Still around

I've had a bit of a break from writing, but I'm still around, on WoW and checking various blogs etc.

Since my last update I've mostly been working on the Paladin, got him ready for raids while getting a steady fix of pvp. Of course I couldn't go into raiding without trying out Protection Paladin tankage, to compare it with my Warrior, but hes main spec is Retribution, mostly cause it was just easier to get up to speed for the raids that way.

First off, anyone saying Rets are all about placing your face on the keyboard need to actually give it a try themselves. Granted its not incredibly complicated, but while dpsing I am juggling a heck of a lot more abilities than most my dps counterparts. That said, I'm not really a fan of the FCFS (first come first serve) cooldown based play style. There's not much thought behind it and you just watch your cooldowns and the damage happens. It'll get looked at for 3.2, but the only real game play change so far seems to be that I'll have to keep a look out for Art of War procs to use Exorsism. Will be interesting to see how it turns out.

Tanking on my Paladin I have to say has been a lot of fun! In contrast to Warrior tanking, there's no button mashing involved whatsoever and it is in most cases quite relaxing. Paladin AoE tanking is not what it used to be, that is still a stronger point for Warriors, shown in particular on fights like the arena floor at Thorim (or is it Hodir? I always mix those up). Paladins lay down Consecration and hope for the best in most cases not really getting aoe aggro on anything while Warriors have the edge there with decent burst aoe threat from Thunder Clap and Shockwaves.

This weakness aside, I think I contribute a lot more with the Paladin than my old Warrior, having similar survivability and threat output but also bringing a lot of buffs and powerful defensive cooldowns, this goes for Retribution and Protection both of course.

PvP with my Paladin has been a mixed experience so far. I'm all for not being able to insta gib all classes. I do quite well against dps classes, depending on how well they're played. Rogues have been giving me more trouble than I expected, often being forced to bubble before I've been able to do any damage at all, and the really excellent ones will then proceed to wtfpwn me again after its out :)

Going toe to toe against any kind of healer is my biggest problem though. Its just not possible to kill a healer unless I have a dps train with me and kill them in a single stun. A few days ago I revived the old Warrior for the purpose of PvP only, and while he still has his nemesis counterparts, he does a lot better against healers now. Teamed up with a Druid as rusty as I am for some 2v2s and its still a rock solid combo. :)

Anyways! I reckon I've ranted enough for one sitting, I'm parting for now with a screenie from our recent and first 10 man Yogi kill! Go TOG!