The Starting Zone

Snarl's Review of Diablo 3

Mon, 21 May 2012 10:30:25 -0700

I am through Act 1 and into Act 2 of Diablo 3. Like many of you I have finally over-come the first day, second, day, third day server crashes and now I’m into a groove playing Diablo 3. And I have to say, the game fits like a comfortable old shoe.

As a huge fan of Diablo 2 and the Expansion to that game, I was desperate for a sequel after I played it through on all the available toons. And like everyone I had to wait well over a decade for the sequel. Well, I got that sequel. A sequel to a game first designed nearly 20 years ago. Diablo 3 has some great tweaks to the experience, but over-all there is little innovation here. It’s the same click-fest dungeon crawler.

Don’t get me wrong, I love that game, but I felt that while playing through Act 1 I was simply playing an expansion to Diablo 2. And that may be just fine for many players.

I am a big fan of how the skills work in Diablo 3. In fact, I said to a few guildies that I wish WoW’s skill tree resembled the system in place here. The fact that you have a base line skill that scales with your toon that can be modifed by unlocking a rune is really quite cool. And both aesthetically and statistically the runes affect your playstyle. I think that it works great, and in a way it gives you that ‘unique’ playstyle some players think they want.

The Game LOOKS fantastic. It’s really designed well and somehow the cinematics look better than ever. The story line is compelling enough, and that macabre dark edge is still present, just like it was in Diablo 2.

The addition of the ‘companions’ is a lot of fun; but as a ranged player (Demon Hunter) I’m not seeing much motivation to switch from to the Scoundrel or Enchantress yet. That being said, I’ll probably adjust my skills for the Templar as he’s not the ‘tank’ I need him to be.

Lastly as a UI nerd, I LOVE how this UI is laid out and utilized, especially the Vendor Panes and Character / Inventory Panes. It’s a big step forward from the previous design and not to sound like a broken record, but I’d love that style of UI in WoW. Very clean and efficient.

So, what’s missing? Not much really for a Dungeon Crawler. However, I feel the social component is far behind the experience you get with WoW and that’s to be expected. But ultimately that will cut back on the replay efforts for me. I miss a guild chat pane. This was a common thread for me throughout my play. Parts of the game, I wanted in WoW, parts of WoW I wanted in D3. You really can’t have your cake and eat it too, and sure who would want to? D3 is Dark and Dangerous. WoW is epic and fun. So, for me, D3 is a lovely distraction until MOP comes out. But that’s all it will be, and that’s all I need. I don’t need to invest in D3 like you do in WoW, and that’s why it’s a terrific companion game. If I want to break up the grind of WoW, I can jump in at any time and play Diablo 3, and for me… that will be just fine.

The New Mists of Pandaria Plate Dungeon Set! How am I supposed...

Tue, 01 May 2012 10:12:01 -0700

The New Mists of Pandaria Plate Dungeon Set! How am I supposed to see with all this Plate in my face?

New Mists of Pandaria Leather Dungeon Set, you can now look like...

Tue, 01 May 2012 10:10:55 -0700

New Mists of Pandaria Leather Dungeon Set, you can now look like a Troll! Unless of course you area Troll. Then you’ll look ridiculous.

New Beta Mists of Pandaria Dungeon Cloth Set! Sim Sim Sala Bim!

Tue, 01 May 2012 10:09:18 -0700

New Beta Mists of Pandaria Dungeon Cloth Set! Sim Sim Sala Bim!

PVP FOR BEGINNERS: Do You Need PVP GEAR?

Tue, 01 May 2012 10:06:58 -0700

If you have been inspired to take on some Player vs Player in World of Warcraft because of our series, then I am super excited for you. It’s been a few weeks since I dove head first back into PvP with my Frost Mage, and I’m really enjoying actually where PvP is at right now in World of Warcraft. It is not easy, but it can be fun.

