things my rogue knows

…about BGs

I can stun lock you to zero. Especially if you’re a clothy or hunter (well, you probably won’t be locked for the very last bit but that’s okay, it’s nice for you to feel you’re contributing)

I cannot hold a node on my own unless it’s 1 on 1 or maybe 2 on 1. I like to have bait. Will you be my bait? I promise you won’t get hurt … much.

I can tie up a number of opponents just using Sap, especially if they’re idiots. This is veeery useful when the other team is on the charge, if I can peel off two or three opponents before they hit my guys then numbers are working for us. : )

Timing is everything.

In terms of stepping into Mercader’s boots and pwning as he does I am not yet even a shoelace.

If you’re a fool and, on your own, rush into a bunch of horde right next to me while I’m stealthed… I won’t be helping you.

For plate, Vanishing and stepping back in for an Ambush is an elegant way to finish someone off – it’s a good death, these DKs should be thanking me.

At level 71 in honour purples with honour weps – I’m looking fine!

; )


M.

35-39 imba? pfft!

Following on from my previous concerns in this bracket I’ve investigated the forums with results that I suppose I should have guessed at:

Warriors are crying as they only get one distance closer in the bracket – one amusing post from a warrior stated he could charge and get a hunter from 100% to 10% in a few blows but then the hunter would spring away, stun and kite him to death and could he have another charge please? I loved this one as the OP seemed to be complaining about only being able to do 90% damage to other toons he might come across on the charge.

Also, apparently hunters are OP. Well dur! They may be OP but only if you play by their rules. The corollary being that some classes are not that qualified in the lower brackets to make their own rules; I’ve PVPd on my warrior, I wouldn’t recommend it. Serendipitously this post gives a lovely account of imba in WoW.

No one said that Rogues were OP in the bracket – pfft! – I would have thought our ability to adapt to hunters alone would qualify us. There certainly seems to be a shit-ton of us around. Recently in WSG there were all rogues and about three other classes. Needless to say we lost – picture eight rogues standing around a pally waiting for someone to break stealth…

I kid, I kid.


… it was seven.

^ that was then – currently I’m sitting at level 44 and have found the 40-44 bracket to be a much better vibe. Still many many hunters and rogues around, I wonder when they’ll all disappear (boom boom!). Seriously though at 85 the classes are much more evenly represented – I’m wondering when the change comes?

: )


Mogul.

phew! 35-39 BG bracket alliance

Here's my rogue gal Fquup after a hard night losing BGs.  I'm hoping it's something about this bracket that's screwy and not just BGs from here on.  I'm still enjoying it don't get me wrong; rogue comes with it's own mini game to enjoy so no worries there.  But you can see the frustration of the other players, there's trolling and backbiting - though most players are nice of course.

I'm level 38 atm and am still a nicely effective killing machine but the general vibe of these BGs is not how I like to play.  I wonder what BGs are like from the horde side?

: )


Mogul.

…even Maggie has that baby with the one eyebrow

Nemeses!

Everybody should have one. : )

I’m PVPing on my rogue and have been having superb fun. I have access to Arathi Basin and WSG at this stage and while ninjaing nodes is great I find the general chaos of WSG to be just right for me at the moment.

 But what of my nemesis? Well, not surprisingly she’s a hunter. In a recent WSG she did many things right: she hung with her posse, used terrain, CCd well and kited, and used burst effectively. Things she did wrong: she pissed me off!

Now you shouldn’t take from the general upbeat tone of this post that I was in any way successful in besting Ariel (and yes, the fact that she was named after a mermaid just made my various defeats more infuriating) in fact quite the opposite, the first five or six times we came together she handed my arse to me.

Which surprised me as I’d been doing pretty well.  ; )

The most embarrassing was when I could only walk veeery slooowly towards her as she shot me down. You better believe she very quickly became my nemesis and the great thing about having a nemesis is that they inspire you to better yourself. I changed my tactics: there was no point using Ambush for all its big crits – I needed to immobilise and get my backstabs in. I needed to husband my cool downs and pick my time. In short I needed to start playing at the next level up in my class cause that’s how she was playing. And yes, I did start to get some kills on her but I had to be concentrating and on my game or I got owned.

