The Warlocks Den - WoW Warlock Discussions

Drinking in Arena and getting past 1150

putzig — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 07:51:57 GMT

This is starting to frustrate me! :Angry!: How do healers get out of combat so quickly? It seems as soon as they are around a corner they can sit down and drink. Me and my team mate can't figure it out! Is there any trick to getting out of combat quickly?

Also any other suggestions for arena would be appreciated. I've been doing arena for a while now and I'm stuck at around 1150 rating in 2v2. I'm an Aff lock with a Disc priest.
Any advice about my gear and or suggestions to help us continue to do better would be helpful. Thanks.

The World of Warcraft Armory
The World of Warcraft Armory

Heroic Tier - First upgrade?

refardeonn — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 02:47:08 GMT

I'm wondering if there is a specific heroic upgrade (anub hard mode) that's better than the rest? Or are they all roughly the same, and it's basically player choice.

Thanks.

Impromptu Warlock Q&A with Ghostcrawler

fizboz — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 01:02:31 GMT

In keeping with his oracular (and no, I'm not talking about the guys who fight the Wolvar) manner, GC has chosen to give a few hints at what is to come for Warlocks in Cataclysm. Although this post is ostensibly about soul shards, his comments actually cover a lot of ground. Original questions are in Italics.

1. Will it [soul shard changes] be implemented in Cataclsysm or faded in through patches considering the seemingly huge gap in content?
Cataclysm

2. Even with the new system will warlocks be given a secondary defense to fall back on, on a long CD should fear become useless?
You mean like Demonic Circle? :)

3. Are there plans to link the system to a warlock pet? I know fel domination is one of them, but popping soul shards for more power for the pet are being considered? Example- Refreshing CD's?
Sure. We don't have a lot of details we can share yet.

4. What is going to happen to those spells that required soul shards?
They won't. Some of them may change though. Perhaps the un-enhanced version will be weaker than the current shard version. Stuff like summoning (people and demons) just won't cost shards.

5. Are there plans to change hellfire to an AoE knockback snare like a secondary defense warlocks can fall back on or will it be outright removed?
No, there are no plans.

6. Are there plans to extend Inferno's duration similar to before where we have to enslave him, but with no capping prohibitions?
As I opined recently, IN-FER-NO probably just needs a different mechanic. The trade-off for getting the demon can just be the cooldown.

7. Are there plans to reduce slot problems with curses? Like CoT and CoEx being merged?
Yes to the general question, no to the specific example.

8. Are there plans to add dispel resistance to curses through talents?
Probably not. We'd rather tone down the potency of dispels in general, not require everyone to stack more defenses for them.

9. Will CoD be modified to be castable on players? If so will you modify the damage/duration/CD on it or will it remain the same?
We haven't talked about it.

10. Do you plan on fixing the debuff problems to pets. The fact the duration on debuffs remain the same until the pet is out on the field while buffs continue their duration course regardless of the pet being summoned or not?
This isn't really a soul shard question is it? That is more of a technical limitation and not a design goal. The answer has more to do with prioritization than intent.
11. Will soul link be removed from the demon should it despawn/dimiss?
Don't know yet.

12. What are the plans for drain soul in the new shard system?
Don't know yet. One idea is an emergency backup system for long fights or situations where you screw up. Ideally we don't need this though so we haven't resolved it.

13. Are there plans to make enslave demon a little more viable for PvP and example is the doomguard and inferno?
If you're talking about warlocks stealing each other's demons, I'm not sure that will lead to those demons getting more use. It might make you giggle when you steal one though.

13. Will the Soul Shard system allow you to empower our primary nukes chaos bolt/soul fire for increased damage on short CD?
Yes. The example we used at Blizzcon was some kind of duration-limited or "your next spell" limitation. We haven't set this in stone yet.

13. What will happen to Soul Fire? Will it still require a shard to use? Could it find more acceptance in our rotation considering it's potentially our most powerful nuke?
It won't require a shard. It might require a shard to make it something you want to cast though (imagine a PoM - Pyro).

