Brooke Joins ToC

Brooke just opened her account w/ wow and has been playing. I thought I'd formaly introduce her characters here.

That I know of...

Alya : Troll Shaman (She wants to level this one w/ me)
Ageless: Undead Mage (her solo toon)


I also started a few new babies.
Marako (warlock i'll be leveling w/ Alya (or maybe my hunter when we get there)
Marader (a warrior)

I will also be cutting back on my time. Spend more time w/ you guys and Brooke.

Vent, Part 2

Maraco, Calhoun, Alk, Tsuno, Thumbs, and I all tested the Vent server this afternoon. It appears to be working great. For connection information, check out the "Guild Information" button on the guild page in-game. This is running off of my Win2k3 server, and is intended to be available 24/7 so have at it!

Vent

So yah. I've set up a vent server. I've tested it using some tools at the Ventrillo website, but it has yet to be tested with real clients from the outside. The free version has an 8 connection limit, but that should be enough for us don't you think? I'll share the information once I've had a chance to test it a bit more. In the meantime, y'all should install the vent client.

Operation Bushisums..

Okay, If I recall we were discussing the name of the "war" over "there"....

There where two names that come to mind.

Operation Enduring Freedom
which became (i think)
Operation Dessert Freedom.

Any who, I'm gonna go w/ FLAMMIN' on that first one. Second one... We should count how many sand granules that we have freed from terrorism.

Gaming Saturday? My place? 6ish?

Try #2, this time with advance notice. Todd has been on a winning streak in WC3, and I cannot overcome his hax on my own. Who will stand with me against his tyranny?

So Now That I'm Rockin' & Rollin'...

I'm just dying to run something! I'd really like to take a stab at another DM Tribute run (Rod of the Ogre Magi drops there), but no matter what it is we need one tank and one strong healer to commit first. So I'm going to calendar something, and you folks are going to look at it and sign up. RIGHT?!?

;-)

Fiber! w00t!

It's in! Check out my post over at my main blog.

UBRS Key

Joe asked about getting the UBRS key. It's not very complex, it just takes multiple chance drops. There are three bosses in LBRS that have a chance of dropping their respective gem. Killing the boss does not guarantee he'll drop it. There's also a metal ring portion that's a random drop off the mobs. Get all three gems and the ring, then take the four parts to (I think) somewhere in Dustwallow Marsh to have them forged together and WHALA! One key (ring) to UBRS. Maraco has it. I have 3 of the 4 parts required on Big Tat, and wouldn't you know my luck? The one piece that's usually easiest to get is the one I don't have and that continually eludes me. Se la vie.

the internet is a towel

I know some of us heard this. I'm just posting for extra credit.

ZOMGWTFZORZ

In the expansion there will be blood elf Paladins and Draeni shaman!!! What the heck happend to faction individuality! Sure I'd love to have their blessings in a raid, but I don't want those filthy bubble hearhters fighting by my side! (Or rolling on my plate drops *wink*) They even said they weren't planning on doing this when a rumor came out earlier, guess they were trying to keep us in the dark.
Oh and btw who's going to be on on Saturday?

Finally, it all makes sense...

no wonder Thrall has a wussy diplomatic side. He was wet-nursed by human!

Aggro part 2 of 0

Blatent disregard for someone else's work.
Following below is a more up to date overview of aggro.
(there are a few things that are wrong but they ahve to do w/ multipul threat reduction not being additive but multiplied)


§1§ Definitions: Threat vs Aggro, Threat Scale

We define "aggro" to be who the mob is attacking. A player has aggro, or pulls aggro, when the mob is attacking them. We define "threat" to be a numeric value that each mob has towards each player. Note that the target who has aggro is not necessarily the player with the highest threat.

To set a scale for threat, let 1 point of damage from a normal attack cause 1 point of threat, where the sense of normal will be clarified later. The threat values of some abilities are listed in the MPQs, and this 1:1 scale matches those abilities (e.g. feint, distracting shot, fade).


