you know you're sick of it too

the new weps

I feel, somehow, like I've made it now.

I love - LOVE - my new daggers. Happy, happy day.

another very good day

The big K.

I thought it would be a while before I saw it. Gear up in heroics, get some S1 and S2 weapons, finish my Primal Intent set, then I'd maybe get an invite. I reckoned without an ex-guildie, Belaide, who recently jumped ship for Pinnacle, a raiding guild.

So it turns out that their rogue was late for the final stage of their Kara run. The Prince. Bel knew I was recently keyed, sorta kinda geared, and keen as mustard. The invite came, I almost choked on my water, and I was beamed up to the gate of Karazhan.

Now The Prince isn't an easy fight for under-geared rogues. we wiped twice, and on both occasions I stayed alive all of about 40 seconds. Combination of the 1-hp enfeeble debuff and the AoE shadow nova blast got me both times. Third time though, I did better but still got killed when a nova knocked me back into one of the hellfire pools. Low stam hurt me, and I died having done about 40k damage. For a boss with over 1 million hp, I wasn't impressed with myself. Nevertheless, he dropped.

Now: the master looter asks me to roll. I say - publicly in raid chat - that I didn't contribute much to the fight, was only parachuted in 75% of the way through the instance, and didn't want to roll against anyone for loot. However, the master looter insisted and I rolled a totally gammy 86. Much to my surprise and, to be honest, guilt - I received the holy grail of Karazhan for dagger rogues: Malchazeen.

Thankfully, we went on to drop Nightbane where I carried myself far better. I only died on the first two wipes once the tanks were dead and I was pulling the dragon off the healers, and the third attempt (when we eventually dropped him) I got unlucky on the final skelly fight, wore the fireball and got aggroed by a bunch of skellies with no evasion up. Until that point, I was neck and neck with the other two rogues for DPS.

So: what started as a reputation-wrecking failure on the Prince ended nicely, got 5 of the 10 Badges of Justice I need for my next BOP epic, and I got a truly epic main hand dagger to boot. And I've still never even fought Attumen :) Having this drop means I don't need to keep saving honor for a S1 main hand, and can instead get a nice S1 offhand. Tonight.

Yeah baby.

a big night

1. Aeonus goes down like a cheap tent in Black Morass, after 2 wipes. Grats also to Quron and Zah, and big big thanks to Sal for giving up her own chance at The Master's Key to tank for us. BM is my new favourite instance.

2. As a result, The Master's Key is mine and I can now enter Karazhan. Tits.

3. As a result of the rep gained in BM, I got the pattern for Drums of Panic which took me (finally!) to 375 Elemental Leatherworking.

4. As a result of that, I made my first BOP epic item: Primalstrike Bracers.

So, a big night no? About on par with dinging 70. Still buzzing over BM.


The Karazhan portcullis opens for me now. Phear.

my nostromo

A few people have asked now how I have my Nostromo N52 set up. Well folks, it's your lucky day.



Basically, the setup is this:

The middle row of buttons are my core attacks - SS/Shiv (I move the icons around depending on my equipment), BS, Garrotte/Rupture (depending on stealth state) and Ambush/SnD (again depending on stealth state). Above that are my core interrupts: Kick, Gouge, Kidney Shot (or Pick Pocket in stealth), Blind.

Next to blind I have bandage, so I can quickly hit the blind>bandage combo. With health pot under bandage, the right hand side becomes my healing functions.

The bottom row is Cheapshot or Blade Flurry (depending on stealth state), Trinket 1 (which will be either an AP trinket or Insignia of the Alliance), Tea or Drums (I drop the most likely one to be used into the appropriate slot before battle) and Sap (in stealth)/Distract.

Stealth, Feint and Vanish are on the bottom left of the thumb button, deliberately close together as if I'm trying to feint, there's something wrong and accidentally hitting Vanish is no big deal. Hitting feint also triggers Trinket 2, which is always an AP trinket. Feint and AP on the same key? Isn't that two opposite things? Well I make a point to always blow Trinket 2 at the start of the fight when feint kinda helps (I've usually opened with a big crit) and after that if I need to hit feint the AP trinket will probably be on cooldown.

