Mage AoE Guide
July 30, 2008 by Zuggy · Leave a Comment
This mage AoE guide will detail the step by step methods and techniques we’re going to use to grind massive packs of mobs with AoE grinding. The most important factor in the success or failure of this mage AoE guide will be dependent on the frost mage talent build.
Frost Mage Build
We’ve got a couple of different options here, first the 13/0/48 frost mage build. This build will maximize your ability to effectivlely AoE kite and grind massive amounts of mobs down. Additionally, you may consider this variation of the above build, frost mage farming build.
For you players that want to do everything 100% by the book we are going to use a 18/0/43 frost mage spec. You could effectively grind with either of these talent specs, and the only real difference is you don’t have the single target / crit talents in the first build. Which, if we don’t really need for AoE grinding specifically since blizzard cannot crit.
Mage Grinding Guide
Okay, so now that we’ve got the frost mage build down let’s go through some of basic technique we’re going to be using.
- The Round Up - You’re going to want to stay on your mount for the round up. You’re essentially just running circles getting aggro on as many mobs as you feel comfortable handling. One technique I like to use here is using an ice block to allow mobs to catch back up to you. This will let you gather many more mobs.
- Ice Nova - Pretty simple here, use nova once you’ve got all of the mobs into a group. As soon as you nova you’ll want to blink away so we can start the blizzard.
- Blizzard - Once you’ve got range start casting your blizzard on top of the mobs you’ve got in a nova. As soon as you’ve got your first blizzard going queue up the next one, positioning each successive blizzard a few yards in front of the last.
- Clean Up - Your blizzard should kill most mobs, at this point you can simply drop another nova and frost bolt / ice lance / cone of cold the remaining mobs. If you still have a large number of mobs remaining simple go back up to step number 2.
Mage AoE Grinding Video
Priest Guide
This priest guide offers all current priest strategy guides Zug Gaming has to offer. The priest guide will be continually updated as new strategy offerings become available. Additionally, if you would like to suggest a new priest guide to be added to this list please make a comment below or drop me a note on the Zug Gaming forums.
Priest Talent Guide
The following priest talent guide details various talent specs. In addition to providing varying talent specs this priest talent guide will include specs for differing game styles; PvE, PvP, raiding, arena, world pvp, leveling and more.
Priest PvP Guide
Playing a priest in PvP is no easy task, it requires advanced knowledge of game mechanics and the ability to make quality decisions very quickly. This priest pvp guide aims to provide it’s users with this know how. Offering advanced strategies and techniques to allow you to take your game to the next level.
In addition to understanding the importance of individual priest pvp strategies, it’s important to also understand the underlying mechanics within these strategies. The section immediate below details other priest guides you may find helpful to your WoW endeavors, both PvP and PvE wise.
- Priest Macros
- Shadow Priest Macros
- Hotkeys Guide - Building for Speed
- Kiting, Line of Sight, and Position Strategy Guide
- Focus Macro Guide - and How to Use them!
40% of Gamers are Girls!
July 26, 2008 by Zuggy · Leave a Comment
Recently the Entertainment Software Association released a study revealing that 40% of gamers are girls. In addition to uncovering this changing demographic for the video game industry other data points to the fact that video games truely are becomming “main stream”.
Needless to say this study surprised me greatly. Typically I’ve considered the majority of my users, and World of Warcraft players as a whole to be male. Though I think this study trumps it entirely. Check out some of the other notable data points collected during the ESA’s study.
- 65 percent of American households play computer and video games;
- 38 percent of American homes have a video game console;
- The average game player is 35 years old;
- One out of four gamers are over age 50;
- Women age 18 or older represent a significantly greater portion of the game-playing population (33 percent) than boys age 17 or younger (18 percent); and,
- 41 percent of Americans expect to purchase one or more games this year.
The one aspect that this study doesn’t delve into it is the very definition of a “gamer”. For the purpose of this study I imagine the term was lightly used. Are these female gamers really just online flash enthusiast house wives?