§2§ The Threat List

Imagine every mob as keeping a list of players and their threat values. If the mob is unaware of a player, that player will not be on the threat list. As soon as the mob becomes aware of a player, in the ways described below, they are put on the list with 0 threat. Knowing which players are on a mobs threat list and which mobs have a certain player on their threat lists is crucial in predicting a mobs behaviour.

A player can get on a mobs threat list in the following ways:

1) Body Pulling, i.e. getting close enough to a mob that is out of combat.
2) Body Pulling linked mobs. When you body pull a mob, youll also get onto the threat lists of all mobs that are linked to it. Note that after the pull they become unlinked; a second person attacking one of the mobs will only get on that mobs threat list after the pull.
3) Buffing a player that is on the mobs threat list. That is, casting a healing spell or other buff spell.
4) Direct damage or casting a debuff on the mob. Some debuffs, notably mind vision and hunters mark, wont put you on the mobs threat list.
5) Bosses in-combat pulse. For most high level instance bosses, every tick (2 seconds) every player in the instance is added to the boss threat list when the boss is in combat.
6) In combat proximity. Many mobs with secondary targeting or AOE abilities will add nearby players to their threat lists. For other mobs, as long as they are in combat you can stand on top of them and not get added to their threat list.


§3§ Aggro Transfer, Threat Decay

To prevent mobs rapidly swapping targets when many players have similar threat, a mob will stay on its current target unless another player has significantly higher threat. Suppose a mob has aggro on a certain player X. Then to pull aggro while in melee range, another player needs 110% of Xs threat. If the other player is outside melee range, they need 130% of Xs threat to pull aggro. This means than in general, once you have aggro it is easy to keep it, and once you lose aggro it is hard to regain it. It also stops two players attacking a mob from range and constantly swapping aggro between them, because as their threat increases, the 30% margin will be harder and harder to overcome.

Note that the 10% effect is determined only by your range, not the ability used. If you are generating threat from healing or a range ability such as Frostbolt, you will still pull aggro at 110% if you are within melee range of the mob.

In the normal course of events, threat does not decay. Once you are on a mobs threat list, youre there until its dead or you are, and your threat does not decay over time. There are of course mobs with specific abilities that reduce threat, and player abilities also, which do decrease your threat.


§4§ AOE Threat: Healing, Buffing, Power Gain

Each point of healing causes 0.5 threat, forgetting threat modifiers. Overhealing doesnt cause threat. Most buff spells cast on friendly players generate a small amount of threat. Gaining Power (Mana / Energy / Rage) also causes threat in most cases, for example taking a healing potion, or gaining rage from Bloodrage, or Energy from Thistle Tea. Certain spells are exempt, for example mana from Blessing of Salvation or a Mana Spring totem doesnt cause threat, and there is no threat from the healing gained from Siphon Life. For normal abilities, each point of Mana is 0.5 threat, Rage is 5 threat, and Energy is unknown, probably 5. In the scheme of things, threat from power gain is usually irrelevant, unless you have consistent or burst values, such as taking a mana potion or having Fel Energy running.

These forms of buffs all have infinite range; they will cause threat to all mobs on whose threat list you are on. Furthermore, the threat caused is split equally among all the affected mobs. If you are on one mobs threat list, a 1000 point heal will cause 500 threat to that mob. If 5 mobs are aware of you, the same heal will cause 100 threat on each mob.


§5§ Threat Modifiers: Common Modifiers, Multiplicative vs Additive

Here are some of the more common threat modifiers and their values:

Warrior in Defensive Stance / Druid in Bear Stance: +30%
Warriors 5/5 Defiance / Druidss 5/5 Feral Instinct: +15% (in above stances only)
Warrior in Battle or Berserker Stance: -20%
Rogue (passive, always on): -20%
Blessing of Salvation: -30%
Tranquil Air Totem: -20%
Priests 5/5 Silent Resolve: -20% (spells)
Mages 3/3 Frost Channelling: -30% (frost spells)
Mages 2/2 Arcane Subtlety: -40% (arcane spells)

It is important to understand how two modifiers interact. Some modifiers are multiplicative, e.g. -20% is really multiplying by 0.8. Two such modifiers multiply, so the net result is 0.8 * 0.8 = 0.64. Other modifiers are additive: then start from 100% and add all the active modifiers. All the modifiers listed above are additive, so that for example Arcane Subtlety + Blessing of Salvation = 100% - 40% - 30% = 30% of normal threat, or a Warrior with Defiance in Defensive stance has 100% + 30% + 15% = 145% of normal threat generation.