Evasion, Sprint and Adrenaline Rush at the top right of the thumb button. The scroll wheel is next/previous target so I can quickly cycle to the one I want to put the hurt on.

Where are Cloak of Shadows, Eviscerate and the other of Shiv or SS? On the keyboard, near my arrow keys which I use for movement. There just weren't enough keys.

So that's it. The idea is that every most common function is quickly available for a twitch hit if needed. Organising them in this way helps me to remember where everything is, but it's getting to the stage of muscle memory now. It also helps that I only play a rogue - I think if I ever level Sprynkles I'll have to get another Nostromo for her so I don't have to relabel :)

a new build?

I'm thinking about a new (really, only slightly tweaked) build.

It basically gives up 1% dodge and 4% non-crit rear-attack damage to get 100% chance to silence for 2 secs with Improved Kick. I've really found I've missed that silence when grinding and in PvP. What do you think?

the knights

A nice piccy of some of the boys in Shadowmoon.

2v2

Ph34r the Noobs Templar! Quron and I have decided to get our feet wet in Arena.

BM attempt 1 and 2

Got to 12/18 portals and wiped on Temporus. Wow, that's intense.

redux

And with far less drama, I got the 3rd frag with a guild group tonight. Thanks to all the folks that helped - Wev, Sal, Zah and Monk.
We followed it up with a successful run (with Sal, Lon, Quron and Temp) through Old Hillsbrad to complete the pre-req quest to get into the Black Morass for the final stage of the Kara attunement. We now have about 6 guildies all at or near the same stage, itching to get into the big one.

the 3rd frag... or not.

So I've been reading WoWWiki a lot lately about the Kara chain, and I started reading in a lot of places that the 3rd frag was duoable with another Rogue or a Drood. After my success ninjaing the 2nd frag, I wanted to give it a try.

So, I sit in LFG for a little while casting out for a partner to give it a shot. Eventually the guildless Quron answers my call, and we book it for The Arcatraz.

Well. It all turned untidy almost immediately as the initial corridor, complete with unending stream of Horrors, cast a very strong and harsh light on our unimproved stealth abilities. Eventually we zigzagged through to the next room, only to be set back with spawns and have to try all over.

An hour passes. We make it to the Sentinel guarding the Voidie Room, which contains the treasured key frag chest. The strat guide calls for a stealth sprint and well-timed CoS, which is intended to get the rogue past the Sentinel un-destealthed, so that he (I) can pull, evasion tank and vanish (or die) to get the stealthed Drood through.

Amazingly, after the frustration of the past hour, it goes off without a hitch. First attempt, Q gets to the Kara key and hugs the corner, I make my way over to him having vanished safely, and we prepare to spank the chest guardian.

So, for one reason or another, we get the guardian to 1% before we get wiped by one of the Voidies. Shame, but we're pumped and believe it's doable. We sneak in again.

Now the problems start. I'm unable to repeat my success with the steath/CoS, and the Sentinel aggroes me. I run, evasion, and die far enough away to get Q through. Sweet, I can come back. Q settles into the corner for the wait.

And wait. And wait. I'm unable to stay stealthed through the Sentinel for another half-dozen attempts. The one time I do, a Horror on the other side runs right on top of me, destealths me and I fall under a hail of blue fists.

It's now about 2 hours into the attempt and we've decided to give it one last try. Amazingly, it works. We huddle in the corner, with the chest guardian sniffing for us, and plan the fight to the nth level of detail.

It works. The guardian goes down like a cheap tent, but Q dies to a Voidie. I'm left in evasion, with my health rapidly declining, and with the Voidie standing on top of the dead guardian, I'm unable to get a loot. I die - disappointed, exhausted and lootless.

Now: at this point you're probably thinking: "no worries - just stealth back in, loot the corpse and you're gold". And you'd be right. Unfortunately, a combination of exhaustion, frustration, a time well past midnight and having already committed to "one last try" we had a collective brain fart and hearthed out.

