If you want information about making 200+ gold in jewelcrafting a day, in less than 30 minutes, check out this post I made at EHow!
Hope it helps you!
http://www.ehow.com/how_4746913_gold-world-warcraft-jewelcrafting.html
Friday, January 30, 2009
WoW Vanity Pet Guide, Non-Combat pet list
G U I D E T O V A N I T Y P E T S
By Breanni, Scarlet Crusade
Visit Breanni’s site, WarcraftPets.com, with pictures and data for EVERY small pet!
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Traveling the world of Azeroth is always more enjoyable with a little friend by your side. Thus, World of Warcraft allows players to summon a vanity pet (also called a non-combat (NC) pet) for a little extra company. This critter will cheerfully follow you wherever your travels take you.
This guide answers common questions for those new to NC pets. It also provides a complete bestiary (a work-in-progress) for all of the pet enthusiasts out there. So if you're looking for the perfect traveling companion to accentuate your character, you've come to the right place!
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C O N T E N T S :
I. Q & A
II. BESTIARY
1. Small Mammals
(a) FELINES
. . . Black Tabby
. . . Bombay
. . . Cornish Rex
. . . Orange Tabby
. . . Siamese
. . . Silver Tabby
. . . White Kitten
(b) RABBITS
. . . Brown Rabbit
. . . Snowshoe Rabbit
(c) RODENTS
. . . Mechanical Squirrel
. . . Prairie Dog
. . . Whiskers (rat)
(d) OTHER
. . . Mr. Wiggles (pig)
. . . Panda Cub
. . . Worg Pup
2. Birds
(a) CHICKENS
. . . Ancona Chicken
. . . Mechanical Chicken
. . . Prairie Chicken
(b) OWLS
. . . Great Horned Owl
. . . Hawk Owl
(c) PARROTS
. . . Blood Parrot
. . . Cockatiel
. . . Green Wing Macaw
. . . Hyacinth Macaw
. . . Senegal
3. Amphibians & Reptiles
(a) FROGS & TOADS
. . . Jubling
. . . Lifelike Mechanical Toad
. . . Tree Frog
. . . Wood Frog
(b) SNAKES
. . . Black Kingsnake
. . . Brown Snake
. . . Crimson Snake
(c) OTHER
. . . Speedy (turtle)
4. Dragonkin
(a) WHELPLINGS
. . . Dark Whelpling
. . . Tiny Crimson Whelpling
. . . Tiny Emerald Whelpling
(b) DRAGONHAWKS & FAERIE DRAGONS
. . . Blue Dragonhawk Hatchling
. . . Golden Dragonhawk Hatchling
. . . Red Dragonhawk Hatchling
. . . Silver Dragonhawk Hatchling
. . . Sprite Darter Hatchling
5. Invertebrates
(a) MOTHS
. . . Blue Moth
. . . Red Moth
. . . White Moth
. . . Yellow Moth
(b) OTHER
. . . Cockroach
. . . Disgusting Oozeling
. . . Mana Wyrmling
. . . Smolderweb Hatchling
6. Mechanical Pets
. . . Lifelike Mechanical Toad
. . . Lil' Smoky
. . . Mechanical Chicken
. . . Mechanical Squirrel
. . . Pet Bombling
. . . Tranquil Mechanical Yeti
7. Seasonal Companions
. . . Green Helper (tiny Gnome)
. . . Peddlefeet
. . . Red Helper (tiny Gnome)
. . . Snowman
. . . Spirit of Summer
. . . Winter Reindeer
8. Miscellaneous Pets
. . . Gurky (baby Murloc)
. . . Hippogryph Hatchling
. . . Mini Diablo
. . . Murky (baby Murloc)
. . . Netherwhelp
. . . Zergling
III. AUTHOR'S NOTE
I. Q & A
Q: What do vanity pets actually do?
A: Vanity pets will loyally follow you around while you are traveling by foot or mount, regardless of your speed. They'll follow you anywhere, indoors or out, dangerous or otherwise, but they retreat to their cages when you hop a flight (even if the pet can fly).
