AT World of Warcraft Thread (Cataclysm, Where do you play, General BS and all that)

[Wyndru]

What's this about the phasing technology?

The environment changes based on where you are in the storyline, i.e. if you finish a quest, the area you are in that was just fine might be on fire or destroyed.

 

[s1njin]

Is there any difference in leveling speed when starting out at 1?

 

[RatboyX]

What's this about the phasing technology? I'm at work so many websites are blocked, however I've tried every Google query I can think of to get me something along the lines of 'How has leveling changed since Cataclysm'?

What am I likely to see upon restarting?

I just loaded basic WoW onto my PC overnight. I thought I was golden after my PC brought down the basic installer packages (3.5GB). Wasn't too bad (I have FIOS, 25mb down). Then it mashed my HD for 10 mins or so, started up a new patcher, repatched the patcher, than sent me on a 8.x GB download. At which point I let it run overnight and hit the sack.

We first started seeing Blizzard make significant use of “Phasing” in WotLK. The Wraith Gate quest series in Dragonblight being one of the most dramatic IMO. They also used it extensively in Icecrown. Phasing changes the game environment based on the actions of the player. I won’t give any spoilers on Wraithgate but it was probably one of the coolest applications of the idea so far.

Initially one big downsides to phasing that showed up in Icecrown was that people who didn’t complete some quests in the zone would become suddenly “out of phase” with those that did. We would have a group doing quests and suddenly one of the people in the group would disappear. It was very annoying.

Blizzard made even more use of Phasing in Cataclysm as there is phasing in every one of the new zones. This caused a TON of bugs with perhaps the most notable being the bug it caused in the quest “Defending the Rift” There were massive threads about it on every Blizzard site on the internet. While most of the isssues with phasing have been fixed there are still a few annoyances.

 

[RatboyX]

Is there any difference in leveling speed when starting out at 1?

Leveling is much faster these days, blizzard has made changes to leveling to entice people to start a new level 1 toon especially with the new gobblin and Worgen races.

I would say that 1 to 30 flys by like crazy 30 to 60 is also much faster than it once was. 60 to 70 the old BC content can be done by completing about three zones worth of quests maybe a bit more. 70 to 80 feels about the same and is somewhat of a grind however if you have never run any Wrath content it should be a log of fun.

80 to 85 is fairly quick in the new Cata content

If I were starting a NEW toon I would go with Gobblin or Worgen

 

[Adrenaline]

If I were starting a NEW toon I would go with Gobblin or Worgen

If Alliance I would go human (diplomacy, expertise, human spirit, every man for himself). If they could have druids and shaman I would have 10 human characters. I have started 3 new toons and none have been Worgen. I have had guildmates change from Worgen due to how awful the animations looked and their mounts.

If Horde, I would love to make a Goblin.

leveling is easy if you find the time. Also, do dungeons because dungeons have quests and can be done quickly.

 

[s1njin]

Trying to decide between Druid (Night Elf), Loch, or Hunter (Night Elf).

 

[Adrenaline]

Trying to decide between Druid (Night Elf), Loch, or Hunter (Night Elf).

Racials for the classes in WoW.

Are you looking for anything in particular? These appear to be the main ones I can think of:

Draenei have 1% Hit
Worgen 1% Crit
Night Elf 2% Dodge
Human - Diplomacy (which I view as being totally awesome)
Dwarf - increases chance to critically hit with Guns by 1%
Gnome - increase Intellect by 5%

 

[s1njin]

Racials for the classes in WoW.

Are you looking for anything in particular? These appear to be the main ones I can think of:

Draenei have 1% Hit
Worgen 1% Crit
Night Elf 2% Dodge
Human - Diplomacy (which I view as being totally awesome)
Dwarf - increases chance to critically hit with Guns by 1%
Gnome - increase Intellect by 5%

Not particularly. As newbish as this may sound, I have a hard time identifying with characters that just aren't realistic to me. So a walking werewolf is not really my cup of tea since I can't identify w/ it.