I wanted to shift our discussion to gear. Sometimes, I start this off by addressing a common fear about PvP especially for battlegrounds. Many players will avoid PvP because they feel they need gear. However, that logic is a little catch 22. Currency from PVP allows you to acquire epic level PvP items. So, if you don’t do PvP you never will get that epic PvP set. However, there is an entry level way to get into PvP Gear.

In Cataclysm all the crafting professions make a PvP set of gear. You know that gear right? It was the high level Blue stuff you bought and quickly got rid of so you could qualify for Heroic Runs. However, never fear, you can always purchase it again, or gather materials to have a fellow guildie craft them for you.

The main difference between PvE gear and PvP is the stat RESILIENCE. Resilience increases your survivability in an encounter. There was a time when there was a CAP to hit for Resilience, but now the cap has been removed. So, you can stack as much as you want. ELDACAR over at the BATTLEMASTERS website had a great article on the difference between Stamina and Resilience, and why Resilience is important to your over-all survivability.

In my experience, Resilience makes survival a whole lot easier. I spent a long time leveling my mage with his heirlooms on, which was a waste of time. I switched out a full BC PvP set, then a Wrath PvP set and it made a world of difference in terms of survivability. I felt darn near unkillable wearing cloth of all things.

Survivability increases your enjoyment of PvP, because you win more encounters and spend less time rezzing at the Graveyard. However, in the end, I do not feel that PvP gear is a barrier to PvP play. Your stats for damage will be roughly the same with PvE gear and Healing gear. You can compete in all types of PvP without wearing a set of resilience gear.

So, over all, my recommendation is to go ahead and try PvP without the gear until you feel PvP is something you enjoy. Around that time you understand if you enjoy PvP on your toon, you can probably look at investing in some gear with your Honor Points that you have or buying crafted gear through the AH.

Episode# 043: Moar Mists of Panderia News!

Sun, 22 Apr 2012 23:57:18 -0700

Episode# 043 is now live and available for download. The new and improved Starting Zone trio discusses the latest Mists of Panderia BETA news and a quick primer on how to prepare for the NEW Expansion!

Show Not…

Enjoy!

The iTunes Link
The MP3 File
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Lesser of Two Evils: WoW Edition

Sun, 15 Apr 2012 12:40:11 -0700

What is the lesser of two Evils? Leveling Enchanting or Leveling Tailoring?

Old School Fun

Wed, 11 Apr 2012 11:33:17 -0700

Co-Host Jesse Kobayashi has been working on getting the Legendary SHADOWMOURNE for a few months now. Truth be told, Jesse, started this journey a while back in Cataclysm, but the introduction of the OPEN RAID system has made the process much easier. We hope to discuss that impact in our next show a bit.

However, Both Greg and I have been tagging along on these old school Ice Crown runs and it’s been fun to got to a non-pressure raid experience to pick up a title or even better a rare mount.

If you’re a guild, and you’re community loves hanging out, but you’re done with Dragon Soul and looking for stuff to do, I highly recommend going after Old World Achievements like this. They open up the game a bit, and everyone walks away feeling they accomplished something. In the last months, I’ve picked up two RARE mounts. The Iron Bound Proto Drake, and the Vanquisher Mount from ICC (just last night).

Doing this kind of game play in WoW reminds you how deep and rich the content of this game actually is. And if you’re a new player who missed out, but you’re in a guild that is game for it… it’s fun to go in and just CHECK OUT what was important in the past expansions.

PVP For Beginners: Do You Need A PvP Spec?

Tue, 10 Apr 2012 17:23:34 -0700

I had once heard someone state that they didn’t play PvP, because they didn’t want to waste one of their dual specializations on a PvP spec. So, this begs an obviously question. Do you need a PvP spec in order to play PvP?

Let’s pretend we’re a politician and answer a question with a question. What do you want your experience of PvP to be like?

The reality is anyone can jump into PvP and play with whatever spec they are in no matter what the spec is. There isn’t a required spec for each class in order to enter a battleground or arena.