At this time, only one vanity pet provides a small buff (or in this case, a debuff) when summoned. See Disgusting Oozling for details.
Q: Where can I get a vanity pet?
A: Vendors, drops, quest rewards, engineering recipes, auction houses, and through special promotions by Blizzard. This guide provides the location of drops and vendors for every known vanity pet. It also explains which pets can be obtained through what quests. Many vanity pets can be purchased through the auction house (AH), but prices greatly vary.
Q: Is there a level requirement for owning a vanity pet?
A: No, however some quests with NC pet rewards will be unavailable to you until you reach an appropriate level.
Q: Can I sell my vanity pet to another player?
A: Many vanity pets are BoP (soulbound on pickup). Others are BoU (soulbound when used). If you haven't summoned the pet, you can sell it or trade it to other players (assuming it was not a BoP item). Most unwanted soulbound pets can be sold to a vendor.
Q: How many vanity pets can I own?
A: You can own as many vanity pets as you wish, but you may only have one active at a time.
Q: Can warlocks and hunters have a non-combat pet active while their combat pet is summoned?
A: Yes. This allows hunters and warlocks to travel the world with their own little posse in tow. Fo' shizzle.
Q: Can I name my vanity pet?
A: Not at this time. But maybe someday... (pretty please Blizzard?)
Q: Do I have to feed my vanity pet?
A: No. Amazingly, these little guys keep on trucking without a drop of water or an ounce of food. They are the envy of all hunters.
Q: Are vanity pets class or faction specific?
A: For the most part, no. Any class or faction can summon any pet. However, some BoP quest reward vanity pets are only available to one faction or another, preventing the opposing faction from ever obtaining that pet. Furthermore, certain mechanical pets are BoP and can only be used by the engineers who build them.
Q: Can my vanity pet be killed?
A: Yes and no. They can't be killed by other players and mobs directly, but they can be fried by some area-of-effect spells and effects. You want that whelpling regular or extra crispy?
BESTIARY
NOTE: BoP means "Bind on Pickup"; BoU mean "Bind on Use". Some pets have been listed multiple times when more than one category was appropriate. Also note that seasonal companions can be used year-round.
1. SMALL MAMMALS:
Traditional pets at their finest. You won't find hamsters or gerbils here (yet), but you will find a healthy assortment of some of the cutest pets in the game, including a wide variety of cats.
(a) FELINES:
Black Tabby - drop; BoU
Description: black & brown striped w/ white belly
Affiliation: horde
Rarity: uncommon
Dropped by: Dalaran Spellscribe (21) - Silverpine Forest, Dalaran mobs (31-35) - Alterac Mountains
Notes: Formerly called 'Maine Coon'. As Dalaran mobs are friendly to alliance players, only horde players can obtain this drop. Alliance players may purchase this pet through a neutral AH and on occasion through their own AH.
Bombay - vendor; BoU
Description: black cat
Affiliation: alliance (Human)
Rarity: common
Sold by: Donni Anthania for 40s - Elwynn Forest
Notes: Only sold to alliance players. Horde players may purchase this pet through a neutral AH and on occasion through their own AH.
Cornish Rex - vendor; BoU
Description: orange cat w/ white belly
Affiliation: alliance (Human)
Rarity: common
Sold by: Donni Anthania for 40s - Elwynn Forest
Notes: Only sold to alliance players. Horde players may purchase this pet through a neutral AH and on occasion through their own AH.
Orange Tabby - vendor; BoU
Description: orange-striped cat
Affiliation: alliance (Human)
Rarity: common
Sold by: Donni Anthania for 40s - Elwynn Forest
Notes: Only sold to alliance players. Horde players may purchase this pet through a neutral AH and on occasion through their own AH.