14. How will the Soul Shard change work with different trees?
No idea yet. The talent trees aren't done. One thing we threw out at Blizzcon was maybe Demo gets an extra shard, but that's just hand-waving at this point.

I don't see there being much choice during a boss fight when a warlock uses the abilities that are enhanced by shard usage. It'll be just like glyphs and talent trees. There will be required spells to use alongside required shard usage. I don't see how someone can "mess up" when you only have a few shards.
The fight starts. You use your 3 shards. Then adds come. Or characters start to die and the fight lasts longer than you thought. And you're sitting there with no shards.
It's a little bit like asking "Why would a mage need Evocation? They should have enough mana for the fight."

Generally, is the goal to make Soul Burned spells directly more powerful or instant, or will there be some versatility baked in for other abilities? For example: Soul Burning Howl of Terror to make it a horror effect so it works better on Warriors, rather than simply increasing the duration of the fear effect.
It's cooler if not every spell works the same way. We use the example of "makes this instant" a lot, because it's easy for players to understand both why that would be powerful and also situational. If you get 3 shards and use all 3 on Conflagrate or Chaos Bolt every time, then the system isn't adding as much as it potentially could.

DoomGuard

Grandorf — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 22:52:09 GMT

Am I correct in the assumption that you can't summon doom guard anymore. That you put a spell on a target and if everything goes ok he appears?

2vs2 pala/destr lock

Missdetd — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 20:46:51 GMT

Hi

A friend and are trying arena for 2vs2.
a retri paladin
The World of Warcraft Armory
and me a destr warlock
The World of Warcraft Armory

we just stared to find our way and right tactics... so any hint what to do and what not to do?

greetz :)

Log review, why...

dozens — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 19:49:47 GMT

World of Logs - Real Time Raid Analysis

Can someone be so kind and look at log for a successful onyxia clear in the link above and offer some suggestions as to why a fellow lock (Littlock) is casting twice as many incinerates as me?

He is using the ISL spec with immolate and I am using suppression with life tap (uptime 95%) so that accounts for some of the discrepancy but we have a similar number of backdrafts. He might have a little more haste then me, I believe during in game chat we compared and he had about 50 more points.

Heigan's vs t8.5

Dowdicus — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 17:58:20 GMT

I recently replaced my 8.5 gloves with 9.5, which gets me the 2 piece t9 bonus. I still have my t8 shoulders, and I have the t8.5 chest in my bank, but RAWR is telling me that Heigan's Putrid Vestments is better for me right now than the t8.5 chest. If I went with the t8.5 chest, I'd have both 2 piece bonuses...

I'm not sure if I trust RAWR completely on this one, and Heigan's isn't a huge upgrade over the t8.5, so I thought I'd get opinions from other warlocks. Here's the link to my Armory: The World of Warcraft Armory

Afflock, all the way.

Looking for a Signature...

marcosis88 — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 13:05:52 GMT

I want to apologize if this has been requested or posted before. I am not in the slightest bit talented when it comes to art. So I was wondering if there was anyone on the site that is good at making signatures and if said person would be willing to make one for me. I can post pics if there is someone willing to make me a signature. Thanks.

~Marcosis~

Need Gear Advice

Noitra — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 12:27:46 GMT

Hi all.

This is my armory:
The World of Warcraft Armory

I only raid 10man content with my guild and i pug every 25man raids i can.
So all the advices i want are regarding 10man.

In our set up we dont have bumkin nor shadowpriest.
Usualy its, 2 dk's(tanks),3healers(druid,pala,shamy),lock(me),ro gue,hunter,mage and retripala.

So i aim for 16% hit (~419) since i can have a dranei on my group.
My current spec is 3/14/54, so i aim for 13% hit from the gear wich mean (~341).

I will change my gear in the next 2 days, trading my current head Conqueror's Deathbringer Hood, for Kel'Thuzad's Hood of Triumph, and my current shoulders Mantle of Catastrophic Emanation, for Kel'Thuzad's Shoulderpads of Conquest (to get the 4 piece bonus) or ,if i got lucky tonight getting a trophy, for Kel'Thuzad's Shoulderpads of Triumph.

