OMG LESS THAN AN HOUR AWAY!Make your level 1 gnome and help us try to crash the server. Failing that, we’ll have a cool race, make some friends, and have a lot of fun.
Naked Gnomes FTW!!
IT’S HERE! TODAY 7PM CST on MADORAN!Make your level 1 gnome and help us try to crash the server. Failing that, we’ll have a cool race, make some friends, and have a lot of fun.
Naked Gnomes FTW!!
When we get a question at the BRK North-American Centralized Digital Communication and Ice Cream Bunker, the email is pretty specific. For example, look at my gear, check my talents, which gun is best, do you like walks on a beach under the moonlight, where can I buy some BRK Mojo, etc.
But sometimes, buried within that question is a deep, theological conundrum… and occasionally a blatant demand for kitty-kisses. The latter we forward to a more personal inbox, but the former gets special blog-attention.
BRK loves to focus on the foundation of Hunterism and Hunteristics, (both terms are hereby copyrighted by BRK Entertainment Ltd. and may not be used without the express written permission of Major League Baseball).
Without a solid understanding of the mechanics and principals of the basic elements of ranged combat with a pet, the intricacies and nuances are really not important. The concept of a Shot Rotation is such an animal.
BRK received a lengthy and kind email within which contained a question about Sting Shots and their usefullness. However, this particular sentence really caught our eyes:
“My shot rotation is usually: send in pet, hunter’s mark, concussive shot, steady shot, {serpent sting}, arcane shot and then auto shot and arcane till mob dead.”
Before we get into a lengthy diatribe, rowdy rebuttal, and messy food fight about the pros and cons of Sting Shots, we’ve got to straighten out this shot selection sequence. Do you know what’s wrong? Yes? No? Bueller?
Either way, let’s go back to the most basic question: What’s the best way to kill a mob.
The answer, of course, is: “It depends”.
PvE or PvP?
Instance with lots of help, or solo?
Lots of possible adds or all alone?
Sober and alert or drunk and slobbering on the keyboard?
The answers to these questions help form the fundamental principal of:
Efficiency versus Expediency - do you need to kill while conserving resources, or kill quickly regardless of the consequences. What BRK considers the optimum solution is to maximize both. This is the foundation of a Shot Rotation.
BRK-Definition of Shot Rotation - Preserving resources as much as possible while delivering the most damage possible while not pulling aggro from the pet/tank.
A Shot Rotation is not the Maximum DPS Possible. Any fool can blow every cooldown and fire every shot whenever their cooldown is up. Pfft. BRK calls this Rambo Mode and it is not recommended for instances or PvE.
Of course, BRK is a strong advocate of using it in PvP. Screaming inarticulate guttural animal sounds in Rambo Mode is optional, but highly recommended; it’s a hoot.
But BRK digresses.
Many people believe that there is a maximum Shot Rotation, and they’ve discovered it, and if you don’t follow their plan perfectly, you’re a n00b.
Bullpucky.
The Perfect Shot Rotation is a one-shot kill. One bullet, one kill; nothing more efficient than that is there; anything less is sub-optimal. Knowing this, we are free from trying to mold ourselves to some incorrectly-calculated shot rotation based upon a specific 2.7 weapon speed and 1700 RAP and cooldown-sequencing and pet attack speed and the high tide in Perth Amboy and other such hogwash.
Your Shot Rotation is dependent upon your gear. And as such, it shall change over time, so don’t be afraid to experiment. But this is a discussion for Advanced Shot Rotation Techniques, and we were talking about The Basics. Digressing canceled.
The basics of a Shot Rotation do not take weapon speed or any other trivia or stats into account. Now then, it’s just you, your pet, and one mob, ok? Here we go.
The Basic Shot Rotation
Step 1. Macro that sends pet and Hunter’s Marks.
/petattack
/cast Hunter’s Mark
Bind it to an easy-to-find key as you’ll use this a lot. BRK has it mapped to one of his extra mouse-buttons. Macros make your life so much easier, why aren’t you using them?
Step 2. Wait.
Don’t fire anything; allow you pet to reach the target and Growl. Growl is like Sunder in that it builds aggro. Pulling the mob off your pet is a Bad Thing, so let your pet Growl and commence fighting before you get wacky and drop an Aimed Shot on it, ok? Sheesh.
Step 3. Serpent Sting.
Get the maximum out of your Damage Over Time debuff by applying it immediately. What is the best Serpent Sting right now, 555 damage over 15 seconds? Something like that? It’s not the best debuff in the game, BRK admits, but get the most damage for your mana-buck and fire it first.
Step 4. Arcane Shot.
Does BRK need to say anything? Is anybody not using Arcane Shot? We didn’t think so.
Step 5. Multi Shot.
Never forget your Multi Shot, especially you Marksman who have talent points spent in improving its damage and crit. Yes, you can get into a lot of trouble with Multi Shot and crowd-controlled mobs, but the solution isn’t to ignore Multi Shot; the solution is to master it and know how to fire so that you don’t hit CC’d mobs. That smells suspiciously like another blog post, doesn’t it?