Siamese - drop & vendor; BoU
Description: off-white cat w/ black markings & blue eyes
Affiliation: neutral
Rarity: uncommon
Dropped by: Cookie (20+) - The Deadmines
Sold by: Dealer Rashaad for 60s - The Stormspire
Silver Tabby - vendor; BoU
Description: gray cat w/ black stripes & white belly
Affiliation: alliance (Human)
Rarity: common
Sold by: Donni Anthania for 40s - Elwynn Forest
Notes: Only sold to alliance players. Horde players may purchase this pet through a neutral AH and on occasion through their own AH.
White Kitten - vendor; BoU
Description: small white cat
Affiliation: alliance (Human)
Rarity: less rare
Sold by: Lil Timmy for 60s - Stormwind City
Notes: Limited supply (1). Lil Timmy is a rare spawn who travels the Canal District of SW. Only sold to alliance players. Horde players may purchase this pet through a neutral AH and on occasion through their own AH.
(b) RABBITS:
Brown Rabbit - vendor; BoU
Description: brownish-tan rabbit
Affiliation: neutral
Rarity: rare
Sold by: Dealer Rashaad for 10g - The Stormspire
Notes: Coming soon! While anyone can purchase this pet, it's rare due to it's price and Outland-only availability.
Snowshoe Rabbit - vendor; BoU
Description: white rabbit w/ brown markings; larger model
Affiliation: alliance (Dwarf)
Rarity: common
Sold by: Yarlyn Amberstill for 20s - Dun Morogh
Notes: Only sold to alliance players. Horde players may purchase this pet through a neutral AH and on occasion through their own AH.
(c) RODENTS:
Mechanical Squirrel - player-made; BoU
Description: squirrel w/ mechanized skin
Affiliation: neutral
Rarity: common
Player-made: requires Engineering 75 to make
Notes: May be used by non-engineers. Recipe is a BoE drop found at lower levels.
Prairie Dog - vendor; BoU
Description: brown gopher-like rodent w/ off-white belly
Affiliation: horde (Tauren)
Rarity: common
Sold by: Halpa for 50s - Thunder Bluff
Notes: Only sold to horde players. Alliance players may purchase this pet through a neutral AH and on occasion through their own AH.
Whiskers (rat) - quest; BoP
Description: white rat w/ red eyes
Affiliation: neutral
Rarity: uncommon
Quest Reward: [10] Children's Week
Notes: Chosen among three vanity pets as a reward after completing a series of Children's Week quests.
(d) OTHER:
Mr. Wiggles (pig) - quest; BoP
Description: pink pot-belly pig
Affiliation: neutral
Rarity: uncommon
Quest Reward: [10] Children's Week
Notes: Chosen among three vanity pets as a reward after completing a series of Children's Week quests.
Panda Cub - special; BoP
Description: small black & white bear
Affiliation: neutral
Rarity: very rare
Special Gift: Collector's Edition
Notes: Panda Cub may fall asleep while idle. Collector's Edition is no longer sold in stores, making this a very rare pet.
Worg Pup - quest; BoP
Description: small worg model; color varies
Affiliation: neutral
Rarity: rare
Quest Reward: [55] Kibler's Exotic Pets
Notes: Color may change each time you summon. At one time, Worg Pups were able to attack mobs for a small amount of damage, but this ability was removed.
2. BIRDS:
Parrots for the swashbucklers, owls for the wizards, and chickens for those with more exotic tastes. Whatever your fancy, there's a bird for you!
(a) CHICKENS:
Ancona Chicken - vendor; BoU
Description: black chicken
Affiliation: neutral
Rarity: common
Sold by: Magus Tirth for 1g - Thousand Needles
Mechanical Chicken - quest; BoU
Description: chicken w/ mechanized skin
Affiliation: neutral
Rarity: rare
Quest Reward: [40] OOX-22/FE Distress Beacon, [43] OOX-09/HL Distress Beacon, [43] OOX-17/TN Distress Beacon
Notes: May be used by non-engineers. Must complete all three quests to earn this reward. However, because it is BoU, you may buy the item from another player.