Q logs. I cast around YouTube looking for 3rd frag videos and something in one of them triggers an awful thought in my mind. OMG. The frag is just sitting there waiting for me to loot it.

I jump on a bird and book it back to the Arc. I stealth in, die three times on the horror corridor, but eventually get to the Sentinel. I try the stealth/sprint/CoS trick, and it fails again. I die in sight of the Key corner - where there is no sparkling loot. 40 mins after the kill, it's too late.

Yes. You're right. You STUPID BASTARD, ME!

Positive end result: Quron joined the Knights, and got the frag in a guild run the next night. I logged on 3o mins too late and missed the run. Sigh. The quest continues.

370...

Hit 370 LW tonight crafting Drums of Battle. Only, surprisingly, took 6 to go from 365-370 at yellow.
Next: Honoured with Keepers of Time, buy Drums of Panic and hit 375. Then, my friends, it's on.

Shiv

I was grinding leather today (in my usual lazy fashion - BS > SnD > spam SS) when I wondered something: maybe Shiv is more effective in a front-on spam fight than SS?

Now the caveats here would be:
- combat dagger spec (I'm 15/41/5)
- dagger in MH (I have Ced's Carver)
- fast weapon in OH (I have Revenger)

SS is definitely going to beat Shiv if Combat Swords spec due to the reduced energy cost of SS and the likelihood of having a high-damage sword in the MH. However, comparing SS to Shiv with the above caveats:

- SS: 129 wpn dam + 113.5 SS dam + (170 instant poison VII dam * 20% chance to apply) = 276.5 average damage per SS
- Shiv: 107.5 wpn dam + (170 instant poison VII dam * 100% chance to apply) = 277.5 average damage per Shiv

Now of course that isn't so impressive a difference, but remembering that SS costs 45 energy (combat daggers remember) and Shiv only 35...

For a 10 second grind fight (100 energy at start plus 100 regained during fight):
SS: 276.5 dam * 4.44 cycles = 1229 total dam or 122.9 DPS
Shiv: 277.5 dam * 5.71 cycles = 1586 total dam or 158.6 DPS

So it seems that Shiv is about 29% more effective in a front-on combat daggers lazy grind fight.

Now this wasn't just to show off my dubious math skills, I have a question: what have I missed?
- I am assuming that the % chance to hit with the SS and Shiv is the same; is this correct?
- Given that Shiv is an OH attack, which usually has only 75% damage (with maxed Dual Wield Spec, as Combat Daggers should have), should I apply this?
- Any other stupid and wrong assumptions?

With the 0.75 weapon damage applied to the Shiv calculation (assuming it still gets the full damage from the poison), Shiv still comes out on top with 143 DPS vs 123 DPS.

You may say "so what, this is only applicable in very limited circumstances" and you'd be right, but hey the servers are down so why not think about this stuff? :)

Fel Skin

Completed the Fel Skin on Sunday with these beauties: Fel Leather Leggings

According to Shadowpanther's Kara Guide, I'm almost ready. The Primal Intent set and some new weapons (maybe the Gladiator's Shanker and Shiv?) are really all that remain. Mind you, getting LW from 363 to 375 plus 27k honour and 40 EOTS marks isn't exactly a doddle, but I'm not forced to sit in LFG for hours either! I'll have enough of that completing the Kara chain.

2nd frag...

Electricmonk and Zaharah helped me stealth to the 2nd Kara frag in Steamvaults this morning, score. Next: The Arcatraz for a bunch of quests and the 3rd frag. Maybe tomorrow on WoW night!

Also now have my Consortium rep only 3,000 away from Revered, which means only 110 more Zaxxis Insignias (so about 220 more Zaxxis Ethereals) or a Heroic Mana Tombs run are all that stand between me and completing my Fel Skin set.

Leatherworking now 361... So close but yet so far from the Primal Intent...

Slabs again

Last night I got the first Kara key frag. I also witnessed the crappiest thing I've seen since playing WoW.