Possibly, but for fear of alienating my female user base we’ll assume not, =)
I’d love to see how these demographics compare in the various types of games. Online flash games, console games, and PC games among others. I imagine there would be stark differences between in sex, but more noticeably in age between the various gaming mediums.
Death Knight Videos
This first death knight video features the awesome power of the frost build. It show cases a few of the death knight’s frost spells, in particular how these abilities can be used to power through quests and mobs. One particular point of interest for me was right at the start of the video.
Using the death knight frost build the player was able to round up about a dozen or so mobs and maintain control over the pack while he waited for his spell (the name escapes me) to tick down and drop a DPS bomb on the pack.
Good stuff, I can’t wait to play this class. It looks like it could be a lot of fun, I just hope for the sake of the other classes they aren’t too over powered.
This second video death knight video features a death knight leveling video with the blood talent build. Once again here, very interesting stuff. Overall the class reminds me of a retribution paladin, which generally speaking was a class / spec I didn’t like.
But I think the way the death knight class is able to incorporate both strong melee and caster elements is great. It’s a mechanic that Blizzard has attempted with other hybrid classes, but in my opinion was never really able to pull it off.
Though it looks like they just might get it done with the death knight.
Rogue / Rogue Vs. Priest / Rogue 2v2 Arena Strategy
This Strategy is no longer valid and has been completly rewritten, click the link to view the updated strategy. Rogue / Rogue vs. Priest / Rogue 2v2 Strategy.
Playing rogue / rogue vs. priest / rogue 2v2 is no easy task. This team is easily one of your hardest match-ups being Undead or a Human would really help here, but hey who knew racials would play a factor 4 years ago??? Moving on this match will be about medium length, so not quite as fast as the others.
Rogue #1
If you or your partner finds the opposing rogue call it out, sap him, /laugh at him. Now get on the priest with a CS==>Expose Armor combo and wail on him. Blind the rogue to force his trinket, call it out to your partner and do everything in your power to down the priest asap.
Rogue #2
If you found the rogue and are done /laughing at him, then go help out your partner, duh. Use a garrote opener going into a KS Lockdown. Once your partner forces the rogue’s trinket hit him with another blind(again due to DR you have 5 sec to down the priest or before you have to vanish/sap him) Do everything in your power to kill that priest. The blind orders can be interchangeable depending on who’s closer to who.
“The rogue isn’t Shadowstep, and decided to do what’s best for his combo?! SAY WHAT?!!!”
If the rogue isn’t Shadowstep(thus having no cheat death) he or she could also be a viable kill target. Toss a few bleed effects, lockdowns, and 2-4 openers on him he’s done.
I’ll say it again, it’s a hard match-up guys, so don’t let it bring you down if you lose.
Looking for more rogue / rogue action? Check out Scyth’s the full strategy guide, rogue / rogue 2v2 arena strategy!
WotLK Talent Calculators
July 24, 2008 by Zuggy · 4 Comments
Well, it doesn’t get more official than this. Blizzard finally released their official version of the WotLK talent calculators, including the Death Knight Talent Calculator. Granted, all of these are beta calculators and as such are subject to frequent change and inconsistencies.
But, at least it’s up!
Wrath of the Lich King Talent Calculators
- Death Knight Talent Calculator
- Druid Talent Calculator
- Rogue Talent Calculator
- Mage Talent Calculator
- Warrior Talent Calculator
- Hunter Talent Calculator
- Paladin Talent Calculator
- Shaman Talent Calculator
- Priest Talent Calculator
- Warlock Talent Calculator
On a side note, I’ll attempt to get all these new talent calculators ported over to my own calculator as soon as I can. Much faster than Blizzard’s anyway!
Tuskarrmageddon Achievement: Seal Cub Clubbin Club
July 23, 2008 by Zuggy · Leave a Comment
So unless you’ve been living under a rock for several weeks then you’re vaguely aware that wrath of the lich king is coming out soon, and one of the newest features is the achievements system. Wrath of the lich king achievements are basically novel rewards for accomplishing something in the game.