Prairie Chicken - quest; BoP
Description: white chicken
Affiliation: alliance
Rarity: common (alliance); rare (horde)
Quest Reward: [4] CLUCK!
Notes: While this quest is alliance-only, horde players may loot the 'egg' after an alliance player completes the quest.
(b) OWLS:
Great Horned Owl - vendor; BoU
Description: brown owl
Affiliation: alliance (Night Elf)
Rarity: common
Sold by: Shylenai for 50s - Darnassus
Notes: Flying pet. Only sold to alliance players. Horde players may purchase this pet through a neutral AH and on occasion through their own AH.
Hawk Owl - vendor; BoU
Description: charcoal owl
Affiliation: alliance (Night Elf)
Rarity: common
Sold by: Shylenai for 50s - Darnassus
Notes: Flying pet. Only sold to alliance players. Horde players may purchase this pet through a neutral AH and on occasion through their own AH.
(c) PARROTS:
Blood Parrot - drop; BoP
Description: red parrot w/ red & charcoal wings
Affiliation: neutral
Rarity: very rare
Quest Reward: [55] Avast, ye Admiral!
Notes: Flying pet. Summoned by 'Bloodsail Admiral's Hat'. The hat must be equipped to summon, but may be removed after the parrot is active. To earn this quest, you must be friendly with the Bloodsail Pirates, which means sacrificing your reputation with neutral goblin factions.
Cockatiel - vendor; BoU
Description: gray & black parrot w/ red feathers under tail
Affiliation: neutral
Rarity: common
Sold by: Narkk for 40s - Booty Bay
Notes: Flying pet.
Green Wing Macaw - drop; BoU
Description: red parrot w/ green & blue wings
Affiliation: neutral
Rarity: uncommon
Dropped by: Defias Pirate (19-20+) - The Deadmines
Notes: Flying pet.
Hyacinth Macaw - drop; BoU
Description: blue parrot w/ teal & purple wings
Affiliation: neutral
Rarity: very rare
Dropped by: Bloodsail mobs (41-45) - Stranglethorn Vale
Notes: Flying pet. One of the rarest drops in the game.
Senegal - vendor; BoU
Description: green parrot w/ orange & black wings
Affiliation: neutral
Rarity: common
Sold by: Narkk for 40s - Booty Bay; Dealer Rashaad for 40s - The Stormspire
Notes: Flying pet.
3. AMPHIBIANS & REPTILES:
Some prefer scaly and slimy to soft and cuddly. If this sounds like you, consider one of these unique creatures.
(a) FROGS & TOADS:
Jubling - quest; BoP
Description: orange frog w/ blue legs & belly; larger model
Affiliation: neutral
Rarity: rare
Quest Reward: [0] Spawn of Jubjub (no level requirement)
Notes: It takes seven real-time days before 'Unhatched Jubling Egg' will produce a Jubling.
Lifelike Mechanical Toad - player-made; BoU
Description: greenish-yellow frog w/ dark spots (same model as Wood Frog)
Affiliation: neutral
Rarity: uncommon
Player-made: requires Engineering 265 to make
Notes: May be used by non-engineers. Recipe is a rare BoE drop found at higher levels.
Tree Frog - vendor; BoU
Description: yellowish-green frog (no spots)
Affiliation: neutral
Rarity: common
Sold by: Flik for 1g - Darkmoon Faire (Elwynn Forest & Mulgore)
Wood Frog - vendor; BoU
Description: greenish-yellow frog w/ dark spots (same model as Lifelike Mechanical Toad)
Affiliation: neutral
Rarity: uncommon
Sold by: Flik for 1g - Darkmoon Faire (Elwynn Forest & Mulgore)
Notes: Limited supply (1). Frog croaks when idle.
(b) SNAKES:
Black Kingsnake - vendor; BoU
Description: black snake
Affiliation: horde (Troll)
Rarity: common
Sold by: Xan'tish for 50s - Orgrimmar
Notes: Only sold to horde players. Alliance players may purchase this pet through a neutral AH and on occasion through their own AH.
