Wiseeclipse?!

If you aren't using the WiseEclipse by now, I'd suggest you start using it.
It uses some macro/lag trickery to cheat the way eclipse works and boost dps.
The only problem is that in patch 3.3, it is being killed by a rework to eclipse functionality.

How I Make Gold!!!

So I came back to the game about 4 months ago and in that time, I made about 60k gold. I do 2 dailies a day max, I don't play the AH, and I don't craft things for profit. I also don't scam people or buy gold.
My secret is simple..."Do not buy PvP gear."
All your triumph/conquest badges, honor, stone keeper shards, and BG tokens...don't spend them on PvP or Offspec gear. Spend them all on epic gems and crusader orbs and sell on the AH.
Here is a chart to show the progression of currency:


If you have multiple level 80's, then you can make a massive amount of gold from crusader orbs.
And make sure the gems you buy from honor are Cardinal Rubies and the ones from badges are whichever of the 10 badge gems sell for the most.

-miz

DPS Survey

Hinenuitepo over at Death Goddess recently posted about a DPS survey (a copy of a healing survey) and this is my response to it.

What is the name, class, and spec of your primary dps?

Miztickow, Moonkin druid

What is your primary dpsing environment? (i.e. raids, pvp, 5 mans)

I do everything in the game...5mans, 10/25man raids, BGs...the only thing i don't do is arena.

What is your favorite dps spell/ability for your class and why?

My favorite spell is [Starfall]. I loved using it in Warcraft III because it just looked so cool with all the stars falling down killing everything. It's a little tough to use correctly, but it does some nice damage. Also, in combination with trinkets like [Fetish of Volatile Power] and [Reign of the Dead], it might be a little overpowered.

What dps spell do you use least for your class and why?

The dps spell I use least is [Typhoon] because in 5mans, it's a pain for the tank to deal with and can often pull unwanted mobs. And the damage isn't as high on single targets as the spells on/near the same tier ([Starfall] and [Force of Nature]).

The spell I use least is [Soothe Animal]...I would hope that i wouldn't have to explain this.

What do you feel is the biggest strength of your dps class and why?

The biggest strength of Moonkin is all of the buffs they bring to a group along with the average dps. Moonkin have [Improved Faerie Fire] (+3% hit), [Moonkin Aura] (+5% spell crit), [Earth and Moon] (+13% spell damage), and [Mark of the Wild]. Also, if the moonkin does not have [Glyph of Insect Swarm], then they can apply a -2% hit debuff.

What do you feel is the biggest weakness of your dps class and why?

The biggest weakness for Moonkin is two-fold...crit-dependency and the haste cap. Moonkin are much too dependent on critical strikes and getting lucky to increase their damage and when using a haste buff such as [Bloodlust], [Potion of Speed], or trinkets that give haste such as [Fetish of Volatile Power], wraths start clipping the GCD (global cooldown) when [Nature's Grace] is active.

In a 25 man raiding environment, what do you feel, in general, is the best dps assignment for you?

There really is no best dps assignment for a moonkin; there are different dps rotations we can use depending on the situation and can do well in each one.

What dps class do you enjoy dpsing with most and why?

I enjoy moonkin the most, althought I've had limited experience playing other DPS classes other than mage/moonkin. I was lucky enough to find the perfect class for me on my first try.

What dps class do you enjoy dpsing with least and why?

I enjoy arcane rogues the least because I just don't like melee dps at all. Casting is just so much more fun.

What is your worst habit as a dps?

The worst habit is being stuck in a rotation. On my mage, I spam my [Frostbolt] macro non-stop and when i switch to my druid after playing my mage for a long time, I accadentally spam my moonfire button, which is the same key binding as my mage's macro.

What is your biggest pet peeve in a group environment while dpsing?

My biggest pet peeve doesn't have anything to do with my class, but it's when people refuse to give all the buffs they can or all the correct auras for a certain raid fight...recently, in fact, I actually has someone put me on ignore because I had asked him about 10 times to give us [Blessing of Sanctuary]. The joke was on him though because he didn't get any loot from the last boss...that'll teach him to ignore the master looter.

Do you feel that your class/spec is well balanced with other dps?

I do believe Moonkin spec is balanced with other hybrid dps specs. As long as you know how to dps well, class/spec should not be a problem for anyone (except maybe Shadow Priests).

What tools do you use to evaluate your own performance as a dps’er?

I use only Recount to evaluate my dps. I've actually found that I usually do an equal amount of arcane damage as I do nature damage plus or minus about 2%. It can also help to evaluate other people's dps and show you what they cast and how many times they cast it in a fight.

What do you think is the biggest misconception people have about your class?

Well, I don't really know what the biggest misconception is now because it has been dispelled by the advent of so many skilled druids beginning to switch to moonkin in Wrath of the Lich King. However, the previous misconception during The Burning Crusade was that moonkin only existed to buff the dps of other classes (this was actually true in WoW Classic as their dps was less than stellar).

What do you feel is the most difficult thing for new dpsers of your class to learn?