Examples of multiplicative modifiers are Shamans Healing Grace talent (0.85 multiplier at max rank) or Druids Subtlety Talent (0.8 multiplier), or Priests Shadow Affinity (0.75 multiplier). In a sense, additive modifiers for threat reduction are more powerful, since they combine to small values. For example, two -20% additive effects combine to -40%, or 60% of the original threat, which is noticeably less than 64% if they were multiplicative talents. This effect is more extreme when more effects are combined. Suppose you have 8/8 Arcanist (-15% threat), Blessing of Salvation (-30%), and Arcane Subtlety (-40%) while using an arcane spell. Since the Arcanist bonus is also additive, your total threat generative is a mere 15% of normal.


§6§ Class Abilities and Talents in Detail

(A) Warrior

Most warrior abilities add a fixed amount of threat when they land successfully. The following table gives the raw values, i.e. before the modifiers from battle stance or defensive stance, and ignores the damage done by the abilities.

Sunder Armor............260
Heroic Strike 8.........145
Heroic Strike 9 (AQ)....175
Revenge 5...............315
Revenge 6 (AQ)..........355
Shield Bash.............180
Shield Slam (1.11)......250
Thunder Clap............130
Demoralizing Shout.......43
Battle Shout.............55

Battle Shout generates 55 threat for each player that is buffed; up to 5 people in your party and their pets, as long as they are on the relevant mob's threat list. For example if you buff a player that is out of combat, no threat is generated. Therefore in a tightly packed group, Battle Shout can rival Sunder Armor for threat, but as a buff the threat is split amongst all the mobs that are aware of you. On the other hand, Demoralizing Shout gives 43 threat to each affected mob. As long as there are 6 or more mobs affected, it will hold aggro as well or better than Sunder Armor.

The behaviour of Taunt is more complicated. It has three effects. Firstly, it applies the taunt debuff to the mob, which forces it to attack you for three seconds. Secondly, it gives you as much threat as the mobs current aggro target, permanently. If you were the target, there is no change, and if you had more threat than the target (that is, if you had more than 100% but less than 110% of their threat), you wont actually lose threat from it. However, this effect can give you arbitrarily high amounts of threat. Lastly, if you came on the threat list before the mobs old target, you will also get aggro on the mob.

The last effect is significant and needs explaining. For a normal taunt you will get threat but not aggro, so if you do nothing else, after three seconds the mob will return to the old target. But if you came onto the mobs threat list before the current target, e.g. you pulled the mob, or attacked it first, then you will gain aggro with just that taunt.

This can be used to your advantage on tauntable bosses that require a tank rotation. If the tanks taunt the boss in the reverse order that they came onto his threat list, then all but one of the taunts will be easy, giving aggro to the new tank, while only the last warrior in the cycle will need to get the additional 10% threat to gain aggro.

While Challenging Shout and Mocking Blow have a similar forced attack debuff to Taunt, they do not give the caster threat in the same way as Taunt, just fixed amounts.

(B) Druid (credit to Chibi of Shadow Moon)

The threat modifiers for Bear tanks are the same as Warriors: 130% for Bear Form and Defensive Stance, or 145% if you have 5/5 Defiance or Feral Instinct. However, the primary bear tanking abilities dont add threat, they multiply. Each point of damage done by Maul and Swipe does an additional 0.75 threat, before the bear stance modifier. E.g. Maul does 200 damage, so it does 200 * 1.75 = 350 threat raw, or 350 * 1.45 = 507.5 threat counting the bear stance + feral instinct modifiers.

In Cat Form, there is no -20% passive threat modifier that Rogues or Warriors in Battle or Defensive Stance have.
The Subtlety Talent is multiplicative, for 0.8 at max rank.
Growl has exactly the same behaviour as Taunt for Warriors.