So, if you’re just trying to have some fun and get into PvP to explore it and give yourself a break from leveling that toon of yours, then the answer is NO, you don’t need a PvP spec. If you Heal, the team needs healers, if you DPS, they need DPS, if you tank, there are needs for tanks in some BG’s. The trick here is, play the game based on the role your spec covers. For example, if you’re a healer, don’t try to burn down fools, because you won’t. Just heal everyone else who is doing some serious face melting.

But what if you want to be seriously leet? Well, first off, if you’re a beginner, adjust your expectations. You won’t be leet. You’re going to spend a lot more time rezzing at the graveyard than pwning fools. But if you want a head start on your Killing Spree ways, you can create what is called a PvP spec for your class.

There was a time where specific specs were considered the PvP spec for their class. Discipline Priests, Resto Druids, Feral Druids, Retribution Paladins, Survival Hunters, Frost Mages, Subtlety Rogues (to name a few) were considered the Spec for PvP. This isn’t the case much anymore, but if you do your research, your class probably has a current popular PvP spec, or one that’s considered “The Best” based on where your class is at today (remember this changes from Expansion to Expansion). I’m not going to say it’s cookie cutter, but it’s close.

Does this mean that if you roll into a BG as a Fire Mage you’re broken? Nope, play what you want, but you may have more tricks up your sleeve with a particular spec within the class. This mainly applies to survivability, stealth, dots and burst damage. If you want a reliable guide, head on over to ARENA JUNKIES for some other specs folks have rated highly.

IMO, the DPS only classes have a benefit in that they can have a PVE and a PVP spec without sacrificing flexibility in a group or raid environment. Most Hybrids carry a main spec and an off spec for dungeons and raids. For example, a Paladin may roll Protection for tanking, then Retribution to DPS if a line up adjustment is possible or necessary. This happens frequently in Dragon Soul today where the two tank model is less necessary. This means if a Hybrid wants a PvP spec then most often that DPS spec they choose is the PvP spec. DPS only classes (rogues, warlocks, mages, hunters) do not need to make that choice. So, if you’re a DPS only class, the choice is a bit more easy.

If you choose to go with a PvP spec (I have for my Mage that I’m leveling through PvP) don’t spend too much time trying to min/max. Try something recommended and then go in and give it a shot. Don’t abandon it right away if you fail to see a big change. It takes time to become a talented PvP player, so give the spec a shot before you adjust.

Join us next time for a discussion about PvP Gear! And comment away, you’re feedback is appreciated.

PvP For Beginners: Leveling through Battlegrounds

Tue, 03 Apr 2012 10:15:54 -0700

We’ve debated doing some PvP stuff on the show for quite some time, but in truth neither Jesse or I or Greg were strong PvP players. Sure, we’d done them, but it was usually things like Wintergrasp or the occasional BG to pass the time.

However, recently I have been leveling a FROST MAGE, and I have been spending a considerable amount of time in the BG’s and using them to level experience. I had always debated doing this since XP was granted for Battlegrounds during Wrath of the Lich King, but I could not bring myself to do it, but leveling this Mage presented the right opportunity.

Perhaps like you, I’m not a huge fan of Questing. I don’t mind dailies for Reputation, but questing in WoW has never been my strong suit. I typically leveled my high capped toons through endless LFR runs. This was great initially, because I had not seen a lot of these early dungeons. However, now that I’ve seen them all 25 times, it’s a little boring. I usually tank or heal my way through this for faster Q ups, but in the end I would get to the DPS classes and my ability to do that would dwindle.

Enter my Mage, who I’ve had since Wrath. He quested through the first 1-20 levels, then LFR’d like a mad man to level 56. At this point, I needed a change. So, on a whim I decided to jump in and do some PvP. I ended up enjoying it, and I’ve spent the next 10 levels strictly in BG’s, choosing that over and another BC Dungeon Grind. I now think, I’ll carry this methodology all the way to at least 80.

Why? Well, the XP is pretty good. If you win, you get really huge XP numbers. You string 3 victories together and you pretty much leveled your toon. Also, what is nice about grinding via PvP instead of PvE Dungeons is that despite the Battlegrounds being the same, the battle is always different. Every Dungeon is pretty much a tank and spank at this point until level 80. I think LFR leveling is quicker and effective, but it can be a little dull.