I'm currently gathering the mats for the Merlin's Robe, however, till there.. ill have to keep my current chest, Conqueror's Deathbringer Robe wich will make me a bit over the hitcap. The plan is when the Merljin comes i get the hit *right*.

In order to put the hit right, i managed to get Living Flame in the last raid to ulduar25.

The question i have is with the trinkets.
I have Illustration of the Dragon Soul and Abyssal Rune.
What should i trade the Living Flame for?
I think IOTDS is better then the Abyssal but i dont like loosing my haste :P
tbh..
*i like my haste* BD

So.. Please give me your advice :'D

Regards,

Nnoitra
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Well.. Nobody answered.. i dunno why ..
I didn't got lucky last night so i already made my changes to the gear.

I decided to put the abyssal rune when i raid without a shaman and the IOTDS with one.
I mean shamys give 5% haste ~160 (plus sp,ofc) so.. my haste is going to be good anyway :-)

Thanks for the help!!
<:o

Nnoitra

Current Warlock DPS

Valraven — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 06:53:19 GMT

Was wondering if this observation is shared by any of you tried and true veteran Locks.

Arcane Mages...

Have you been noting the outward overtly disproportionately callibrated dps Arcane Mages are putting out? When a good Arcane Mage in full conquest can out dps a good Destro Lock in full Triumph245, with equivalent 245 level pieces, then class spec mechanics need a review.

I can understand why Bliz bestowed Mages with some encouraging mechanics relatively recently, but I believe this is alittle over the top.

What happens when a level 226 geared Arcane Mage comes into a raid and starts dwarfing a level 245/258 geared Destro Lock's dps/damage output? It creates a disparaging situation.. especially when unknowing people actually believe its because the Mage is some highly skilled player that makes you look like you're doing something terribly wrong. I'm a qualified and knowledgeable veteran Warlock, and I've got all points covered when it comes to the in's and out's of pve raiding. Been actively doing this for 5 years now.

Hopefully we'll see some change-arounds come next patch, because this just took a turn to ridiculousness. Somethings up or just not right about all this.

Haste balancing question

enickma — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 05:27:09 GMT

Want some perspective on this....

I'm 3/13/55 destro spec'd, hit capped, and have always gemmed straight spellpower, following the traditional SP>Haste>Crit for destro.

I've had discussions with another lock on my realm that is the same spec, same rotation, and about the same gear level, who puts out like 1500 more dps than me every time we run together. Comparing all our stats, I have more spellpower than him, he has more haste than me. Unbuffed with Fel Armor I've got:

2876 Bonus damage
23.74% crit chance
345 Haste rating

Here's my armory:
The World of Warcraft Armory

I'm contemplating, swapping out some of my +23SP gems for +20haste to balance my stats out...problem is, it's a hella expensive thing to experiment with... thoughts?

I did just gem up my new merlin's robe +23sp in all slots... armory may still show the old robe.

Power Auras, Sound, and tracking Decimation/Molten Core procs

Jakome — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 00:00:46 GMT

I used to use Necrosis. And I found that auditory triggers are MUCH more helpful to me than visual ones--I tend to weed out visual graphics just because I'm focusing on other stuff. But sounds I pay attention to.

However, I don't use Necrosis anymore. But as a (preferably) demonology lock, I have Decimation procs to track, and I miss the booming "Shadow Trance!" sound because it was an awesome way to let me know I had a free instant-cast shadow bolt.

So I went looking around, and I found Power Auras Classic.

It's a great addon that most people use to make glowy graphics around their character in the middle of the screen when certain buffs proc, fall off, or do something that needs to be tracked.

However, it seems less common that people take advantage of the sound capability. And if I had to guess, it's because the default sounds are stupid or already in use...ie, who wants the chat whisper sound as their auditory trigger? You won't think to cast a Soul Fire, you'll glance at the chat pane to see who whispered you! Or if you hear the leveling DING, you'll look around to see what n00b hunter brought in their non-80 pet to a raid!

