Saturday, February 28, 2009

How Blizzard wants us to play in 3.1

1) Trap Launcher is a very cool idea and something we would love to do. However, it requires a lot of tech and may end up beyond the scope of what we can do for patch 3.1. We don't want to give hunters a buggy, half-baked ability. If you are going on the PTR to test Ulduar or just mess around with numbers, I wouldn't worry about this ability, at least for now.

2) Black Arrow is on the trap cooldown timer, and we assume largely for PvE. Black Arrow is your ability to proc things normally caused by traps (like LnL) in PvE situations when using a trap is a pain or the target is immune.

3) Think of Lock and Load triggering from traps (esp. Frost Trap) as a PvP mechanic. Think of Lock and Load triggering from periodic ticks (esp. Black Arrow) as a PvE mechanic. In PvE, you may want to use traps on trash or group pulls however. In PvP, nothing is stopping you from using Black Arrow if it works for you.

So far the good news...

Looks like blizzard wants us to use the new Black Arrow instead of the Serpent Sting. Although it's not clear in which category Immolation trap is located: PvP'ish traps or PvE'ish DoT.

Now some less good news...
  • Explosive Shot: Base damage lowered by 10%. Attack power scaling reduced by 12.5%

Noes! This is no good... It's feels like a flashback to the Steady nerf.

When taken into account that Viper Sting will actually return 300% of the drained mana to you in the current build of the PTR, it looks like our mana problems are over. And since we don't HAVE to use serpent anymore, this will be popular in fights were mana regen is a bit of a pain, KT for example.

I have no clue if the nice and shiny new Black Arrow DoT will make up for the lost damage from ES. But since I'm not on the PTR I can't test it. We'll have to wait and see for the final notes, I guess.

Here's the formula for Black Arrow as it is on the PTR: [RAP * 0.1 + 2765] over 15s, with a cooldown of 30 seconds (It's on the trap CD! Go specc resourcefulness!) + 6% more damage from all your attacks on the target.

Here's the current ES formula:

(RAP x 0.16 + 428) – (RAP x 0.16 + 516) damage. And of course this happens three times over 3 sec.


PTR one: [RAP * 0.14 + 385.5] - [RAP * 0.14 + 464.4] *3 over three seconds.

Now some math: Let's say I got 4300 RAP (which is about true, unbuffed).
The old one does: 1116 - 1204
The new does: 987.5 - 1066

That's roughly a 11.5% nerf.

Now let's see what more DPS we are losing:

Noxious Stings: -3% (I don't see the point in speccing this anymore...)

TNT: -9% crit

ES: -11.5% damage

Total: -14.5% damage and -9% crit

What we gain in 3.1 (conerning ES):

Black Arrow: +6%, 5/8 of the time so: 3.75%

Glyphed ES: 4% extra crit.

TNT: +6% damage.

Total: 9.75% damage and 4% crit

Grand Total: -4.75% damage and -5% crit

Now with this comparison I'm assuming that you are on max range every time so you gain Sniper. I'm guessing that the Sniper uptime will be higher with 3.1.

I think this is the Spec I'll be going with if the hunters stay the way they are on PTR atm.

I hope this was more or less correct... I'll stay in touch with MMO-Champion for new updates.

Lion

PS: My Source on this was WoWhead and MMO-champion, the new ES formula is my own however and could be slightly incorrect...

Thursday, February 26, 2009

A triple post!

I would just be doing the end of my previous post (aka adding macro's etc...) and a comparison between Loatheb's Shadow and Bandit's Isigna, but with the release of the PTR notes I went into a nerdrage and wanted to post on the new talents and glyphs aswell.

But first:

The End of the Previous Post on Survival talents:

Concerning Macro's

I'm using only 2 Macro's during raids.

SS Spam macro:
Create a macro that combines Steady Shot, Kill Shot and Kill Command. My macro uses Kill Shot first (if ready), then tries to cast SS and then casts Kill Command.

