a patch on the level of demand that blizzard does it- is mind boggling. I thought they did an excellent job, communicated well during the patch, and provided great service afterwards.
imho
December 6, 2006 at 9:06 pm
Doeg
I wasn’t fully trained, that was part of it.
But some high-level warrior talents unlock skills (Mortal Strike, for example). And because they are high-level, they are high cost (probably averaging more than 3g a pop).
The same thing happened with my druid – take Nature’s Grasp talent, and you can buy higher ranks of Nature’s Grasp at higher levels. Respec, and you lose Nature’s Grasp *and* all those ranks you bought.
And, no, my gold spent on the skills I lost was not refunded when the talents were zero-ed out. I checked.
Not a biggie, though. I got a “free” respec, and gold flows rather freely for a level-60.