Step 6. Watch Your Cooldowns.
When your cooldown on Arcane and Multi Shot are ready, fire em again. BRK loves the Cooldown Timers addon that puts a nice graphical bar and countdown clock for each spell so I can see at a glance which spells are not cooled-down, and how long it will be until they are. BRK Growl of Approval for Cooldown Timers.
Step 7. Watch Your Sting.
Watch it and reapply it when necessary. You should develop an inner-clock that tells you it is about to run its course. Some hunters use an addon that tracks the debuff length, BRK doesn’t; he’s got the mojo working and knows when to reapply Serpent Sting just as it wears off.
Step 8. Prevent Adds.
If the mob starts to run away and possibly aggro another mob, use Concussive Shot and/or Intimidation. Don’t blow these two spells any earlier as you can use them to prevent adds if a mob tries to flee.
And frankly, that’s it, folks. Steady Shot, Kill Command, Aimed Shot, and everything else is a matter of taste and preference. BRK likes Kill Command as it generates extra aggro for Hobbes, others prefer Steady Shot as it will crit nicely if you are spec’d properly.
Remember not to pop Steady or Aimed Shot as your first shot into a fight. Pulling aggro of your pet is Not Good. You have a pet for a reason, and that reason is so that you don’t have to melee.
And you know not to let BRK catch you meleeing. I’m not saying; I’m just saying.
The Diet Coke of Evil is out of the basement and back on WoW. We in Legendary are thrilled, and of course a little nervous, but that’s natural. If you’re on Madoran, say Hello to Ozma. She loves people… ok, she hates people, but she’s not reading this…
It’s real simple, go to:
http://armory.mmo-champion.com/create_sig.php
and use their Signature Image Generator. Thanks boyos, you get a BRK Growl of Approval.
Jezrael of Feathermoon just totally bribed BRK with brownies for a talent and gear review. OMG, if she’s a redhead too, the glorious and amazonian Mrs Damh is gonna absolutely freak out all over BRK’s head until his ears reverberate with the sounds of ,”I hate your game!”
But don’t let that stop you; BRK is made of stern stuff. A little Mrs Damh ear-boxing, BRK can take. Brownies rock.
Now then, let’s look at what we’re reviewing, shall we:
http://armory.worldofwarcraft.com/#character-sheet.xml?r=Feathermoon&n=Jezrael
Talents
Jezrael is a Marksman and we’re gonna love her anyway, right folks? Right. So, looking at her Marksman tree, the only thing that gives BRK pause is the split of five talent points among Improved Stings, Concussive Barrage, and Barrage.
If you PvP, Concussive Barrage isn’t the worst talent in the book, but for PvE, putting just one point into it is a waste. For any situation, 15% bonus damage to Multi Shot is a super selection; increase the depth here from one to three points. If you like the Improved Stings, leave two points there, but BRK would personally select Improved Barrage and the 10% change for Multi Shot to crit.
Gear
Our first look makes us think Jezrael is a PvP fan; lower than normal agility and ranged attack power - especially for a Marksman - but really nice armor and stamina. If PvP is your schtick, Jaz, then you’re on the right track. I would love to see your pet’s stats if you went BM and kept all that sta/armor gear. But if you’re instancing, than dump some of that stamina gear and get more agility and attack power.
Get an enchant on the Terokk’s Quill immediately. Either the +25 or +35 agi would be nice; BRK would like to see your agility break 400.
Your trinkets and rings concern me slightly. There are easy quest rewards that supply you with much better gear than the Don Julio’s Band and the Blackhand’s Breadth. Mana Tombs has a nice ring drop from the last boss, too. Piece of cake instance for 70s.
The Auchenai Boots are the only piece of gear I actually disagree with you wearing. If it weren’t for the gems, they’d have zero agility and attack power. I’m sorry, but BRK says No to the Auchenai Boots.
Everything else looks quite nice. Good bow - and I see you’ve got a scope - very good belt, love the eyepatch, and the greenie chest armor is nothing to sneeze at.
That concludes this review, and I hope I’ve given you the information you sought… but… um, don’t suppose there any more brownies?
That title is just wrong. Totally inappropriate. Naughty BRK.
But, it’s totally true. Judge for yourself. Serene and Eric’s Wedding is kindly promoting BRK’s mislaid and uninsured plans of a naked gnome race, inviting all six million or so WoW players to come join us.
But we know what some of you are thinking, and you’re too late; she’s off the market. One, she’s engaged to be married. Two, she’s in totally heads-over-heals (that’s a joke, son, ya missed it!) in love with Snuffy Hubby. Oh yes, they play WoW together, and we at BRK are totally enthralled.
Thank’s for the publicity, Serene and Eric! And congratulations on your wedding. Many BRK Blessings for You and Your Family.
BRK hopes we can count on Serene and SH to join us on Madoran for a little naked gnome fun.