Disenage & Wingclip:
/cast Wingclip
/cast Disenage

Okay now for the second post:

Loatheb's Shadow VS Bandit's Insigna

Loatheb's Shadow
Pros: On demand nuke powah!
Con's: You gotta click it yourself, and most people on use it during bosses

Bandit's Isigna
Pros: Pretty OP stat, and you don't need to click shit.
Con's: No on demand pwnage.

My verdict:

I chose Bandit's over Loatheb's because, as stated before, because I never use it on trash. So the stat is alot better for me Le Slackeur. When I want to nuke I use Rapid Fire. I lost some crit, as my Amory Profile painfully states, but I'm gaining more again.

DPS try-outs favor Loa over Bandit, but then you're required to use it once it is ready.

3.1.0: New talents and a new rotation!

New Glyphs!

  • Glyph - Aimed Shot -- Reduces the cooldown of your Aimed Shot ability by 2 sec. (Old: Reduces the mana cost of your aimed shot ability by 20%)
  • Glyph of the Monkey -- While Aspect of the Monkey or Aspect of the Dragonhawk are active, each time you dodge you gain 30% increased movement speed for 6 sec. Can only occur every 20 sec. This speed does not stack with other movement speed increasing effects. (Old: Glyph of Aspect of the Monkey -- While Aspect of the Monkey or Aspect of the Dragonhawk are active, each time you dodge you gain 30% increased movement speed for 6 sec. This speed does not stack with other movement speed increasing effects.)
  • Glyph of Wyvern Sting -- Decreases the cooldown of your Wyvern Sting by 6 sec. (Old: Decreases the cooldown of your Wyvern Sting by 15 sec., but decreases the damage it deals by 20%.)
  • Glyph of Snake Trap -- Snakes generated by your Snake Trap take 90% reduced damge from area of effect spells. (Old: Your Snake Trap creates 2 additional snakes)
  • Glyph of the Hawk -- Increases the haste bonus of the Improved Aspect of the Hawk effect by an additional 6%. (Old: Renamed from Glyph of Improved Aspect of the Hawk)
  • Glyph of Chimera Shot *new* -- Reduces the cooldown of Chimera Shot by 1 sec.
  • Glyph of Explosive Shot *new* -- Increases the critical strike chance of Explosive Shot by 4%.
  • Glyph of Kill Shot *new* -- Reduces the cooldown of Kill Shot by 6 sec.
  • Glyph of Explosive Trap *new* -- The periodic damage from your Explosive Trap can now be critical strikes.
  • Glyph of Scatter Shot *new* -- Increases the range of Scatter Shot by 3 yards.
  • Glyph of Raptor Strike *new* -- For 5 sec. after using Raptor Strike, you take 20% less damage.

New Talents!

Beast Mastery
Skills
  • *New Skill* Call Stabled Pet - A pet of your choice busts out of its stable and joins you no matter where you are, replacing your current pet. Cannot be used in combat. Instant. 30 min cooldown. Requires Level 80.

Marksmanship
Skills
  • Kill Shot no longer has a minimum range. It can now be used in melee range.
Talents
  • Wild Quiver (Tier 9) now increases your chance to shoot an additional shot when doing damage with your auto shot, dealing 80% Nature damage, by 4/8/12%. (Previously it dealt 50% nature damage and had a 4/7/10% chance.)
  • Piercing Shots (Tier 7) Your critical Aimed, Steady and Chimera Shots cause the target to bleed for 10/20/30% of the damage dealt over 8 sec. (Previously triggered 2/4/6% armor ignore).
  • Ranged Weapon Specialization (Tier 6) is now a 3 point talent, increasing damage with ranged weapons by 1/3/5%. (Previously a 5 point talent increasing damage by 1/2/3/4/5%)

