I do not deal well with change

[ang]

So I logged on to WoW. All my add-ons are broken down, but that's cool. I can look them up and update them later. (Although SC put them on in the first place, so I'm going to have to bug him about what he had on here. I know what effects they had, but not their names.) Like half my spells are gone. I kind of flipped out.

I went to Ironforge, talked to my trainer, bought a dual talent specialization, trained the stuff I needed to train, and then looked at my talent trees and was just like ffffffffffffffffff WHAT IS THIS I DON'T EVEN. I put about 8 points into my Ret spec and 3 into my Holy spec and then freaked out and logged. AND NOW I MUST GO RESEARCH.

Or.... go play my mage/shaman/warrior/priest.

EDIT: GREAT NEWS: PLAYING A LEVEL 8 SHAMAN IS AT LEAST 25% MORE FUN THAN IT WAS BEFORE. AND IT WAS PRETTY FREAKING FUN BEFORE. ALSO, I AM SO FREAKING EXCITED ABOUT THE ENHANCEMENT TREE. DUDES AND LADIES: IT LOOKS PRETTY FREAKING AWESOME. Also, I am sure that a lot of the totems disappearing/getting consolidated is going to be shitty for people who have been shamaning forever, but it makes it so much easier to learn the class when I'm not freaking out about which of my seven earth totems i should be using. :D

edit2: Okay, after reading retpally's posts about the ret changes, I felt confident enough to go update my talent tree on Honor and go dick around on the training dummy a bit. I definitely need some sort of add-on to display my Holy Power more prominently so I can see when I have three charges more easily. I am definitely doing less damage, although I forgot to Blessing of Might myself so I will have to look at that a bit. (I also suspect this has a lot to do with my crit chance being literally halved.) Art of War is definitely proccing much less, but it's much much more obvious when it does so. Word of Glory at 3 charges heals for a hell of a lot (about 3/4 of my HP). Holy Power regen is not as bad as I was led to believe. I definitely need moar haste because spamming Crusader Strike waiting for it to come off cooldown is no fun. I basically moved Consecrate to the "clicky" part of my bar now that Holy Wrath is basically the cheaper AoE and Consecrate got EVEN MORE EXPENSIVE. I also can't really practice using my Hammer of Wrath on the target dummies, so I guess I'll see that in action.

This is my talent tree as it currently stands. I'm almost tempted to take that point out of Divine Storm, since when I'm purely doing damage, I'm using my Holy Power solely on Templar's Verdict. But the healing effect of DS might be needed at some point, so I guess I'd better keep it. Long Arm of the Law is fun, but I'm not sure I'm gonna keep those two points there or move them to Acts of Sacrifice (in the beta it also gives a movement-impairing effect removal to self-cast Cleanses) or Guardian's Favor.

I'm also not sure where I'm going to be in action, but on the target dummy, I was evened out at around 50% mana and kind of chilled out there, so I'm not really having the OOM issues I'd heard some folks were having. But I'm not out in the world having to heal myself or getting to use a lot of my more expensive abilities.

Comments

[ang]

The patch took forever, and then realms still weren't up for another, like, four hours after that. I went out for dinner with my mom and then watched some TV. Good times.

I have a few lowbies I've already started (Troll shaman, Troll mage, Draenei warrior, Draenei priest. lol I like blue people) that I might play a bit, especially if when I go out in the world I find myself a bit "meh" about paladining. But I also have some lowbie alts I'll want to make when actual real life Cata drops. SO EXCITED SO SCARED SO JESSIE SPANO.

[haunted]

Yeah, it zoomed through the first 97% then slowed waaaay down when it got to the stuff that it must actually be changing. Now it's jumping between 18-24 minutes, so I think I'd better find something to do before I chew my fingers off. :D:

Blue people are good! I have a Draenei hunter, Tauren druid, my darling Forsaken warlock and a new Belf Death Knight (who I rolled two days ago and then thought "...fuck, they're changing everything about this class, there's no point learning it right now", so he's spent all his time grinding basic faction rep in the starting zones), so I should be busy enough.