So, I went looking for better sounds. And I found some. :)

First thing I discovered is that you can nick the Necrosis "Shadow Trance!" sound. You'll need to download Necrosis somewhere and extract it (no need to install it). You'll find the Shadow Trance sound in its files.

Next, go to your Addons folder. Find your Power Auras folder (you can install it via Curse if you don't have it), and within that find the Sound folder. Paste your Necrosis "Shadow Trance!" mp3 clip in there.

If you're like me though, there's not just one proc you'll want to track with sound. We have free shadow bolt procs in Affliction, Destruction, and via glyph. We have Decimation procs. We have Molten Core procs. So you'll need more sounds.

I went hunting, and I found freesound :: home page. I did a search for .mp3 files under 2 seconds long, and I found these, which I think would be good for auditory triggers:

freesound :: view sample :: lightsaber4.mp3
freesound :: view sample :: shock.mp3
freesound :: view sample :: press02.mp3
freesound :: view sample :: press01.mp3
freesound :: view sample :: Dave.mp3
freesound :: view sample :: Systen Online.mp3
freesound :: view sample :: Get in the Car 1.mp3
freesound :: view sample :: echo002.mp3
freesound :: view sample :: System off line.mp3
freesound :: view sample :: disgusted.mp3
freesound :: view sample :: magnents_bouncing_on_drums024.flac
freesound :: view sample :: Nice One.mp3

There's a lot of sounds on there that were too soft, too liable to be lost in vent chatter, too odd (lots and lots of fart noises...so if that's your cup of tea, go browse!), or too strident (you want to hit your spells, not leap out of your chair). I tried to pick ones that were A) distinct and unique, and B) warlock-y to some greater or lesser extent.

So if you decide to use one of those or something else, download it to your computer (you'll need to sign up for a free account but it's just a message board signup like here), then put it in the Sounds folder of your Power Auras addon.

Note: You need to do this while WoW is closed. Otherwise Power Auras won't use the sound so you can hear it. Also, the sound file needs to be MP3.

Once you have your sounds, log into WoW, and type /powa to bring up the Power Auras Classic Config. Then you'll want to add your triggers, and specify the name of the sound file you want to use on your sound tab.

I've included some you can Import below but you'll still need to go to the sound tab and specify your sound.

That needs to be one line when you use the Import function, so you may want to copy and paste to Notepad to make sure it's all one line.

I got most of these from here.

Decimation Procs:

gcd:bofalse; soundfile:st; owntex:bofalse; b:nu0.23529411764706; anim1:nu3; duration:nu1; g:nu0.74509803921569; thresholdinvert:bofalse; ignoremaj:botrue; opt2:nu0; speed:nu1; finish:nu0; icon:stInterface\Icons\Spell_Fire_Fireball02; size:nu0.75999999046326; torsion:nu1; multiids:st; stacksOperator:st=; realaura:nu1; sound:nu0; optunitn:bofalse; off:bofalse; symetrie:nu0; begin:nu1; x:nu0; texmode:nu1; textaura:bofalse; timer:bofalse; target:bofalse; timerduration:nu0; wowtex:bofalse; groupany:bofalse; customsound:stShadowTrance-En.mp3; combat:nu0; y:nu-30; randomcolor:bofalse; unitn:stOnly for raid/group.; bufftype:nu1; r:nu1; aurastextfont:nu1; party:bofalse; opt1:nu0; focus:bofalse; isenchant:bofalse; raid:bofalse; isdebufftype:bofalse; texture:nu1; anim2:nu0; buffname:stDecimation; customtex:bofalse; stacks:nu0; threshold:nu50; exact:botrue; alpha:nu0.75; aurastext:st; customname:st; isdebuff:bofalse; inverse:bofalse; ismounted:bofalse; targetfriend:bofalse; mine:botrue; isinraid:bofalse; stance:nu10

