Pally and Warrior still vie for my main toon

CKaz — Wed, 24 Dec 2008 15:29:35 GMT

Frankly I'm having way too much fun with each to even consider dusting off my [previous main toon] warlock anytime soon. And it's the Prot tree of each I <3.

Despite this my Paladin finally went Ret for a Northrend stretch. Instances [at least at the time] were scarce, gathering up mobs while Northrend questing was proving sub-optimal.

The spike I can deliver with even the Northrend green gear (and now finally a blue axe) is immense. Frankly I wish Blizzard had made named mobs in Northrend Elite or at least a little juicier - there's not much accomplishment when they last only as long as any other mob. Some RNG spikes and I hardly read the name before it was down :p

Close to 75, it's almost time to go back - Blizzard saw fit to make us wait 5 levels for another button to push, I've collected some blue instance equipment to go back to Prot. Since dual-spec is earliest 3.1, it's just about that time to go back to my talent true love.

In truth though my Pally would be knocking on the 80 door if an upstart wasn't messing with his game time. My Prot Warr finally has surpassed the 'DK fresh out of a can' mark. The biggest challenge for my Warrior hasn't been the soloing - survivabity or damage - all Prot he remains brutal and fun with the changes in place. It's going through the same content again :p

It was a close call, I wondered if my Warrior desire would be DoA due to a much higher level Pally, and another shiny new tank/dps class that warps 55->58 in rockin blues.

But frankly my DKs (ally pve, horde pvp) dropped off right after the (great) starting area. Sure I'm jealous that the DK starts with effectively 120% speed as Unholy, while my Warrior will limp along at 60% boost until 60, and have to come up with a big chunk of change to boot. Pally at 120%, Warlock @100% plus the regular flyer remains a bit daunting for this S&B guy.

However the fun factor is just too much - the tools, the flavor, the mobility, and not only will he mitigate the damage, he'll Rev-HS-SS spike indivual targets TO THE GROUND, BABY too. I'm sure Arms / Overpower might in fact overpower what I'm doing right now, but I just don't die, Warbringer is just so much fun, and with the rage pouring in as I get tickled, I light it up.

Now it's pretty clear we'll need dual-spec to help when we're not the target of mobs affection to DPS, but right now its just a whole lotta love. I have a 2h blue from BRD, I skipped the classic Ice Barbed Spear... it's all S&B baby. @59 I'll probably get into some BG pvp and do some zipping around, but for now I'm just crushing all my PvE opposition. I sometimes wish he was world pvp (that's where my pally is) but certainly there are other options to get your 'pvp on'.

So that's it... I wouldnt have minded if Blizzard made things a little nicer for those of us not jumping on the DK meat wagon [seemed more appropriate than bandwagon] with cheaper epic land mount training and maybe some quests aimed at xp'in/equipin the core classes for a boost, but even w/o it the Prot Warr spec has had such a boost of power utility and fun in it, it's tough to let go. So my warrior would argue if it wasn't for my Pally, he'd be well into Outlands, if not on his way to Northrend :D

Severence reborn - Prot Warrior in a new era

CKaz — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 16:40:04 GMT

I enjoyed my time as a Prot Pally, I won't kid you - it's a refreshing change from my Warlock. If I did a hack and slash, it was gonna be with a shield.

Pally seemed to be THE shield class [at least from casual perusal]. Until recently. The Protection Warrior looks to take that mantle - well or rather shield, away.

No QQ, just more pewpew - recent changes had me reactivate my Warrior to give it a go. He had managed to get to 40, get his horse... and sat. It just hadn't pulled me in, and a bunch of alt tries later, new changes called his number.

I'm on the cusp of his journey but I'm excited... there are some really neat, interesting synergies here with Talents and Glyphs that appeal, and not just in the Prot tree. Frankly my two 'bigger' toons [Warlock and Pally] are jealous. But this story is not about them.

Knocking the dust off and re-oiling the armor, Severence found himself at 42 after picking his new shiny 3.0 spec and trying out Dual-Wield Fury. He wasn't quite the whirling dervish I had hoped, and certainly when things went bad didn't have a lot to fall back on [Human, no racial help there].

Arms was compelling and many builds were suggested for it, but it really had you picking a weapon [type]. Also oddly enough the best weapon talent seemed to be axe/polearm, the only line-up Humans didn't have expertise in. Plus I had a juicy 2H Sword and Mace.. even then I'm not a fan of 'this weapon type only' talents ever since Diablo. Seems to breakdown the power of your diversity.

Enter Protection. I'd heard good things, but being a Prot Pally level since the early 30s through Outlands, I wondered what the Warrior offered there. Digging in I get the impression I'm at the beginning of a beautiful friendship!

The talent spec I arrived at after much perspiration is http://www.wowarmory.com/character-t...od&n=Severence
Glyphs to go with the build [2 major, 1 minor available @40]
major - Revenge [free Heroic]
major - Heroic Strike [10 rage on crit]
minor - Bloodrage [1/2 hp hit]

I had toyed with minor - Thunderclap [+2 yds] and thought that'd be a nice add in grouping. As my focus remained [primarily solo] levelling for now though, I thought I'd get more mileage out of sapping my HPs a bit less/synergy with my Imp Bloodrage.

Originally planning to focus on Shield Slam, which is still a big part of the picture, Revenge/Heroic synergies I'd seen come up in a couple threads didn't disappoint, and the combo here is just tremendous, so much so my first Warrior Macro was born, and sat in place of my normal Revenge -

/stopcasting
/cast Revenge
/cast Heroic Strike

Incite and Imp Revenge make this that much more nasty, and if I wasn't 'point starved' I'd have dodge and parry adding to this as well - all in due time. In fact I do wonder if maybe dodge > shield spec right now, but I do like the +rage idea as well as the mob hitting my shield spike and working well with critical block and damage shield when I get there.

Basically Severence just needs to get out there and find out - there's only so much theorycrafting one can do. If he's still getting pelted, dodge might be added quickly, taking shield spec and/or toughness points. Parry may well have to wait at least a little while though, as there's so much goodness up the tree.

So after a bit of retooling and apologizing to his horse for being stabled so long, Severence sets out to try his new abilities.

TankSpot - Blogs - CKaz

Pally and Warrior still vie for my main toon

Severence reborn - Prot Warrior in a new era