My previous toons in WoW, many years ago, were female. I always figured if I have to look at something's ass for 4 hours a clip, might as well be a woman's ...

We'll see what I roll up later tonight or tomorrow.

Any pros/cons to Loch, Hunter, or Druid? I understand Hunters level the fastest, Druids are uber flexible, and Loch's are somewhere in the middle.

??

 

[Adrenaline]

Not particularly. As newbish as this may sound, I have a hard time identifying with characters that just aren't realistic to me. So a walking werewolf is not really my cup of tea since I can't identify w/ it.

My previous toons in WoW, many years ago, were female. I always figured if I have to look at something's ass for 4 hours a clip, might as well be a woman's ...

We'll see what I roll up later tonight or tomorrow.

Any pros/cons to Loch, Hunter, or Druid? I understand Hunters level the fastest, Druids are uber flexible, and Loch's are somewhere in the middle.

??

Characters level fast now in general. Druids are really flexible, Hunters do level fast and Locks level fast as well.

Ranged DPS (Boomkin, Hunter, Warlock) if played well are in demand on my server as well as healers (Resto Druid). The Warlock and Hunter are dependant upon pets for damage whereas a Druid is all you.

Best of luck.

 

[Aikouka]

My previous toons in WoW, many years ago, were female. I always figured if I have to look at something's ass for 4 hours a clip, might as well be a woman's ...

I've heard this before, but who really stares at their character's hindquarters? 😛 I don't like playing female characters, because I cannot associate with them, and I don't find myself peering at my character's bum 😵.

 

[s1njin]

Characters level fast now in general. Druids are really flexible, Hunters do level fast and Locks level fast as well.

Ranged DPS (Boomkin, Hunter, Warlock) if played well are in demand on my server as well as healers (Resto Druid). The Warlock and Hunter are dependant upon pets for damage whereas a Druid is all you.

Best of luck.

Always had a thing for Druids. Kinda like Rift in the implementation of the character, but more focused in picking a path and staying with it.

 

[rivan]

Always had a thing for Druids. Kinda like Rift in the implementation of the character, but more focused in picking a path and staying with it.

I think druids are pure win - being able to spec into any of the 4 roles - heals, rdps, mdps and tank is excellent for someone who doesn't want to have to level an alt to see each playstyle. Feral's amazing to level, being melee dps and tank almost in one spec. Flight form feels like you're cheating - looting, picking up quest objects, etc, all while flying. As far as I know, you can still mine and herb while in flight form as well.

 

[Anubis]

I've heard this before, but who really stares at their character's hindquarters? 😛 I don't like playing female characters, because I cannot associate with them, and I don't find myself peering at my character's bum 😵.

mine were mostly female because i liked the attacking/spellcasting animations more

 

[Aikouka]

mine were mostly female because i liked the attacking/spellcasting animations more

I've always liked undead male casting animations. Anything but a male Night Elf... anything.

 

[JujuFish]

I haven't played in several months. Starting to get the itch again. Must resist.

 

[Anubis]

I haven't played in several months. Starting to get the itch again. Must resist.

resist, not playing is good

 

[s1njin]

So I screwed around for 1/2 hour last night w/ my newbie Druid. Brought back memories, like a familiar friend or a favorite drink. Mostly the sounds, music, etc. The graphics to me seem pretty dated now (at least in the Dark Elf newb zone), especially when compared to Rift. I can see where the UI has some more polish on it.

I have to play a bit more to see how the old memories meld w/ the new experience vs. what I'm experiencing in Rift. I do like me some eye candy; especially since my rig is brand new.

Something about WoW though ...

 

[Moonzi]

resist, not playing is good

cancelled my account, I log on to arena and fill in when needed...been a great run

 

[Aikouka]

So I screwed around for 1/2 hour last night w/ my newbie Druid. Brought back memories, like a familiar friend or a favorite drink. Mostly the sounds, music, etc. The graphics to me seem pretty dated now (at least in the Dark Elf newb zone), especially when compared to Rift. I can see where the UI has some more polish on it.