Molten Core proc:

gcd:bofalse; soundfile:st; owntex:bofalse; b:nu1; anim1:nu1; duration:nu0; g:nu1; thresholdinvert:bofalse; ignoremaj:botrue; opt2:nu0; speed:nu1; stance:nu10; icon:stInterface\Icons\Ability_Warlock_MoltenCore; size:nu0.75999999046326; torsion:nu1; multiids:st; stacksOperator:st=; realaura:nu1; timer:bofalse; mine:botrue; optunitn:bofalse; inverse:bofalse; begin:nu0; off:bofalse; isdebuff:bofalse; textaura:bofalse; customname:st; target:bofalse; combat:nu0; wowtex:bofalse; groupany:bofalse; customsound:stpress02.mp3; timerduration:nu0; exact:botrue; threshold:nu50; unitn:stOnly for raid/group.; bufftype:nu1; stacks:nu0; aurastextfont:nu1; party:bofalse; customtex:bofalse; focus:bofalse; isenchant:bofalse; raid:bofalse; isdebufftype:bofalse; texture:nu1; buffname:stMolten Core; anim2:nu0; opt1:nu0; r:nu1; randomcolor:bofalse; y:nu-30; alpha:nu0.75; aurastext:st; x:nu0; texmode:nu1; symetrie:nu0; ismounted:bofalse; targetfriend:bofalse; sound:nu0; isinraid:bofalse; finish:nu1

No Spellstone Applied:

gcd:bofalse; soundfile:st; owntex:bofalse; b:nu0.43921568627451; anim1:nu1; duration:nu0; g:nu0.17254901960784; thresholdinvert:bofalse; ignoremaj:botrue; opt2:nu0; speed:nu1; stance:nu10; icon:stInterface\Icons\INV_Sword_130; size:nu0.23999999463558; torsion:nu1; multiids:st; stacksOperator:st=; realaura:nu1; timer:bofalse; mine:bofalse; optunitn:bofalse; inverse:botrue; begin:nu0; off:bofalse; isdebuff:bofalse; textaura:bofalse; customname:st; target:bofalse; combat:nu0; wowtex:bofalse; groupany:bofalse; customsound:st; timerduration:nu0; exact:bofalse; threshold:nu50; unitn:stOnly for raid/group.; bufftype:nu5; stacks:nu0; aurastextfont:nu1; party:bofalse; customtex:bofalse; focus:bofalse; isenchant:bofalse; raid:bofalse; isdebufftype:bofalse; texture:nu12; buffname:stGrand Spellstone; anim2:nu0; opt1:nu0; r:nu1; randomcolor:bofalse; y:nu71; alpha:nu0.75; aurastext:st; x:nu105; texmode:nu1; symetrie:nu0; ismounted:bofalse; targetfriend:bofalse; sound:nu0; isinraid:bofalse; finish:nu1

Fel Armor isn't up:

gcd:bofalse; soundfile:st; owntex:bofalse; b:nu0.33725490196078; anim1:nu1; duration:nu0; g:nu1; thresholdinvert:bofalse; ignoremaj:botrue; opt2:nu0; speed:nu1; stance:nu10; icon:stInterface\Icons\Spell_Shadow_FelArmour; size:nu0.15999999642372; torsion:nu1; multiids:st; stacksOperator:st=; realaura:nu1; timer:bofalse; mine:botrue; optunitn:bofalse; inverse:botrue; begin:nu0; off:bofalse; isdebuff:bofalse; textaura:bofalse; customname:st; target:bofalse; combat:nu0; wowtex:bofalse; groupany:bofalse; customsound:stConnum__shock.mp3; timerduration:nu0; exact:bofalse; threshold:nu50; unitn:stOnly for raid/group.; bufftype:nu1; stacks:nu0; aurastextfont:nu1; party:bofalse; customtex:bofalse; focus:bofalse; isenchant:bofalse; raid:bofalse; isdebufftype:bofalse; texture:nu50; buffname:stFel Armor; anim2:nu0; opt1:nu0; r:nu0.15686274509804; randomcolor:bofalse; y:nu59; alpha:nu0.75000005960464; aurastext:st; x:nu-108; texmode:nu1; symetrie:nu0; ismounted:bofalse; targetfriend:bofalse; sound:nu0; isinraid:bofalse; finish:nu1

#

One last note - as you make these, you'll need to exit the Power Aura config screen to actually test them to see if they work. :) And as I said before, you'll need to *close* WoW to put new Sounds in the appropriate folder, otherwise you won't hear them.

