To Leet for our own good.

“LFM no crappy DPS.” Por que? I’ve been seeing this a lot in the trade channel these last few weeks on the horde side of Azjol-Nerub. Now I understand if you’re pugging, you don’t want the group to fail because of lack of DPS. However, when someone that can put out 2.5k DPS is being turned down, what does that say about the demands of the groups? How high does DPS need to be to get into a PUG, and in the end are those really people you want to run with?

As has been the problem from as long as I have been running instances, tanks and healers are in much higher demand than DPS. Every class can DPS fairly well. Or at least there is no class I would turn away to DPS at this point in Wrath. So, groups can be picky about the DPS they take more so than their healers and tanks. The problem becomes how do you get gear if you can’t get a group?

What seems to be happening more so with raids than with heroics is people lie. Because the spec of the month gets nerfed all the time and they can see most if not all your gear is purple they assumed you can do the DPS you claim you can. What does purple mean anymore? My warlock is still level 70 with some of better gear in BC from the Scourge Invasion. It’s not Sunwell gear, but since he hasn’t moved in almost a year he is happy. That gear is item level 115. The basic purple gear from Naxxramas-10 is item level 200. Heroic 25-man Trial of the Crusader drops item level 258. So there is almost as much difference between well-geared level 70 and Naxxramas 10 vs. TOC 25-man Heroic gear. You can see why someone in even low power purples looks like a newbie hunter putting out 2000 DPS compared to someone that is putting out close to 5K DPS in wearing the best gear in the game.

You can get some good gear with Emblem of Conquests, but you can’t replace your full set and there is a noticeable lack of weapons from the Emblem gear. Melee class especially have trouble upping their DPS using below gear weapons. Judging from the number of Tankards of Terror I see equipped, it seems many people are still feeling this pinch. That is not to say casters aren’t affected by poor weapons, they are since it’s a major stats dump for casters, but they are just affected differently by it.
So what went wrong and what can we do about it? When Blizzard made every instance with both a 10-man and 25-man, they set themselves on a course where they would have to give more benefits to the raid that was “harder.” However 10-man Ulduar couldn’t just be a side grade for people that ran Naxxramas 25-man, so that meant creating a even larger imbalance from the heroic purples which were also item level 200 like 10-man Naxxramas. And with basically 4 levels to Trial of the Crusader that imbalance became even greater.
Now we are at the point where many pugs think you need Ulduar gear or better to run a heroic that the better gear you can get out it is well below the gear needed to enter the pug in the first place. Confusing? Yes. Illogical? Of course. But that is the state of things on my server horde side. A server where only 4 horde guilds have even kill Yogg-Saron. I don’t understand it, really I don’t, but here we are.

Where the Human Kingdoms could go.

In the days before World of Warcraft the Alliance of Lordaeron was made up of seven human kingdoms. Since that time almost all the Kingdoms have suffered greatly but since the time of those great troubles the Kingsdoms are now starting to come back and take there role in the world again. Stormwind Rised by the Old Horde now leads the Alliance. Daleran destroyed by Archimonde and leaders killed my Arthas. Has rebuild and come out of its protective Dome to lead the fight in Northred against Malygos. Gilneas returns from behind the Greymane wall to rejoin the Alliance with there new Worgen forms. What can we expect the other four human kingdoms that once made of the Alliance of Lordaeron Alterac, Stormgarde, Lordaeron, and Kul Tiras.


The return of Deathwing in the Cataclysm expansion suggests the Realm of Alterac may come into play once more in Warcraft. Alterac played a key role in Deathwing plans during the second war. When Alterac started attacking other Alliance forces, Deathwing as Daval Prestor convinced King Terenas (Arthas’s father) to give Prestor leadership of Alterac as a way of protecting the other kingdoms. King Terenas even offered his daughter Calia to reinforce the claim. Of course, due to the intervention of a red dragon Korialstrasz and the Kirin Tor, this didn’t come to pass. The Kingdom is basically empty aside from some misguided nobles in the Syndicate and the ogres.

Since launch, Alterac has been a zone that gets little play; first, because it had all those 39 to 44 elite Ogres all over the place. Later, after their elite status had gone away it was still an out of the way area with few quests no flight points. Deathwing making a claim on the area could add new and interesting content in the late 30’s early 40’s leveling range. This might also be a good place to introduce Arthas’s sister Calia to the World of Warcraft. A rightful heir to the Throne of Lordaeron that isn’t the Lich King might be a catalyst for more conflict between those in the Alliance that want to reclaim Lordaeron. However, there are few human Kingdoms in a better position to strike at the undead in Lordaeron than Alterac. A new queen looking to reclaim her kingdom and using the kingdom of Alterac is a first step would be a interesting storyline. Who knows a new royal court in Alterac would be a great place for Deathwing’s human avatar to appear once again as well. You can bet good money that would create some Horde and Alliance tensions.