[ang]

Yeah, the background downloader got a lot of it done, and then that last like 3% is so tedious. :D Then there's the super long install, and then the SECOND DOWNLOAD OF STUFF. I don't even know. Basically, go get a book. :)

My death knight (Also a troll!) is still just chilling in her starting area because the quest where you're supposed to control the eye thing and scout around? I suck at that, and I can't be arsed to actually, like, do it properly. But whatever, by the time I get her out of her starting zone, I'll be totally ready to decide between frost and unholy. Oh! I'm also totally making a forsaken hunter when that's an option! I'm really tempted to give her the super duper rotting face and purple pigtails because that's just how I roll. Plus, obviously, we're going beastmastery there.

I really need to learn how to kite properly.

[haunted]

Yeah, man, between that eye mission and another one later on involving a dragon that probably should have lasted a few minutes but took me half an hour (most of that waiting the two minutes to rez AGAIN AND AGAIN), I had a love-hate thing going on with the DK zone. The rest is a lot of fun, though! I'm kind of tempted to roll a human DK just because it would instantly be my highest level Alliance.

I want (deep breath) a Forsaken priest (dual specced Holy and Shadow, since that's only like 100g now), a Worgen rogue, a Tauren paladin (Prot, maybe), a Goblin warlock, an Orc hunter, and some sort of mage, possibly Troll. And maybe someday the Alliance other than Worgen will look tempting for me, too. I'll never hit 85, seriously.

[ang]

I totally already dual specced my paladin. Fucking everybody is getting dual specs for me if I'm at all interested in the other specs.

I also have a Goblin warlock on my wishlist! I had an orc hunter already made, but then I saw undead are getting them and HAD TO DO IT. Troll mages are awesome. I love them. I'm not sure how prot is for questing now (if AoE grinding is still possible with the new talents) but it seems to still be good for tanking, although 96969 is basically dead. TAUREN PALADINS ARE SO GREAT, THOUGH. SC is actually race changing his belf paladin to a tauren once the option is available.

My alliance are mainly draenei. I have a nelf hunter, but he turned into my bank alt pretty quickly because the nelf guys look sort of dorky. I don't really like the human models, and gnomes have a really limited selection of classes to choose from. I am pretty freaking excited about dwarf shamans, though.

[haunted]

Oh, Dwarf shamans! I don't think that ever actually registered when I was looking at the new class combos, but that's very interesting.

I love that the Forsaken hunters are getting spiders as their first pet. Start as you mean to go on, guys: horrific and creepy! You'll have to tame the diseased bears and plagued boars and stuff, and make a theme.

Yeah, I don't like the human models much (hence the DK, because instant platw armour would banance out their ridiculous shoulders and arms), gnomes are too freakishly childlike, and I have this weird aversion to nelfs for no reason I can explain. Horde for life, I guess?

[ang]

Yeah! I'm kind of excited about them. I'm probably going to RP my dwarf shaman as a Wildhammer dwarf, even though I know player dwarves are supposed to be Bronzebeard, but IT'S GONNA BE AWESOME. Their totems are little hammers! (I also really dig the goblin shaman totems!)

I am already making a "stuff to tame" wishlist. When I get her to Outland I'm definitely getting a Helboar. And maybe a worm from Silithus!

Nelfs are weird! I want to like them, but they're just... weird. I was gonna make a nelf druid and just be in one of my animal forms all the time, but then I realized I could be a troll or a worgen or a tauren instead and was like LOL NEVER MIND.

I honestly play mainly alliance, but i think it's just that's that's where all my stuff is, because I really like a lot of the Horde races more than the Alliance ones. (But the Alliance ones I like, I reallyreally like. DRAENEI 4 LYFEEEEE)

[haunted]

Oh, that's a pretty great idea! The Wildhammer tended towards shamanism anyway, didn't they? On the same note I can see a lot of warlock (and mage) dwarves being RPed as Dark Iron, and I might do the same if I change my mind about the goblin 'lock. Plus I'm planning on RPing my priest as Forgotten Shadow cultist, which should be fun. I know there's a couple of decent Forsaken guilds on my server.

Trolls got new totems too, the cutest little voodoo masks ever! And for your pet list, do you know about Petopia? I found it really useful for getting awesome looking pets, like my level 16 white lion way back on my first hunter.

[ang]

The Wildhammer sure do! And I hadn't thought about it, but you're right that the fel and arcane type dwarves could definitely be RPed as Dark Iron. I looooove Forsaken Shadow Priests too. I kind of want one myself, but I'm a bit scared of spriesting.