I have to play a bit more to see how the old memories meld w/ the new experience vs. what I'm experiencing in Rift. I do like me some eye candy; especially since my rig is brand new.

Something about WoW though ...

Just wait until you run into a heavily populated area with all the settings on high 😉.

 

[rh71]

Why am I only getting 12fps in BWD? It jumps anywhere between 12 - 12.8fps. I turned down/off every video option and it stays the same. Outside of there I always get 30fps+, including other raids like BOT. Is there no way to blob those fricken flames & lava everywhere - I figure that's gotta be it.

Quad core, 8MB RAM, Radeon 4850... most settings already on low: http://img43.imageshack.us/i/wowscrnshot040811081603.jpg

 

[s1njin]

Just wait until you run into a heavily populated area with all the settings on high 😉.

Where, in WoW or Rift? If its Rift, I think I already did that (20 + people closing a Rift + mobs, etc.). Never missed a beat.

My rig:

Asus P8P67 mobo
Intel i2500k OC'd to 4.2 Turbo
8GB Corsair Vengeance RAM
EVGA GTX 570 OC
2x 640GB WD Caviar Black w/ 64MB cache (no RAID)
ASUS Xonar DG Sound Card
Intel Pro 10/100/1000 NIC
Corsair 850 Watt HX PSU
HAF 922 Case
Win Pro x64

 

[rh71]

I think druids are pure win - being able to spec into any of the 4 roles - heals, rdps, mdps and tank is excellent for someone who doesn't want to have to level an alt to see each playstyle. Feral's amazing to level, being melee dps and tank almost in one spec. Flight form feels like you're cheating - looting, picking up quest objects, etc, all while flying. As far as I know, you can still mine and herb while in flight form as well.

I've tried going back to my druid many times and just can't do it... I find cat dps incredibly dull... mostly bleeds is not fun. May have changed since 70 though. But leveling around there, it's still the same play style. Moonkin I can't do at all... hate the play style there too.

Actively playing resto/ele shaman & ass rogue.

 

[Aikouka]

Why am I only getting 12fps in BWD? I turned down/off every video option and it stays the same. Outside of there I always get 30fps+, including other raids like BOT. Is there no way to blob those fricken flames & lava everywhere - I figure that's gotta be it.

Quad core, 8MB RAM, Radeon 4850... most settings already on low: http://img43.imageshack.us/i/wowscrnshot040811081603.jpg

Fire effects have always seemed to be the most troublesome in WoW. I recall back in TBC where I would stand in Hellfire with great framerates and one of the erruptions would occur and my framerate would drop quite a bit.

Unfortunately, I can't see your screenshot right now :\.

Where, in WoW or Rift? If its Rift, I think I already did that (20 + people closing a Rift + mobs, etc.). Never missed a beat.

I was referring to WoW. The biggest culprit to framerate reduction on higher-end machines is the shadow effects. I can easily use them at 1920x1200 (you left out your resolution) in Windowed mode, but I usually have more than one client up at a time, and that doesn't work so well.

I do find it interesting that you went for a fairly beastly machine, but didn't get a SSD. 😛

EDIT:

I've tried going back to my druid many times and just can't do it... I find cat dps incredibly dull... mostly bleeds is not fun. May have changed since 70 though. But leveling around there, it's still the same play style. Moonkin I can't do at all... hate the play style there too.

Actively playing resto/ele shaman & ass rogue.

I think Moonkin got a lot better with the Cataclysm changes. There are still some weird aspects that you need to consider (such as when to refresh Moonfire and Insect Swarm compared to which Eclipse buff you have), but it's not bad for the most part.

