Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
Juggynaut, pixiestixy, and Heartbourne discuss the latest WoW news. Topics for this week’s podcast:
BlizzCon Tickets SOLD OUT… AGAIN!
Mobile Auction House out of Beta, and now costs $2.99/month.
Extended Downtime for Cataclysm Preparation.
Extra Character Slots for a fee hinted at in a European Survey.
Get involved with our podcasts! E-mail us at podcast@lorehound.comor leave us a voicemail on our Lore Line by using the button below or simply calling (304) 884-LORE. We look forward to hearing from you.
And don’t forget to follow us on Twitter for a chance to win a Celestial Steed mount!
Blizzard has quietly released new information on some Cataclysm talent trees. While we can’t find anything on their site officially, it is being picked up by many major fan sites, so we would like to pass on this knowledge to you! You can check out the full text below or check out WoWHead’s talent tree calculator for more information.
Druid Talent Tree
Balance Tree
Tier 1 (Left to Right)
Starlight Wrath (5 points) – Reduces the cast time of your Wrath and Starfire spells by 0.1/0.2/0.3/0.4/0.5 seconds.
Genesis (5 points) – Increases the damage and healing done by your periodic spell damage, healing effects and Swiftmend by 1/2/3/4/5%.
Tier 2 (Left to Right)
Moonglow (3 points) – Reduces the Mana cost of your Moonfire, Starfire, Starfall, Starsurge, Wrath, Healing Touch, Nourish, Regrowth and Rejuvenation spells by 3/6/9%.
Nature’s Majesty(2 points) – Increases the critical strike chance of your Wrath, Starfire, Starfall, Nourish and Healing Touch spells by 2/4%.
Improved Moonfire (2 points) – Increases the direct damage of your Moonfire spell by 5/10%.
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
Join the Lore Hounds this week as we discuss tons of WoW news coming out of Blizzard. This week’s lineup is Juggynaut, iTZKooPA, Heartbourne, and pixiestixy. The discussion covers some of the Cataclysm Class Previews, a recruit-a-friend update, Starcraft II, and more. Click the player above to listen, download the podcast, or subscribe via RSS, and leave a comment to let us know how you liked it!
Leap of Faith (a utility spell that allows you to pull party/raid members towards you to get them out of trouble). I love utility spells like that because, when encounters are built around them, it means the game is a lot more about skill and less about chewing through numbers.
I do believe that adding skill to World of Warcraft is the appropriate direction, but I disagree that Leap of Faith has anything to do with that. In fact, it’s just a crutch. One that will simply piss off healers.
Leap of Faith turns Priests into babysitters for people who stand in the fire.
Priest information is coming in awful late for us in the Western hemisphere, but Blizzard did say they were going to stagger releases so that all fans around the world would get something to read at an appropriate time. Nonetheless, there are some interesting changes as you might expect.
Right off the bat, you’ll notice a lot of the same language they used earlier in describing how Shaman healing would change. And like that class, a new healing spell will be added early in the game to make newbie Priests feel more versatile long before they ever have to start raiding. Mana usage will also have to be monitored more closely.
As far as new spells go, there’s Mind Spike (a new “fill-in” damage component for Shadow spec), Inner Will (a self-buff that increases movement/decreases mana cost of instant spells), and Leap of Faith (a utility spell that allows you to pull party/raid members towards you to get them out of trouble). I love utility spells like that because, when encounters are built around them, it means the game is a lot more about skill and less about chewing through numbers.
I actually found two of the new talents more intriguing, though. Power Word: Barrier, which Blizzard says functions similar to a Death Knight’s Anti-Magic Zone, seems like it will be integral to Discipline play. Chakra is a new mechanic in the Holy tree that allows Priests to switch their healing priority by casting three spells of a certain type in a row. Say you cast three Greater Heals in succession. Chakra kicks and and gives you an appropriate buff, temporarily specializing you in tank healing. Think of it a little bit like shifting gears on a car depending on what you need to do at any given time.
Of course, there are many more spell and talent changes than I’ve discussed here. Hit the jump for the whole shebang. Continue Reading
Wow. It seems every time I open my mouth about Blizzard’s tight-lipped policies, it’s just before they decide to give us some new information. With each expansion comes considerable changes to class dynamics, prompting us to change the way we play them. Sometimes it’s in the form of new abilities, sometimes it’s due to completely revamped mechanics. Cataclysm is surely no different.
Now, if you remember at BlizzCon, we already learned a thing or two about Warlocks and Hunters (namely, the former would be using Soul Shards in a new way, the latter would no longer be tethered to mana), but surely they can’t have all the fun, right? Well, good news! Everyone‘s getting a pony this week!
Blizzard has set up a tentative schedule for doling out the preliminary changes for each class, which will show up in small batches over the next few days. As Paladins are currently “deeper” into development right now, they’ll have to wait until April 16th for their details. For the rest of the dates, and what you can expect to see in these previews, hit the jump. Continue Reading