OH MAN. AWESOME. I wasn't really even looking at my shaman's totems when I was playing her earlier. I thought they looked a little different, but I didn't look too closely.

I have totally been checking out Petopia. MY WISHLIST IT IS SO LARGE.

ALSO I AM KIND OF PISSED OFF. I was collecting plate with +int on it for my holy spec, and like all of it got reitemized to NOT HAVE ANY INT ON IT ANYMORE. WHAT THE FUCK. So I have like, some cloth boots, a pair of mail pants, a leather belt, a necklace and a ring that are relevant to my dual speccing interests. DAMMIT.

Also, holy fuck is holy paladining confusing now. So many different procs to learn instead of just spamming holy light. I'm pretty excited! Or I would be if I had the gear. Plus I get the glowy hands I used to get from Vengeance from a holy talent. Wooo glowy hands!

[haunted]

I watched that video of the priest I linked you too, and even though I know it was a level 85 premade and the first 40 levels of priesting are supposed to be torture, I can't talk myself out of it. I'm going with Holy until I can dual spec into Shadow, because people need healers, right? LOL HAS NEVER PLAYED ANYTHING BUT DPS.

Aww, that sucks! I actually haven't looked at any of the reitemizing info so I could very well log in and find my warlock is suddenly cosplaying as a priest or something (not likely, I know).

Things is, for me, I've never really played a paladin before, so it'll all be new to me anyway when I roll one. For you, just really getting into the game then having your main get every talent tree changed around...yeah. Kinda shitty. The closest I have is my warlock having the Soul Shard mechanic changed, and that doesn't feel anywhere near as big a difference.

[ang]

Holy priesting actually looks like it might be kind of fun! I'm sort of tempted to convert my baby priest over to holy for a bit, since new disc confuses me a bit. But yeah, you'll basically be leveling via the dungeon finder from 15 to 40.

I hadn't really looked at the reitemizing info either, but i just assumed plate with int would keep it since, uh, they're encouraging paladins of all sorts to, like, actually wear plate now. (On the plus side, the hat is now fairly comparable to what I have on and is plate instead of mail, so I MIGHT HAVE A NEW HAT! and then I'll be all plate! Woo!)

It's really really different, but I think it might be kind of fun? It's going to take me a while to really get used to the changes. It's definitely less of a faceroll, but it might be cool. Idk, I'm kind of scared to quest or do dungeons now though because her dps is totally shit and I'm afraid I'm going to completely mess up and I'm also kind of scared that with lowered DPS for everyone and lowered mana regen for healers there might be a lot more wipes. Bleh.

Also, congratulations on your new bag space!

[haunted]

I don't mind levelling via the dungeon finder, I guess. Although if I get into a guild soon enough I might running groups that way, because of the new guild achievements.

I'm glad it's fun, but I hear you about the questing and dungeons. On the bright side, only a very small percentage of people will have played on the test realms, so everyone else will be sucking too. :D? :D? This is why they do a pre-Catacylsm patch like this, I suppose. Everyone can wail and weep now and spend two months getting used to the changes, and not spoil the launch by wiping on every mob (although from what I hear the new 80-85 dungeons and raids are really hard, and the Heroic versions are a wipefest. Something to look forward too!).

(I'm at "Available" in the streaming launcher thing! So tempted to try and play now.)

[ang]

Ooh, yeah, when you're low level especially it's better to run with guildies since they won't be as big of dicks about you having to, like, stop and drink sometimes.

I am actually kind of into the new ret pally rotation. It's less of a faceroll, but it's really fun! I'm definitely glad they're giving me some time to get used to it before Cata drops for realz.

[niqaeli]

ANG. ANG. I RAN A RANDOM DUNGEON. WE ONLY WIPED ONCE AND IT WASN'T MY FAULT. I AM SO FUCKING PROUD OF MYSELF, I CAN'T EVEN.

Also, not bad on XP. It put me up 1/4 of a level for about, mm, 45-60 min worth of dungeonning.

[ang]

Congratulations! they are kind of scary/daunting sometimes, and the queue times can be a little annoying, but they are often totally worth it. Yay for you!