The most difficult thing to learn about playing a moonkin is how to spec and use the spec effectively. The way moonkin actually work has changed many times through the many patches we've had in WoW.

What dps class do you feel you understand least?

The dps class I understand the least is Shadow Priests because I never actually leveled one high enough to get shadow form.

What add-ons or macros do you use, if any, to aid you in dps?

I use about 90 different addons, but the only ones that aid in my spell rotation is Squawk and Awe (a moonkin dot timer).

What stat to stack, and why?

I try to stack crit as much as I can because moonkin dps is crit-dependent and haste is a partially wasted stat for maybe 1/5th of a raid encounter.

Additional WG Tip

On my server there is a big problem with people getting lead every time in Wintergrasp and kicking half the raid just because. There is a way to prevent this though.

The first person into the battle gets lead of the group, so the goal is to be the first one in. The person that gets it every time is using a macro.

/click StaticPopup1Button1

This will automatically hit the yes/accept option for any dialog that come up on your screen. When Wintergrasp is about to start, just start spamming this macro and if you're fast enough (and your computer is fast enough), you'll get lead and the random kicking will cease.

-miz

Addon of the Week* 4

* I don't do this weekly.

So a little while back, I noticed that the addon I use for combat text, SCT (scrolling combat text), was blocking my sight on the Twins fight in ToC (Trial of the Crusader), so I disabled it and was able to dodge balls perfectly.

I then noticed when doing other bosses that my framerate raised quite a bit while SCT was disabled so I've been leaving it off for about a month now. Today, however, I discovered a new scrolling combat text addon that is much more easier to configure and doesnt take as much memory as SCT to run: Mik's Scrolling Battle Text.

This is what it looks like in the configuration:

And this is where you can download it: http://wow.curse.com/downloads/wow-addons/details/mik-scrolling-battle-text.aspx

-miz

Wintergrasp!

Ok...let's get to it.

My first post back will be about Wintergrasp and some of the secret and tips to it.

I'll be focusing on a few main points: Achievements, Farming, Hiding while farming HKs, and strategy.

Achievements:

So...achievements. The Wintergrasp achievements are fairly easy to finish, but certain ones like [Didn't Stand a Chance] (killing mounted players with a tower cannon) and [Wintergrasp Ranger] (killing 10 players at each area of WG) are difficult to do. The easiest way (the way I did it) was this:

• Make a character of your opposite faction and head to the nearest city to gain access to trade chat.
• Spam trade with "LF someone to do [WG Ranger] together (I'm a lvl 80 of the opposite faction)."
• Get in vent together if you wish to make it easier to coordinate, then go to WG and exchange kills on each other. ([Didn't Stand a Chance] can only be done during WG, but can be done in the keep or at the towers down south.)
• Try to make friends with the person you meet in your opposite faction because you can work together to do many things now, such as trading Argent Tournament pets, and in the future expansion, Cataclysm.

Farming:

• When a WG battle starts, all the mobs in the zone disappear.
• Only players of the controlling faction can see the large WOTLK elementals.
• You can fish up ALL the fish required to make a fish feast in WG.
• Having a track humanoids buff from food helps immensely while fishing so you know when to mount up to get away from would-be attackers.

Hiding (while HK farming):

There are some good tricks and hiding spots in WG to sit while alt-tabbed and leech HKs and finish the weekly quests while doing nothing.

The first spot is inside a pillar...if you stand at a certain spot when Wintergrasp starts, you will be teleported inside the pillar you are standing next to. The honor gain from this spot unfortunately is not very good unless you're horde, but while there, nobody can attack and/or kill you.

This is the spot to stand if you want inside the pillar: (WARNING: you may get banned or suspended for this)

Now the next spot is a secret room up at the top of a pillar on the other side. I did a little bit of research and found out that this was the original spawn point in WG, but tauren females were too tall to fit through the door, so they changed it and left the room in. It's a fun little place to hide and looks cool:

The last spot is anywhere ontop of the keep...you can sit ontop of a pillar or tower and do nothing, or you can stand on a wall and kill people and vehicles/cannons. Pillars are the safest place to be because unlike the other two places, pillars cannot be destroyed. One problem with the pillars is that if you're on offense and you are sitting on a pillar before the fight, you get teleported out of the keep. A way around this is to be flying a little ways above the keep and when the battle starts, you'll get parachuted down to the pillar safely.

Strategy:

I was originally going to say something about strategy here, but then I remembered that Cynwise over at cynwise.worpress.com made an amaizing guide for basic WG strategy. So that's about it for strategy.

Conclusion:

Good luck and have fun with wintergrasp!!!!!!!

-miz

And so you're back...

...from outer space!

I just walked in to find you here with that sad look upon your face!
I should have changed that stupid lock!
I should have made you leave your key!

...ok, enough of that.

I'M BACK!...I took a much needed three month break from wow, but now I'm back and there's a lot to talk about.

In the next few days, I'll be posting about everything new from 3.2 to the newly announced Cataclysm expansion, so stay tuned. XP