The Purpose
This race is meant to foster friendship. Have fun, meet people, and laugh yer heads off. There are sections in the Rules describing cheating, but if you’re gonna cheat in a naked gnome race, you have to live with yourself and we all pity you.
But on to the FUN!!
RULES
Your Contestant
1. Your contestant must be a gnome
2. Your contestant may be either gender
3. Your contestant may be any class
4. Your contestant may not be wearing any gear or have anything in bags other than what is put there when you create the character
5. Your contestant must be level 1 with less than 100 xp
The Date
Saturday, 31 March 2007
The Time and Place
7pm server (CST) on Madoran
The Route
1. Meet at the gnome starting area where Damh will fire the starting gun at the appointed time
2. Race to Ironforge
3. Take Deeprun Tram to Stormwind
4. Run to Lakeshire Inn
5. First gnome to enter the Inn - as witnessed by Damh - is the winner
The Prize
100 gold and write-up with screenshots on BigRedKitty blog
The Judging
1. Damh has volunteered to act as the starter and finish line judge.
2. Luineannon has volunteered to act as a roving judge.
3. Any other member of any of the participating guilds are welcome to witness and report incidents of questionable nature.
4. Screenshots will be required before disqualifications are issued.
Cheating
The following actions are prohibited:
1. Any method of transportation that is not walking, including but not limited to portals and summoning.
2. Equipping your contestant with any gear, enchants, or money before or during the race.
3. Using a “mule” to clear a path or in any other fashion eliminate obstacles from the prescribed race path.
Edit: We at BRK have been advertising this for a while now. College visits, work, childbirth… we don’t want to hear your flimsy excuses.
Well, BRK is angry again. Yes, we know, what’s new. But even after a stellar performance by our guild in Crypts, we’re none the richer except for memories. You guessed it, the drops both sucked and blew. So how do we handle our seething hatred for the loot-mechanics of WoW? What do we do to expel the festering, gnawing, hostility that burns within us with the intensity of one-thousand suns?
We post a blog. That’s why it’s here, right?
It’s quiz time again, readers. Let’s see how much you know about this silly game.
Question 1: You’re in a 5-man party, Hunter, Mage, Warrior, Priest, Shaman. You take down a boss in an instance. What gear do you instinctively know is going to drop, even before you loot the corpse?
A. Mail
B. Plate
C. Cloth
D. Leather
Question 2: You’re in a 5-man party, Hunter, Warlock, Druid, Priest, Mage. You take down a boss in an instance. What gear do you instinctively know is going to drop, even before you loot the corpse?
A. Mail
B. Cloth
C. Leather
D. Plate
So you see where BRK is going with this subject. Loot stinks.
Our guild had a lovely time in Crypts last night. Our newly-respec’d Resto Druid brought out tree-from and promptly dropped a 6095 healing-crit. Warlock was sacrificing minions left and right, slamming down a Seed of Coruption on the skellies before the final boss. Frost Mage sheeping and doing his best to keep the invisibles from beating the tar outta the practically immoble tree-from druid. Protection Warrior holding those elites in place while we dealt with invisibles. Beastmaster Hunter dropping the DPS-Hammer, topping the Damagemeters and at the bottom of the Healing Taken Meters. No sheeps broken, nice Focused Fire techniques, great healing, basically no mistakes…
Except for the Hunter right-clicking the final boss by accident instead of marking it, starting the event before confirming everybody was ready. But we still took him down quickly, so if nobody in the party says anything, nobody else will know about it…
um… wait a minute…
Anyway.
First boss goes splat, and of course, he dropped Rogue gear.
Second boss goes poof, and of course, he dropped Priest gear.
What really toasts BRK’s biscuits is that nobody was suprised. Even you reading this are just shaking your head because it happens all the time, doesn’t it? Not drops that you cannot use because you have something better, but a drop that nobody can use because nobody can freaking use it!
Pfft. Loot stinks.
BRK is not the first, nor will he be the last, to advocate that the game should scan your party and adjust the loot-tables accordingly. If we’re gonna blow two-four hours slogging our way through an instance, we should be rewarded with something better than vendor trash.
We are not saying that the quality of the loot tables should be modified, just eliminate the possibility that items that nobody in the party can use will drop. If a 70 wants to run Mana Tombs, he shouldn’t get gear better than what can drop in Labs. But if we run Crypts without a priest, then f-ing cloth with pluses to healing should not be a boss drop, period.
Blizzard, this insulting. Isn’t it time to stop telling us that our efforts are worth nothing but spit to you?
Shaman trap-style thingies are called Earthbind and Stoneclaw totems. To BRK, all totems look alike; a pretty little target that a macro can destroy in one button-press.
Ferris Bueller is spelled with two Ls. BRK really blew that one, our apologies.
BRK Make-It-Up-To-The-Readers Quiz
This is for BRK Cool Points, folks. No cheating, honor system, yada yada yada.
It’s this Saturday! 10,000 or more naked gnomes thundering through Madoran! You gotta be there!
Read this:
http://bigredkitty.blogspot.com/2007/03/naked-gnome-race-prequel.html
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