Survival
Skills
  • Disengage cooldown increased to 30 secs. (Previously was 25 secs)
Talents
  • Hunting Party (Tier 10) is now a 3 point talent, increasing agility by 1/2/3% and your Arcane Shot, Explosive Shot and Steady Shot critical strikes have a 33/66/100% chance to grant up to 10 party or raid members mana regeneration equal to 0.25% of the maximum mana per second. Lasts for 15 sec.
  • Trap Mastery moved from Tier 9 to Tier 2 and is now a 3 point talent. Increases the duration of Frost and Freezing trap by 10/20/30%, Periodic damage of Immolation and Explosive trap by 10/20/30%, and number of snakes summoned by Snake Trap by 30%. (Previously was just 1 point)
  • *New Talent* Black Arrow (Tier 9) - Fires a Black Arrow at the target, increasing all damage done by you to the target by 6% and dealing [ 10% of RAP + 785 ] Shadow damage over 15 sec. Costs 6% base mana. 5-35 yard range. Instant Cast. 30 sec cooldown.
  • Sniper Training (Tier 9) has been changed to increase the critical strike chance of your Kill Shot ability by 5/10/15%, and while standing still for 6 sec., you gain Sniper Training increasing the damage done by your Steady Shot, Aimed Shot, Black Arrow and Explosive Shot by 2/4/6% Lasts 15 sec. (Previously increased damage and critical strike chance based on your range to the target)
  • Wyvern Sting (Tier 7) now lasts 30 sec on the target. (Previously lasted 12 sec)
  • T.N.T. (Tier 4) now increases the damage done by your Explosive Shot, Explosive Trap and Immolation Trap by 2%. (Previously increased critical strike chance of explosive shot and and gave it a chance to stun the target)
  • Lock and Load (Tier 4) now has a 33/66/100% chance to proc off Freezing Shot, Freezing Trap, and Frost Trap, and a 3/7/10% chance to proc off the periodic damage of Immolation Trap and Black Arrow. (Previously worked on all traps and included serpent sting)
  • Improved Wing Clip has been removed from the game.

I will go in depth to this changes, but for now, you'll have to do it with the Talent Calculator

Have Fun discovering the new mechanics of Survival Raiding!

Lion

Wednesday, February 25, 2009

3.1 Hunter changes

Forget everything I said you about serpent stings. It'll be useless in the upcoming patch!

We'll be getting a shadow dmg DoT of what LnL will proc. LnL will also no longer proc of Serpent sting.

We'll also need to reglyph since Serpent is useless.

I'll post on it in the coming week.

Check out MMo-champion.com Id you want to know more for now, the talent calculator is updated!

Lion

Wednesday, February 18, 2009

Survival DPS in WotLK 3.0.8, Part 1

Guide to Survival raiding Azlannagh of Scrashield Legion

Basic

There are currently three ways of playing your Survival Hunter in raids. The first one is Sniper Training with Serpent sting LnL procs (I call it Serpent Sniper). The second one is Trap Mastery with trap LnL procs (Trap Dancer). The third and final one is a hybrid version of both play styles.

Serpent Sniper

Core talents:

· Sniper Training

· Noxious Stings

Trap Dancer

Core Talents:

· Trap Mastery

· Resourcefulness

Hybrid

I won’t discuss these builds in depth because:

1. I never tried them

2. They waste too much points in SV

Mandatory Talents

BM

Improved Aspect of the Hawk: This is a great talents to get our haste softcapped. If your haste is capped enough to lose another point in this talents, feel free to do so, since its usefulness isn’t that great when your SS is on GCD when this procs.

Haste

Points IAotH

> 522

0

412-522

1

308-411

2

209-307

3

115-208

4

27-114

5

<27

n/a

If you take the Glyph of IAotH:

Haste

Points IAotH

> 522

0 (not worth to take the glyph)

412-521

1 (but drop the glyph)

209-411

1

115-208

2

27-114

3

0-26

4

MM

Lethal & Mortal Shots: Core talents for every build.

