Druid Tanking Strategy Changes in Cataclysm

Cataclysm has brought a complete change to the entire talent tree system for every class in the game. No one has escaped the sweeping changes. Some have made things better, while the jury is still out on the rest. If you want to get the most out of your Rogue here are 5 hot talents for Rogues in Cataclysm that you need to take advantage of if you want to maximize the amount of damage you do and become an invaluable part of any raid or PvP battle. 

1. Bandit's Guile: This is a combat talent that gives you a 15% damage bonus for a short period of time. One it wears off you will need to attack another mob or opponent to reset it. This will keep you very busy switching from one target to another if you want to maximize this talent's potential.
2. Murderous Intent: This one is in your Assassination talent tree and is intended to help you finish off your target. Every time you use Backstab after your target goes below 35% health you will get 30 Energy back. This means that at this point you can Backstab your enemy far more times before you run out of Energy. With a few crits thrown in, you are going to gain enough combo points to do some major damage.
3. Overkill: Another Assassination talent that increases your energy regeneration over 20 seconds by 30% once you break stealth. If you use it in combination with Murderous Intent, you can quickly finish off any opponent that is about to die. Even more importantly, you can use Vanish when your opponent is near death and then unstealth, fire off Overkill and make that killing blow.
4. Vendetta: Yet another Assassination talent that increases your damage to an enemy for 20 seconds. You should always use it in combination with Overkill for the Energy regen and the 20% damage bonus.
5. Vitality: This one is in your Combat talent tree and will increase your energy regen by 25%, when you combine it with Combat Potency, you will have more energy than you know what to do with.

These are the hot new talents for Rogues in Cataclysm, there are a couple in the Subtlety tree, but these are the ones that will net you a guaranteed kill when your opponent is below 35% of his health every time as long as you use them in the right rotation.

Rogues are one of the hottest classes in World of Warcraft for a very good reason. Don’t be the guy who gets destroyed because he can’t quite figure out his rotation – visit www.WarcraftPros.com for more information.

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Posted in: cataclysm,Warcraft Pros,World of Warcraft

Paladin Strategies and Tips for PvP

Far too many players see the Paladin as a weaker warrior and don’t feel like it is really a good class for use in PvP. All they see is players using Ret Spec Paladins spending too much time in melee and fail to see how much more a well played Pally can do in both the Arenas and the battlegrounds. Whether you are speced Holy or Retribution, as long as you have the right gear and can follow a few simple strategies and tips, you will do very well in World of Warcraft PvP.

First let's talk about a few useful tips that apply no matter where you are fighting or what zone you are in including the new BGs in Cataclysm. Get your fingers off the movement keys on your keyboard. If you insist on using your keyboard, you are going to spend a lot of time at the Spirit Healer. Instead you should be using the two buttons on your mouse. This will allow you to move far faster and more fluidly than using the keyboard. 

This way you can dodge melee class opponents and avoid the vast majority of their attempts to snare you. Set up macros to switch out your weapons, keep a fast 1 handed weapon and shield on your macro and a heavy cutting 2 hander on another macro. You can use the 2 handed weapon to do the heavy damage and then switch out when your opponent is waiting on his cooldowns to pop. This way you can get inside and finish him off in a hurry using your shield to block his feeble attempts to hit you. 

This is not to say that you should not plan to spend a lot of time wielding that massive 2 handed weapon and doing some serious melee damage. Keep those Judgements up at all times and, with the changes in Mana uses and Talents in Cataclysm, you will be able to use your Judgements far more frequently. Since you are going to be taking a fair amount of damage during a fight, make sure you don’t forget to use your heals when you need them. Even a Ret Pally has heals and if you don't remember to use them, you are going to die far too frequently.

One last tip, if at all possible in a melee situation, try and keep your back against a wall or a tree. If you don’t have to worry about who’s got your back or trying to stab you in the back, you can concentrate on killing the guy in front of you.

Dan has dabbled in a bit of everything in World of Warcraft, pushing his way through dozens of different leveling zones with Paladins and beyond. Learn how he prepares for PvP with his Paladin at www.WarcraftPros.com.