I was invited into a pretty solid group, all from the same (other) guild. It was a decent group; prot pally, frost mage, holy priest, a geared hunter. Solid. We cruised through the instance in about 3 hours with only 2 wipes, as far as Murmur who stopped us in our tracks. We had agreed that nobody would touch the Kara chest and after we'd had a crack at Murmur, those who had the key would leave and we could bring in guildies and friends for the key.

So three of the group drop, leaving me and the pally. Now we have a mishmash group, and the Fel Overseers have respawned, so we're having trouble getting back to Murmur. Pally starts making all sorts of noise in party chat about "we had better get that damn key" getting all tense. After a couple of attempts at getting past the Overseers, I hatch a plan to pull the guy patrolling the corridor over into a corner, evasion tank long enough to let everyone run through, then vanish or die and stealth back in. All in agreement, but before everyone is ready Pally tries to run for it and gets his skull bashed in for the effort. Sigh, wait.

So I set it up again, and as we're making sure everyone is ready, Pally does his bubble run trick again and this time the rest of the group decides that they're sick of waiting so they run through too. The tank grabs the overseer, giving the rest of the group time to get away, and I stay with the tank until I have to vanish. Tank dies, foregone conclusion.

So now it's a simple matter of the Pally returning to the tank, rezzing him, then we all stroll through for the frag right? You would think so. With the tank dead on the floor and me waiting by him to escort him through, I see "wtf" in party chat and the pally's health starts going down.

You already know what happened right?

The tank tells me to go, and I sprint into Murmur's room to find the chest open. The pally protests that it wasn't him that opened the chest, but the evidence points strongly against him. Luckily I was alive and in the instance at the time it was opened, and I can loot. The tank, because of his self-sacrificing grabbing of the Overseer to save the rezzer, doesn't get it. I hearth out in disgust.

Just imagine if I had done my pull to let the group through, died, and after 4 hours of Slabs, get the frag ninjad? I was furious enough as it was just seeing the tank miss out, I think I would have hunted the guy down if it had been me.

Anyway, (takes pill) tick.

Slabs

Screw you, Murmur... 10 wipes? Grrr.

Next

Note to self: Bracers need an upgrade. Try Find Spy To'gun for Spymistress's Wristguards (apparently soloable as a rogue).

*Edit* soloed this today. Very simple - Stealth to the spy, turn in. Accept next in chain, stealth to the tent right of the second boss. Sap, blind, loot 1st item, vanish. Wait for blind CD, sap, blind, loot 2nd item, die. Reset instance. Go back in and repeat for another 2 items, then again for one item and the chest. Hearth to Shatt, done. less than an hour.

Mech

Cleared Mech tonight with a PUG that started horribly but ended well. 2 droods, a good tank and a hunter. Died 8 times before the first boss, but then didn't die again until the red sorceress, who killed me twice before I realised that running away from the Fire Elementals is a good idea.

No loot (at all, not even greens) but completed the questline for the Arcatraz Key and Naaru Belt of Precision (an upgrade). Neato. As now Honoured with Sha'tar, also got the Warpforged Key.

Also respecced to 15/41/5 Combat Daggers. Only real thing I lose is the 2 second silence with Improved Kick. Shame that, but the backstab damage should go through the roof now. Just have to watch the aggro!

Tombs

Cleared Mana Tombs tonight with Len, Mags and pug tank and pally. Len dinged 70 in the process, so bigups to him!

Also got Lower City Honoured (stupid Arakkoa Feathers) for the Auchenai Key - hooray! Heroic Tombs now! - and started grinding my Darnassus rep to Exalted so I can get a Frostsaber.

Combat Daggers?

So what about this now that I have Ced's Carver in the MH and Revenger in the off?

Bot

Cleared Bot tonight with Temp, Tan, our new Hunter (sorry mate I forgot again) and a pug Tank. A few wipes early on as we figured the group dynamic, but otherwise all good. Picked up half of the Arcatraz key, and 3 nice rogue blues including this sucker: Revenger