More detail on the Icecrown Citadel Raid Instance

fizboz — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 20:18:29 GMT

One of the team lead designers has posted a description of the upcoming ICC raid, it's full of good information, but also very long, so I'm summarizing a bit. You can find the full text here.

Icecrown Citadel is going to be broken up into four distinct sections: The Lower Spire, Plagueworks, Crimson Hall, and Frostwing Halls. We plan on releasing these four sections of Icecrown Citadel over time and not all immediately when patch 3.3.0 goes live.

...players must master every normal difficulty encounter in Icecrown Citadel before attempting Heroic difficulty.

The Lich King may not be attempted until Professor Putricide, Blood-Queen Lana'thel, and Sindragosa are defeated. Furthermore, the Heroic difficulty of The Lich King encounter may not be attempted in any week unless the three aforementioned encounters have been defeated in Heroic difficulty that week.

Raids will have a limited number of attempts total each week to defeat the four most difficult encounters in Icecrown Citadel: Professor Putricide, Blood-Queen Lana'thel, Sindragosa, and the Lich King. As these boss encounters are unlocked, the number of attempts available per week will increase. The initial number of attempts provided for defeating Professor Putricide is only five. When Blood-Queen Lana'thel unlocks, the amount of total attempts remaining will increase to 10... Then when Sindragosa and the Lich King unlock, 15 total attempts will be available to defeat all four bosses. After a raid has exhausted their attempts for the week, the Ashen Verdict must withdraw their support and the four most difficult bosses all despawn and become unavailable for the week. The limited attempt system is a feature of both Normal and Heroic difficulty.

There will be no explicit rewards for defeating the Lich King with a specific number of attempts remaining as there was with Trial of the Grand Crusader. There will also not be an achievement to complete Icecrown Citadel without being defeated by a boss encounter, or letting a raid member die. (i.e. A Tribute to Insanity).

In the weeks and months after all twelve encounters are unlocked, additional attempts against the final four boss encounters become available. This represents the Ashen Verdict growing more powerful and gaining a stronger foothold in Icecrown Citadel. To further help raids, Varian Wrynn and Garrosh Hellscream will begin to provide assistance by inspiring the armies attacking Icecrown Citadel. This is represented as an additional zone wide spell effect applied to all players that will increase their hit points, damage dealt, and healing done.

Next Upgrade Advice

Konga — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 17:47:48 GMT

I always seem to agonize over my upgrades. I am not in my guild's main raid group so I pug most everything. I keep my hit at or above the cap in case there is not a Boomkin or Unholy DK. I have 75 Emblems of Triumph and am considering getting the Pauldrens of Catastrophic Emanations(Pauldrons of Catastrophic Emanation - Item - World of Warcraft) to keep my hit up. Or would the mantle of Revered Mortality (Mantle of Revered Mortality - Item - World of Warcraft) be a better choice for the haste and rework my trinkets and rings to Keep my hit at cap? Thanks for any advice on this and suggestions on this and any of my gear.

Chat Addon?

Jakome — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 17:21:57 GMT

Hello fellow locks :)

I've stumbled my way through the "post your UI" thread, with all the cool UIs that are modded so heavily (to me) that I don't know how to tell one mod from another, and I'm having trouble finding a good chat addon. People have probably mentioned it, but I'm unable to find it in the noise.

I'm looking for chat that A) is placeable where I want it, B) looses the clunky Blizz skin and up/down arrows, and C) shows class by color and level.

I have the impression I might need more than one mod to do this...but which ones?

Help (and screenshots of what it looks like under whatever mods you're using) would be greatly appreciated!

Thank you.