(C) Rogue

Rogues have a passive -20% additive threat modifier. This means that with blessing of Salvation you are at 50% normal threat, so this buff allows you to do 60% more damage than without it (0.8 / 0.5 = 1.6).

Feint does -600 threat, or -800 threat with rank 5, from the AQ book. Note that it is affected by your threat modifiers, so that the rank 5 ability reduces only 800 * 0.8 = 640 threat by default, or 800 * 0.5 = 400 threat with blessing of salvation. However, in every case it reduces the threat of 800 points of damage. Note that you cant feint below 0 threat.

Vanish removes you from all mobs threat lists, but if you are fighting a boss you will get back on due to the in-combat pulse every tick. However, if you are the last person alive, a vanish will cause the boss to go out of combat, so youll survive if you can achieve that feat.

(D) Paladin

Paladins receive 50% threat from healing compared to other healers. This is designed to stop them tanking instances by healing everything in sight. As a side affect, this gives them a decent advantage over other healers where healing threat is an issue.

When the Righteous Fury buff is active, Holy damage causes 1.6 threat, or 1.9 threat if you have 3/3 Improved Righteous Fury.
Holy Shield damage gives another 1.2 multiplier, for 1.9 * 1.2 = 2.28 threat per damage with talented Righteous Fury.

(E) Priest

The Silent Resolve talent gives -20% threat to spells, additively. Shadow Affinity multiplies threat from shadow spells by 0.75. For example, with Silent Resolve and Shadow Affinity and Blessing of Wisdom, your threat from shadow spells is (100% - 20% - 30%) * 0.75 = 37.5% of normal.

Mind Blast generates 2 threat per damage, all ranks.

Fade reduces your threat temporarily by a fixed amount - 820 at max rank, and is not affected by threat modifiers, such as Silent Resolve. This is a good thing since a priest would only have negative threat modifiers on. When the buff ends, you get the same threat back, so there is no net gain from spamming Fade you should leave it as a panic button instead. Note that you cant fade to below 0 threat.

(F) Warlock

The healing from Life Tap, Siphon Life, and Drain Life doesnt cause threat, but the application of the Siphon Life debuff causes a small amount of threat, and the damage from Drain Life counts. Most curses cause non-zero threat.

Searing pain is 2 threat per damage, all ranks.

Fel Stamina and Fel Energy do generate threat.

(G) Shaman

The talent Healing Grace is a multiplier, 0.85 at max level, which would give you 68% threat from heals with a Tranquil Air totem.

Earth Shock is 2 threat per damage, all ranks.

Each rank of Rockbiter Weapon triggers a weapon proc that is designed to give a fixed threat per second. At max rank, Rockbiter gives 72 threat per second on successful hits. If you had a 3.0 speed weapon, each successful hit (not a miss, dodge or parry) would add 3 * 72 = 216 threat.

(H) Mage

The mage talents Frost Channeling, Burning Soul and Arcane Subtlety, for 30%, 30%, 40% threat reduction to Frost, Fire and Arcane spells respectively, all stack additively with buffs such as Tranquil Air Totem, Blessing of Salvation, and the Arcanist 8/8 set bonus. This means that once you have the Frost Channeling talent, adding Blessing of Salvation allows a 75% increase in damage to reach the same threat. (70% / 40% = 1.75)

(I) Hunter

Feign Death is a complete threat wipe, as long as it isnt resisted.
Distracting shot is a flat 600 threat at max rank.


§7§ And One Other Thing...

Crits dont give you any extra threat just for being crits.

Overwriting a buff doesnt affect the threat caused. E.g. Sunder Armor causes as much threat when there are 5 debuffs as none, and player buffs cause just as much threat if the player already had one up.

Strat-alicious

Looks like thumbreaker has a lot of reasons to go back.

I'm working on getting the rest of my Valor set (I still need the gloves, shoulders, and legs) and have started on the upgrade guests to the Heroism set (which means i have already turned in my dungeon 1 bracer and have the dungeon 2 bracer). I'm up to the part where I need Goblin rocket fuel to make the Ectoplasm work. In short, I'll need the valor gloves off ramstein (also legs off Rivendare). Unless Hidoi got a better shield the crest of retribution also drops off ramstein.