Oh, Stromgarde. You try so hard to be cool like the other Alliance kingdoms yet here you and most of your people are living outside your city. Another Alliance Kingdom overrun by Ogres and Syndicate. Many have wondered how to make the Burning Crusade matter to a player in the post Cataclysm world, well Stromgarde in the answer. Well, more accurately, its leader Danath Trollbane, one of the leaders to the Alliance expedition through the dark portal after the burning of Stormwind. His return to Stromgarde would be a great example of using phasing to push out the Syndicate and restore the kingdom. Moreover, he can tell players that while there are a lot of bad things going on in Azeroth, they still need to put in their time in Outland for the Alliance. Another interesting note is that Darath did battle with Grom Hellscream at Nethergarde Keep. Garrosh taking over the horde, Trollbane could prove to be an interesting foil for the for the new Horde leader whose enemies right now are more imagined than real.


The Undercity is once again starting to look like Lordaeron rebuilt in the style of city that was once the heart of a great Alliance. Of course its undead population is fairly attached to the place. It was their home, after all, before all the troubles of the Third War. However, it’s interesting that while the old heart of the Old Alliance is under horde control, that doesn’t mean that many within the Alliance wouldn’t give many of their soldiers’ lives in order to reclaim it. The Battle for Undercity show that King Varian Wrynn is willing to send Alliance forces into the city. As noted above, some might even have personal reasons like their family throne. For now, the return to the Alliance to the Undercity is purely architectural But as long as the symbol for Kingdom of Lordaeron is part of the crest of the Alliance, the Horde had best keep there eyes open because a rebuilt city is a lot more appealing to take over than one in rubble.

So where does that leave Kul Tiras the sea kingdom of the Alliance? Until news of Cataclysm leaked out, one of the longest standing lore questions in World of Warcraft was, what is going on in Gilneas and Kul Tiras? For Gilneas we now know at least part of that answer with more information to come as the next expansion gets closer. However, that still leaves Kul Tiras. The Sea kingdom has affected World of Warcraft only indirectly. Its ships are still scattered on the shores of Durotar with a keep there as well. From when Daelin Proudmoore attacked Orgrimmar thinking it was still the second war. The most notable settlement of Kul Tiras is Theramore. While not under Kul Tiras’s direct control, there is little doubt that Theramore still has strong emotional ties to Kul Tiras if not political. With the leader of the Kul Tiras also the brother of Jania Proundmoore, Tandred Proundmoore, it is likely that some conflict will arise that would bring him back into the fold. As her profile in the Alliance increases chances for Tandred to play a role increase as well.

One of the noticeable things that is lacking in the current Cataclysm information is what if anything is going on in the Maelstrom. Some early leaks suggest that Queen Azshara would play some role in Deathwing’s plans. While there is an underwater area, the Abyssal Maw, this seems to be just the beginning of our underwater adventures and not the end. Only time will tell, but for now it seems reasonable that Blizzard is holding off bringing Kul Tiras into the Alliance in a meaningful in game way until it is needed as a jumping off point. Until they will have to be happy with there prison island of Tol Barad.

there are to many states please eliminate 3

I love podcasting that is part of the reason I have been working so hard to try and make something good. granted I'm not happy with my product at the moment thus still nothing. But this brings me to a larger point and maybe its just me. But are there to many interviews in wow podcasts right now? I deeply respect many of the blogger and podcasters out there that are doing something they love and enjoy. And for some people that interacting with others. That said must ever podcast I listen too be so forced on interviewing these people? I enjoy a strong voice with strong views when your interviewing people it kills the pace of the show. I love rants I love long drawn out bitches. Sometimes its just nice to know other people care as much as you do. So much of what the Podcasting community seems to have become is trying to show blizzard respect in a faint hope that blizzard will shower them to with praise or maybe get a NPC named after them. Which I have no problem with if Blizzard want to put a Troll Mage in the game named Sayomara I'm cool with this. But I don't expect it nor is it my goal. I want something that that works. Maybe its just my taste. Interviews can be great but to often I feel its just a way to fill time.

Just my two copper.