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Posted in: PvP Strategy,Warcraft Pros,World of Warcraft

Resto Shamans in Cataclysm

An expansion just wouldn't be right if all casters didn't get new spells and there are several new spells for Shamans in Cataclysm. To start with the Shaman has been given three dispels just like all the other healing classes. In particular, the Shammy can dispel both offensive and defensive magic and cures, at the same time they had to give up their dispel for diseases and poisons.  This is just the beginning of the changes for this long time favorite class.

No matter what changes are made to the Shamans in Cataclysm, they are still one of the most versatile characters in the game. With the new healing spell Healing Rains they can heal a targeted group as it’s a Heal over Time that comes at level 83. Healing wave has also been changed to a Greater Healing Wave that is a much stronger direct heal than it has been in the past. Resto Shammys are going to be able to heal toe to toe with Priests in many situations. 

This has been coupled with Unleashed Weapons that work in a similar fashion to the Paladin's Judgment. You get to choose from one of three different weapons, Windfury that throws a virtual copy of your weapon at the target, does 50% of your weapon's damage and gives you more haste over your next 5 swings. Flametoungue that hits your opponent instantly with Fire damage and increases the damage of your next Fire Spell by 20% and Earthliving that is used to heal your target  and give your next healing spell a 20% buff. 

These new healing buffs are a great addition to the Restoration Shaman's arsenal and will certainly add to his versatility. One thing to keep in mind is that Healing Rains is subject to diminished returns. The more people in the party you cast it on, the less healing effect each will receive.  To sweeten the pot just a little more we have Spiritwalker's Grace which allows you to keep moving or take damage and still keep casting your spells. 

Some of the changes have been good, but the one thing you need to know about any Mana using class in Cataclysm is that you are going to have keep a much closer eye on your Mana level as it will go down at a faster rate than you are used from Wrath of the Lich King.

Not sure you’re getting the most out of your Shaman? Check out the guides that make playing any class in World of Warcraft easier – visit www.WarcraftPros.com for more details.

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Posted in: cataclysm,Warcraft Pros,World of Warcraft

Basic Warlock Raiding Strategies

For those of you who just can't get enough of raiding and live for your "lock", Cataclysm has made a few changes to the way your character is played.  The biggest change and on that is definitely going to affect your Warlock raiding strategies is there is no longer a need for you to spend time farming for Soul Shards before you head out for a long night of raiding. Soul Shards are now a resource in much the same way as your health and mana; in fact you can see the resource bar in the same area on your screen.

Like any toon, the most important part of Warlock raiding strategies is choosing the right talent tree. With dual spec you can switch between your two favorites on the fly, which makes it much easier to set yourself up as Affliction for raiding. Even with the changes that have been made your best bet is still to run Affliction for raids due to the intense levels of Damage over Time that you can do. Since you really do not have anything in your arsenal for burst damage, why would you as your main role is ranged DPS, you need to set your spell rotation up very carefully.

The first spell in your rotation should always be Haunt as soon as it is off cooldown, as it increases the amount of damage done by every DoT you cast by 20%. It will also proc Shadow Embrace occasionally which increases your Shadow DoT by another 5% and stacks 3 times. Next on your rotation needs to be Corruption, as this is your most damaging spell and it regenerates health. Going down the line, Unstable Affliction is the next highest damaging spell. Finally throw in Curse of Agony, although it does the least amount of damage, it all adds up and when you fire off Shadow Bolts every chance you get your target won't stand a chance.

While the order of spells is only a small part of the Warlock raiding strategies, it is probably the most important part and one that you need to spend a little time practicing. You can use the target dummies in the major cities to get your timing down so that all of the spells stay up until your victim hits the ground. Gear up and get your spell rotation down to a split second science and you will become a very successful Affliction Warlock.

Get the most out of your Warlock, whether you’re a PvP fiend or a hardcore Affliction Raider. Visit www.WarcraftPros.com more for in-depth class tips and strategies

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Posted in: Warcraft Pros,World of Warcraft