I love what they did to Elemental Shamans though. I could never stand how monotonous they were when I also had an Enhancement Shaman whose priority list literally had over 10 steps. Fulmination, while only one thing, made it so much more interesting for me.

 

[s1njin]

I was referring to WoW. The biggest culprit to framerate reduction on higher-end machines is the shadow effects. I can easily use them at 1920x1200 (you left out your resolution) in Windowed mode, but I usually have more than one client up at a time, and that doesn't work so well. I do find it interesting that you went for a fairly beastly machine, but didn't get a SSD.

Single income, father of 2, husband. I made choices to fit my rig under a certain price point. SSD would have been nice, but I still needed a FP (ASUS 23" LED 2ms, can't remember model) and speakers (HK Sound Sticks III).

SSD will be a future upgrade. 😛

Oh yah, 1920 x 1200

 

[Aikouka]

Hmm did heroic Halfus last night... it was my first time, but my guild's second. They actually used 3 tanks for it... is that common at all? The hardest part for me is making sure I'm facing the right direction so I can still interrupt Halfus. It's also really obvious how bad an Enhancement Shaman's AoE capability is right now since our first target is the whelps :\.

I usually end up pulling the highest DPS on that fight somehow... I'm really not sure how I outpace the others that are usually close to me on every other fight, but I do around 44-45k typically.

I did notice a problem on Halfus that got worse on Omnotron. Originally, we weren't going to go to BWD because they didn't want to save me to one boss. Understandable, but given I only need the wrists from BWD, and it's not uncommon to see a group with Magmaw and Omnotron down, I'm not worried. What I really wanted was the guild reputation that Omnotron gives. Bastion of Twilight doesn't give much rep compared to other instances. In fact, you only get 5 guild rep ticks (I forget how much it is per boss). Throne of the Four Winds only has two bosses, but you get 4 ticks. Omnotron alone gives 4 ticks, so I asked if we could still do that 😛.

But anyway... the problem that I noticed was how cluttered the middle of my screen became. Especially with two units up at once all having events occur (which causes text to appear on my screen)... it was beginning to block my focus target's cast bar. We were trying to get the no arcane annihilator portion of the achievement, but we (or rather, I) ended up missing one 🙁. I think the next time, I'll just stay on Arcanotron the entire time. I only get about a 6s period where I can't DPS when he puts up his shield, but other than that... I can attack the entire time. Two cast bars (target + focus) and the actual animation right in front of me is pretty helpful. I should also consider looking for an option in DBM that plays a noise when it goes off. I'm significantly faster at responding to noises.

Although, the noises almost messed me up on Halfus! It dings whenever he casts Shadow Nova, but it also dings for a couple other things. So, I had to be careful that I didn't blow Wind Shear on the wrong ding 😛.

Single income, father of 2, husband. I made choices to fit my rig under a certain price point. SSD would have been nice, but I still needed a FP (ASUS 23" LED 2ms, can't remember model) and speakers (HK Sound Sticks III).

SSD will be a future upgrade. 😛

Oh yah, 1920 x 1200

Can't blame you there. While a SSD is a nice upgrade, it's still somewhat costly and you won't see much benefit in most games. I believe in an Anandtech article, the only game that really showed a benefit was Crysis. WoW's textures aren't as large and I don't think there are as many in use at all times (maybe more with a lot of people with different gear), so on-demand texture loading isn't as big of a problem.

I've honestly become kind of addicted to them... it's great how responsive a machine is with one. I mostly use smaller ones though since games tend to be the big non-volatile memory hog, so they just go on separate drives. Everything but WoW and SC2 go on a Caviar Black drive on my system. My system is actually kind of similar to yours, but I went with the on-board sound, I use ATI and I don't overclock (except Turbo Boost).

But if you're in fullscreen at 1920x1200, your PC won't have a problem displaying everything at full blast. I think you'll definitely notice a drop in framerates as you could easily see 100+ in a cave or a building, but you step out into Stormwind, which has a ton of people, and it begins to take its toll.