Eventually, I'll have to do the 45 min baron quest so I'll need practice anyway. I also would like to duel weild Timmy. Double the cursing, double the fun! So, anyone need or want to run strat? There's also AD rep stuff like bug parts and bones.

If you act now, you'll also receive Holy Water! Hurry, operators are standing by!

I don't have a time or day in mind. How's the fabled's/drunken monkey's schedules this week?

This isn't funny...

... its sad (and true).

Scholo tonight - 6:30

Just a reminder. Who's in?

Ding (for Windsong). Need advice on shaman builds.

so, Windsong is finally 60. She smashed her last ogre for xp in Burning Steeps and is looking forward to running cash quests.

Windsong's play style is more melee than healing. She's not too fond of dungeon quests (even more so now because she's usually feeding Ethan with the other hand).

She's been trying to decide how to spend her talent points since the talent tree reset. I don't have any advice except for "monster, smashy, goood~~". Seem Windsong would enjoy the PVE build from Wowwiki. Any shammy's out there want to share their build, or at least share what they think is a good build?

Wildvines

I need some Wildvine to make some leggings for xp. I will give you 1/2 of what i make off from the AH.

thanks~

Classic

Tell it like it is, brotha'.

school that plays most wow

..according to mapwow.com.

csuhayward ranked 599

something different on saturday?

Anyone up for some light gaming at my place on Saturday?

I wouldn't mind trying that WC3 game with the boats again. We could probably do that with around 8 people.

ToC Event Calendar

I've set up a ToC event calendar, and have sent an invitation to everyone in ToC who I know has a gmail account. You don't have a gmail account, you say?

erm...

I don't understand. You don't have what now? Seriously, get with the 00's people.

Anyway, a significant number of us do have gmail accounts, and I strongly encourage you folks to look at the calendar. I think it will really impress you. Everyone who gets an invite also gets the right to manage events, and discussions can be posted in the event details to allow for planning, etc. For example, please have a look at the item I created for (I think) server time Fri. evening. I also put up what I think are The Fabled's recurring activities, just so everyone knows when some folks have other obligations. I know Ivers is in another guild, maybe he could put up the days when he's busy with them. Since I'm trying to do this from a different time zone, it's not always easy for me to see when I've made a mistake, so if you find one please correct it. (Is 10:30am the following day for me really 6:30pm the previous day for you?)

If you don't have a gmail account and you want one, or if you want me to try inviting you to use google calendar even without a gmail account, please drop tatakikorosu an in-game mail with your real name and the email address you'd like me to send your invitation to. Also indicate whether or not you want a gmail invite or just a calendar invite.

I know scheduling activities has been difficult, so I'm hoping this will make things easier and allow us to get together more often!

PS, I've been on a little more regularly lately, but it's about 2am - 6am server time. If you're up at that hour, hop on and say hi!

Time Zones

One thing that's nice about being on from 2am to 6am server time is there aren't any impacted or overfarmed areas at those hours.

Fuck MC.

Fuck MC.

Top of Super Best Luck Quality

from the street of Beijing.

Intorducing: schnozbott

Hey guys, a friend of mine, and Maraco, and Dexterfoo's just go tthe game and made an undead mage, his name's schnozbott, and his real name is Mike. If you see him around please throw him a guild invite and somebody please e-mail him on how to get to this website, as I don't remember how to get started here at all. Thanks!

Independance day?

So I'm assuming we all have the 4th off, I got plans for most the day but have some room for maybe one 5 man upper level instance. I'd love to do one with you ToC guys, and wanted to see if anyone else has some time and when. I'm afraid to do it with anyone else right now as I had a bad experience with a group of 4 people from prophesy on Saturday, we were doing UD strath, which we all know can be done in 45 minutes if you must, but it took these guys 4 hours! and when we finally got to the baron we wiped again and they all left becasue their guild was starting a raid. It was pretty annoying; and also their shaman took the crest of retribution I needed badly. http://www.thotbott.com/?i=23345 I'm not really pissed at the guys, just upset that so much time was wasted. Sorry, I had to vent a little. I feel better now.