Lastly, you get to know your class in a different way. You dip into a lot of defensive abilities you would not necessarily go to in say a Dungeon, because unless you’re a healer, you don’t really worry about staying alive. You just bang on target or Pew Pew. This will help you in Cataclysm End Game, because many fights require you to understand your damage mitigation.

So, for those of you who are tired of leveling via quest or LFR, try some PvP Battle Grounds. To do so, hit the ‘H’ key or the little icon on your menu that looks like the HORDE or ALLIANCE emblem (depending on what faction you play). From there simply click the RANDOM selection or a specific battleground and then click JOIN BATTLE. BTW, you can do this as a group as well. Bring some friends and pwn some fools together!

New Warchief Mystery Revealed

Tue, 20 Mar 2012 16:42:29 -0700

There has been some discussion and debate about who the next War Chief for the Horde would be after Garrosh was defeated in Mists of Pandaville. Well, Gameplanet caught up with J. Allen Brack at the Blizzard Media Event, and darn it all to heck of J. Allen Brack didn’t spoil the mystery for everybody and confirm the obvious choice!

Gameplanet: Can you tell us a bit more about the upcoming raid on Orgrimmar?

Brack: Sure. We haven’t designed very much of it right now, we just know we do want to have the recognition from the Horde and Alliance that we have to depose Garrosh as the leader of the Horde and reinstate Thrall as Warchief. I’m really excited about it from a player perspective, because I think if you’re an Alliance player, the idea about doing a raid into the heart of your enemies capital is really satisfying, and deposing the enemy leader is super gratifying. On the Horde side, it’s going to be super cool to have a raid in your own home town, and who doesn’t want Thrall to be the leader of the Horde?

So, it looks like Thrall (aka Green Jesus on the World of Warcraft forums) will take back the seat. The only question now is… will he still swing that big hammer?

5 Ways to Improve Questing in WoW

Tue, 20 Mar 2012 11:24:00 -0700

While I am not a developer for Blizzard. I like many players like to pretend that I could be. We often find ourselves in the game stating something to the effect of, “Why can’t it do ‘this’?” or “When are they going to fix that?” or “Who plays PvP anyway?” I often times find myself in that boat when it comes to QUESTING in World of Warcraft. Now, to be fair, some players LOVE how questing is laid out in WoW. So, if you love it, you can probably skip this post. Regardless I think Question is ‘just ok’. And when something is ‘just ok’ I try to avoid it as much as possible.That being said, I recognize that Questing is much better than it used to be, but there’s always room for improvement.

Recently, I was grinding some rep for Therazane for my DK, Doomsnarl. He needed those Shoulder enchants as he’s swapping out for my main in Dragon Soul. So, I ended up completing all of Deepholm. As I was grinding this out, I had a few thoughts.

#1: Match Zone Level progression to main Story Line Progression. I find it disconcerting that I had to go BACK to Deepholm to resolve the storyline. On all my Level 85’s. I only quested part way through before I needed to move from the Zone to the more appropriate zone for leveling. In fact, my DK hit level 84 while only half way through Deepholm forcing me to abandon Uldum completely for Twilight Highlands. This makes no sense. I should finish the zone’s MAIN story line while at level in theory. Let’s face it. Most people Quest to Level, and sacrificing these rich stories in favor of toon progression seems wrong.I suggest a shorter main story line for each zone. Tangent story lines to enrichen the experience should continue. Just simply, make those a requirement for an ‘ultimate’ lore achievement or better yet, necessary alternative to grinding rep with the zone faction.

#2: Match Reputation Gain to Level Progression. By the time my toon is ready to leave a zone, I think that he or she should be close to Exalted, if not simply Revered. I know exalted Rep shouldn’t be easy, but in the end. I shouldn’t have to grab a tabbard and run some dungeons to get to Revered. I could spend another post by the way on improving Reputation Grinds.