Focused Aim: Only when you need some extra %hit.

Careful Aim: A nice boost in AP. Just free DPS basically. Same as Hunter VS. Wild and Expose Weakness.

Go for the Throat: It’s advisable to take at least 1 point in this talent.

SV

Improved Tracking: Another ‘free’ DPS upgrade. I would have put a neat macro here, but 3.0.8 rendered that useless.

Survival Instincts: Free DPS and a bit of damage reduction as well, what more can healers ask for?

Survivalist: Mandatory due to Hunter VS. Wild.

Hunter VS. Wild: Same as Careful Aim and Expose Weakness.

Lock and Load: The very CORE of survival these days

T.N.T.: Stun will be pretty much useless in a raid environment, but the extra %crit to ES is nice.

Killer Instinct: More DPS. Helps with the EW uptime.

Lighting Reflexes: …

Expose Weakness (2/3): One of our unique proc buffs. Same as Careful Aim and Hunter VS. Wild.

Trill of the Hunt: Making all those +crit talents even better.

Master Tactician: The other unique proc.

Hunting Party: One or two points should be enough to keep you (and some of your raid) going for a while.

Explosive Shot: Needs no further explanation.

Sniper Training/Resourcefulness & Trap mastery: Choose according to specc.

Not Mandatory but still nice

Wyvern Sting & Noxious Stings: Give three points for added DoT power and get a free CC!

Hawk Eye: Was kind of useful for Sniper, but I guess 3.0.1 will decrease its usefulness.

Entrapment: Some extra CC (if procs). Useful in Spider wing and blubber pulling in Construct. But for general raiding a bit pointless.

Improved Feign Death: Unlike BM you will produce massive threat, so fast agro dumping can be a blessing and also keeps the repair bill down.

Not Done!

Scatter Shot and other pure PvP talents have no use at all in a raid. But if you have suggestions feel free to add them.

Gear

Haste & Hit > AP > Agi > crit

Why?

With the gear from naxx, OS and EE, you will mostly receive haste rating. But gear prior to the raids has more +hit. So I ended up shipping talent points from IAotH to Focused Aim. And I need +hit food as well during raids. Unless there is a draenei nearby.

Agility is not the big deal anymore in SV. Like I explained in the talents section, the talent has taken a similar place next to Careful Aim and Hunter VS. Wild.

You will have loads of crit from your gear and with some pala’s and a feral druid in your raid, your crit will rock (especially ES)!

Math

Explosive Shot: (RAP x 0.16 + 428) – (RAP x 0.16 + 516) damage. And of course this happens three times over 3 sec.

Serpent Sting: (RAP x 0.2 + 1210) damage over 15 sec. With the Glyph you will get two extra ticks, so the tooltip is wrong; your Sting does the damage divided by 15, times 21.

Steady Shot: (RAP x 0.1 + 252) damage. The handicapped little brother of Explosive shot. Does some nice damage if glyphed.

Aimed Shot: (Ranged DMG + 408) damage. Which means it better DPS then SS. And the debuff is nice when dealing with auto healing trash.

Kill Shot: (200% DMG + (RAP x 0.4 + 650)). Our ranged execute. With proper talents you’ll have some nice figures at the end of bossfights.

Rotation

Always keep Serpent Sting up. Then start with ES > AS > SS spam. They are ranked in order of importance. A macro with that’s cast Kill Shot and Kill Command whenever they are available and spams SS if not, is nice to max out your DPS.

Important!

When LnL procs, don’t spam ES, but weave something in between. Since ES is actually a DoT and it will overlap if you cast another ES right after the other one and thus losing DPS.

Macro’s and addons

Addons

To notify of an LnL proc there is a neat addon called EventAlert which will work for every class with talent procs.

EventAlert - Curse

CooldownButtons is nice for those who work with hotkeys to notify them of ES or AS being off CD.

CooldownButtons - Curse