Now that something could be winning 10 arena matches in a row, collecting 10,000 gold from quests, or in the case of…
Tuskarrmageddon…
Mindlessly slaughter 1,000,000 Tuskarr.
Reward: Baby Seal Cub
Now, beyond the fact that it’s damn hilarious (and potentially a fake) let’s just think about the total time investment this would require. For your reference Tuskarr is a faction that will not be introduced until the the Wrath of the Lich King goes live.
Now let’s assume there are some low level Tuskarr available for you to kill, say level 70-72. You being a level 80 should tear through em fast. For the purpose of this scenario you kill them insanely fast, let’s say you kill and loot one tuskarr every 5 seconds.
5 seconds * 1,000,000 million Tuskarr = 5,000,000 seconds
5,000,000 seconds = 83,333.33 minutes = 1388.88 hours = 57.87 days!
All I can say is it better be one damn cool baby seal cub…
Mage Guide
July 22, 2008 by Zuggy · 3 Comments
This post is designed to bring all current Zug Gaming mage guides together for easy viewing. While this mage guide is quite modest currently, I will be continually adding new guides and resources. Among those I have planned are: mage leveling guide, mage aoe guide, mage pvp guide, frost mage guide, fire mage guide, arcane mage guide, in addition to many others.
I’ll try to get to these as quickly as possible and I thank you for your patience. If you think there is a guide which needs immediate attention or you’d like to suggest something I’ve left out please drop me a note on the Zug Gaming forums.
Mage Arena Strategy
Mage Talent Guide
Mage PvE Guide
Mage Macro Guide
Other Helpful Mage Guides
- Hotkeys Guide - Building for Speed
- Kiting, Line of Sight, and Position Strategy Guide
- Focus Macro Guide - and How to Use them!
Rogue / Rogue Vs. Warlock / Rogue 2v2 Arena Strategy
July 22, 2008 by S-Scythe · 2 Comments
This rogue / rogue vs. warlock / rogue 2v2 arena strategy demands you move fast. If you’re dealing with human rogues then you have to get on the warlock quick no question. If you’re talking a human with paranoia you’re done. The sheer amount of stealth detection will make it extremely difficult to get an opener.
Rogue #1
Open up on the lock with CS going into Expose Armor. Continue to wail on him, the opposing rogue will most likely open on you (as you should be the first one to open), hit him with a quick blind and call his trinket. If you’re dotted don’t cloak quite yet(DoTs give you the freedom to trinket something like a KS lockdown or maybe a fear, but really never let a lock get a fear off.) Manage your energy wisely, as you’ll have to be on the alert with interrupts.
Rogue #2
Open on the lock with a garrote, and hit him with a Kidney shot. Once the enemy rogue trinkets blind him(You now have 5 seconds to down the lock OR 5 seconds before you have to vanish/sap him). Again don’t immediately Cloak while you have DoTs as you’re given the freedom of trinketing.
This is a very quick match, and it’s almost a win every time if you get the opener. Locks are good at surviving burst damage, so don’t get frustrated.
Looking for more rogue / rogue action? Check out Scyth’s the full strategy guide, rogue / rogue 2v2 arena strategy!
WotLK Inscription and Enchanting Update
July 21, 2008 by Zuggy · 2 Comments
Professional inscription makers and enchanters rejoice!
For quite some time now Blizzard has been telling us their working on a way for enchanters to sell their craft on the auction house. And it looks like that will finally happen in the expansion. While we don’t know a whole lot about what inscription actually will be like in the expansion here is what we do know on it’s relationship with enchanting.
- Inscriptionists will be able to save an enchant to a piece of blank parchment
- This parchment can then be sold on the auction house
- Another player purchases this and then applies it to their armor or weapons, just like the leather working and tailoring leg armors
It’s so simple I’m really surprised they haven’t implemented something like this until now. I love to see improvements like this to professions and the economy as a whole. There is so much the devs could do improve the in-game economy with just minor tweaks to professions and this is certainly a step in the right direction.
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