#3: USE the remote COMPLETE QUEST MORE!: Constant fly backs and walk backs to turn in quests is a waste of time. While many argue that this is what gives you that ‘exploration’ experience. I would argue that once I find a quest hub, and I’ve run, ridden or flown to the new hub, I’ve done my exploration. Making me do it another dozen times as I quest off that hub is ridiculous. Blizzard introduced the remote complete quest option in this expansion, and they should use that more while cutting back on say phasing.

#4: IN GAME ZONE GUIDE: I think that while there is Dungeon Guide now, so too should there be a Quest or Zone Guide. In my opinion, this would help out the player base to not just understand their options in a zone, but help to more effectively guide the experience. Also, each zone should have a questline check off list to let them the quests still available in the area. This is so key. Currently Lore fanatics have to use off line resources and addons to do this, and they shouldn’t have to do that. There should be a tool that helps you in this manner.

#5: BIG BOSS FIGHTS!: Zone bosses should be in every zone, whether it be a group encounter, a single encounter dungeon or even a wandering behemoth (Fel Reaver?) each Zone should have an Antagonist you have to want to kill, and that kill should have a higher scale of difficulty and mean something. Whether the reward is a high faction rep gain, or perhaps a cool piece of loot. Regardless, that adds so much charcter to the experience and it should be it’s own achievement in and of itself. Right now, the end resolves are so… how do I say this… Easy? That should change for at least 1 NCP in the zone. I don’t want every chapter boss to be impossible, but I want one NPC to be difficult in every zone.

Those are my suggestions. Feel free to pick them apart, add your own, and above all else simply participate in the discussion.

Episode# 042: Cross Realm Raiding Primer

Thu, 01 Mar 2012 20:26:58 -0800

Episode# 42 is now live and available for download. The new and improved Starting Zone trio discusses the latest Mists of Panderia news and a quick Cross Realm Raiding Primer!

Show Notes.

Enjoy!

The iTunes Link
The MP3 File
The RSS Feed

We Killed Deathwing

Mon, 27 Feb 2012 12:39:17 -0800

After flirting with another MMO out raid team re-focused and finally took down Deathwing on 10 Man Normal! Sure we have all downed him in LFR, but that’s like scoring a 99 yard touch down in practice. It doesn’t really count. So congrats to Ministry of Truth’s Team Awesome Deathcake! You took down your 2nd End Game Boss @ Tier!

Episode# 041: It's Dragon Soul Time!

Tue, 06 Dec 2011 09:49:00 -0800

Episode# 41 is now live and available for download. We cover everything that you need to know about the newly released Patch 4.3, including a primer on Transmogrifying and Void Storage and a discussion on the future of WoW and that Star Wars MMO.

These aren’t the Show Notes you’re looking for.

** WARNING: A little coarse language at the very end of the show **

Enjoy!

The iTunes Link
The MP3 File
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Choose my 85!

Wed, 26 Oct 2011 19:47:59 -0700

As you heard if you listened to the latest episode I (Snarl) am showcasing a little exercise for you listeners. I just finished my third 85 level capped toon. A death knight to go with my Druid and my Paladin.

So which class should be my next level 85? Well, you will decide. Tweet, email, call or respond to this post with what you feel my next class to level cap should be. The class with the most votes will be my next toon to 85!

So chime in now!

Episode# 040: Kung Fu Panda WoW Style!

Wed, 26 Oct 2011 13:28:00 -0700

Episode# 40 is now live and available for download. We cover ALL of the blockbuster news coming out of Blizzcon 2011, including the latest expansion: Mists of Panderia, new race: Pandaren and a new class: Monk. So much WoW goodness!

The Show Notes are for players who can decipher the Copiale Cipher.

Enjoy!

The iTunes Link
The MP3 File
The RSS Feed

Mists of Pandaria: First Impressions

Fri, 21 Oct 2011 16:59:00 -0700

I have been fortunate to be able to listen and watch the Live Stream of Blizzcon for most of the day, between naps with my son, and chores. I have watched the Developer Panel, Dungeon and Raid encounter Panel, and of course the Talent Panel. A lot of news and information. I have been scanning the web and I have noticed that the responses to Mists of Pandaria are very polarizing. Some love this idea, and some people absolutely hate it.