Following the BG I looked her up on the armory – stardard BOAs, chanted – but some nice PVP blues (belt, ring and boots which I’ve now go my hands on from the quartermasters actually ‘at’ arathi and WSG).

Seems I’m entering the phase of this character’s levelling where I’m getting new control abilities so I’d better start getting my new control abilities under… umm… control, if I wish to continue with my pwning ways.

Stay liquid folks,


Mogul.

emote(ionally) compromised

Recently in a BG after being mobbed by the horde I happened to glance down at my text box to see the following:

Blahdeblah laughs at you
Blahdeblah laughs at you
Blahdeblah laughs at you
Blahdeblah laughs at you
Blahdeblah laughs (by this stage I was dead)

And I was surprised. And amused… but mostly surprised.

Emotes between the factions are much underused these days. We no longer share a communal city such as Shattrath or Dalaran and so taunting the horde by “making strange gestures” isn’t often done. Many can’t even muster up the energy to /spit – funny story about that, back on my old server of Thaurissan my slow-flying levelling druid once had a max-level hordey follow him the length of Nagrand impotently /spitting after a failed ganking attempt. Ahh good times.

But I digress, I’m now wondering whether I should, in my attempts to be the most annoying rogue I can be, resurrect this old-fashioned art form via a few choice macros.

Perhaps:
/pity You look down upon <target> with pity
/boggle You boggle at <target>
/mock You mock the foolishness of <target>
/rofl You roll on the floor laughing at <target>
/laugh You laugh at <target>
/soothe You soothe <target>. There, there...things will be ok
/calm You try to calm <target> down
/farewell You wave goodbye to <target>. Farewell!

Of the above I think a single /farewell is the most poignant, but am also juvenile enough to think that spamming /calm would be hilarious. The true art (if this subject in any way merits such a title) is going to be in the timing of the single mocking blow which occurs immediately after the opposition’s death but before their release. It would certainly be challenging…

Or perhaps, as has been my way up until now, I’ll let my actions speak for themselves.

; )


Mogul.

stop right there!

Morning folks,

The altiness continues. I’ve parked my warrior at 74 and have rolled a rogue. It’s a class I’ve always thought would be last on my alt list but I found myself deleting one of my glyph mules, retasking some heirlooms, buying some heirlooms with honour and off I went. It was challenge and curiosity that drew me to trying this class.

I looked around the interwebz and decided to go with Subtlety for my spec. I chose this as people said it was ‘fun!’ Combat would have been more sensible apparently but people were saying Subtlety was fun. And you know what, it’s not fun, it’s FUN! Not only do I have astonishing burst but I have tools to confuse and annoy.

Last night I spent about 5 minutes tying up 2 shad priests and a shaman just using sap – watching them run around in ever decreasing circles really made my night. : ) As a lower level toon in my current band (I’m 22) Sap is a great tool – on my own I can bring to a halt almost an entire WSG horde attack simply by swapping around Sap. Rather then run on, the group dismounts and searches high and low for me. In the meantime my group is getting the flag and beginning their run back. Add to this that annoyed players make mistakes; their thinking is clouded. And if they do run on I try to make sure they run on without someone vital, such as a healer – that way when they reach my guys someone who could turn the fight for them will be missing.

I’m glad I got into this class, it’s fascinating.

: )


M.

we few, we happy few...

Last night there were bots in my Gilneas BG.

Guess how many non-bots there were?

2

Yes, that’s right – 2! I led out of the gate and so capped the first node and I was surprised when all of my team dismounted to do the same thing! But then no one went anywhere. They just sat in formation at the flag. Myself and a warrior ventured off but no one came with us... so rather than dash ourselves against multiple horde we came back. When the node was threatened the bots counter attacked on masse coordinating against single opponents and then when the horde were dead went back to the precise positions they’d sprung from around the flag.

It was strangely beautiful but infinitely frustrating as I had the choice of deserting or simply watching the time tick down to a loss.

Never struck anything like it.

If Blizz wanted to offer an amazing upgrade to the BG PVP experience for MoP they could achieve it by simply stopping the botters. As someone who enjoys the odd BG I would appreciate it if they could produce a sound product that could not be tampered with.


M.