Where does Snarl land?

I LOVE THIS EXPANSION.

I am not saying this to suck up to Blizzard. I am genuinely very excited about this expansion. Why? Because, this expansion seems to be changing the game for the better. I will admit that perhaps the ‘story’ is not as strong as say Wrath of the Lich King, but the inherent changes and new additions are very strong.

PANDARANS: Eh, go look at my last post on the Pandas. I like them.

MONKS: Absolutely brilliant. The game play vids are just fantastic looking. This class feels very unique and different, and I for one really enjoy the concept of a hand to hand combatant who uses weapons for finishing. Such a new way to look at a class for WOW.

But I see how the Pandarans are controversial to ‘hard core’ players who don’t like this idea that WoW is getting Disney-fied. To those people, I site… oh… I don’t know… the current Hallows Eve events? Maybe the Valentine’s Day event where you have to hug players for an achievement. Give me a break. WoW isn’t just about Killing and Fighting, and I like how the Pandarans give us a different approach to how we see a Playable Race in world of warcraft. Also, let’s be honest, we don’t deserve a new RACE anyway.

The pattern has been alternating a new race with a new class. We were due for a class and we got a great one, and we get this bonus race. I think it’s great. Don’t complain, you probably didn’t think you were getting a new race anyway. So, if you get free fries with your burger do you say, “Oh, These are shoestring and I like steak cut!” No, you say, “Thanks for the free fries.

PET BATTLES: I love the idea of mini-games in WoW. I have told Tak many times how much I want fishing to be revamped into a mini-game. Here we have a very detailed mini-game that I actually want to play!

SHORTER DUNGEONS: Um, thank you. Tak and I chatted today that we thought that they were attempting to capture some of the solid parts of Wrath and accessibility that they completely botched in Cataclysm. This is a good step.

PVE Encounters: Another solid way to do dungeons and get valor points without having to do dungeons? Um… sign me up. PUGS on my server have been terrible since day one of Cataclysm. Having a new way to get Valor without having to rely on the D-Bags on your server is a good thing.

NEW TALENT TREES: This new simplified tree that gives you finally the ability to make your class unique. You don’t have to worry about passing up on a talent in favor of another because of performance. That is truly amazing. Blizzard finally took the bold step they should have taken in Cataclysm. This is a great new change, because it fundamentally changes how we play. This is less about story and more about gameplay, and for those of us who were feeling the talent and skill structure was stale, we finally get a true change.

ANNUAL PASS with D3: This blew my mind. Sorry to hyperbolize, but Jesse and I watched this together and when he said that we were both blown away. A year pass gets you Diablo 3 for FREE an in-game Mount and an instant invite to the Mists of Pandaria BETA? Yes, please. Not only do I appreciate this move from a player stand point, I appreciate it from a strategic business stand point. Your move SWOTR.

All in all, I am excited about this expansion, and if you disagree with me, fine. Let me know about it.

Why I Love the Pandaran!

Fri, 21 Oct 2011 16:40:12 -0700

For years Blizzard has delivered fantasy character avatars. I mean look at how gorgeous the Blood Elf Princess is, or how Muscle Bound the Orc Male is. But now, Blizzard has finally delivered a race I can truly identify with. An Overweight, Hairy Toon with a penchant for cooking and eating and drinking beer. It’s like they actually put me in the game.

Sincerely,

Snarl :)

Episode# 039: Patch 4.3 and PTR Primer!

Wed, 12 Oct 2011 16:36:15 -0700

Episode# 39 is now live and available for download. We cover patch 4.3 news, a PTR primer for you adventurous players out there and introduce a new series in our GRIND segment dedicated to breaking down dungeon and Raid Boss encounters!

The Show Notes are for players who can read an ancient alien language.

Enjoy!

The iTunes Link
The MP3 File
The RSS Feed