Brown Snake - vendor; BoU
Description: brownish-green snake w/ black stripes
Affiliation: horde (Troll)
Rarity: common
Sold by: Xan'tish for 50s - Orgrimmar
Notes: Only sold to horde players. Alliance players may purchase this pet through a neutral AH and on occasion through their own AH.
Crimson Snake - vendor; BoU
Description: red snake
Affiliation: neutral
Rarity: common (horde); uncommon (alliance)
Sold by: Xan'tish for 50s - Orgrimmar; Dealer Rashaad for 40s - The Stormspire
Notes: Alliance players may purchase this pet in Outland.
(c) OTHER:
Speedy (turtle) - quest; BoP
Description: green turtle w/ yellow/brown spotted shell
Affiliation: neutral
Rarity: uncommon
Quest Reward: [10] Children's Week
Notes: Chosen among three vanity pets as a reward after completing a series of Children's Week quests.
4. DRAGONKIN:
These adorable little dragons and dragonesque creatures are some of the most gorgeous non-combat pets in the game.
(a) WHELPLINGS:
Dark Whelpling - drop; BoU
Description: black dragon whelp w/ beige belly
Affiliation: neutral
Rarity: rare
Dropped by: Scalding Whelp (41-43) - Badlands, Searing Whelp (42-43) - Dustwallow Marsh
Notes: Flying pet. May spin around when idle.
Tiny Crimson Whelpling - drop; BoU
Description: red dragon whelp w/ beige belly
Affiliation: neutral
Rarity: rare[
Dropped by: Crimson, Red, and Flamesnorting Whelps (24-27) - Wetlands
Notes: Flying pet. May spin around when idle.
Tiny Emerald Whelpling - drop; BoU
Description: green dragon whelp w/ yellow belly
Affiliation: neutral
Rarity: very rare
Dropped by: Dreaming Whelp (35-36) - Swamp of Sorrows
Notes: Flying pet. May spin around when idle. While the drop rate for this pet is similar to Crimson and Dark Whelplings, there are less Dreaming Whelps to kill, making the Emerald Whelpling the most rare of the three.
(b) DRAGONHAWKS & FAERIE DRAGONS:
Blue Dragonhawk Hatchling - vendor; BoU
Description: blue dragonhawk w/ teal wing tips
Affiliation: neutral
Rarity: rare
Sold by: Dealer Rashaad for 10g - The Stormspire
Notes: Coming soon! Flying pet. While anyone can purchase this pet, it's rare due to it's price and Outland-only availability..
Golden Dragonhawk Hatchling - vendor; BoU
Description: Orangish-gold dragonhawk
Affiliation: horde (Blood Elf)
Rarity: common
Sold by: Jilanne for 50s - Fairbreeze Village, Eversong Woods
Notes: Coming soon! Flying pet. Only sold to horde players. Alliance players may purchase this pet through a neutral AH and on occasion through their own AH.
Red Dragonhawk Hatchling - vendor; BoU
Description: Reddish-pink dragonhawk
Affiliation: horde (Blood Elf)
Rarity: common
Sold by: Jilanne for 50s - Fairbreeze Village, Eversong Woods
Notes: [Coming soon! Flying pet. Only sold to horde players. Alliance players may purchase this pet through a neutral AH and on occasion through their own AH.
Silver Dragonhawk Hatchling - vendor; BoU
Description: Silver-gray dragonhawk
Affiliation: horde (Blood Elf)
Rarity: common
Sold by: Jilanne for 50s - Fairbreeze Village, Eversong Woods
Notes: Coming soon! Flying pet. Only sold to horde players. Alliance players may purchase this pet through a neutral AH and on occasion through their own AH.
Sprite Darter Hatchling - quest; BoP
Description: small rainbow-colored Farie Dragon
Affiliation: alliance-only
Rarity: rare
Quest Reward: [47] Becoming a Parent
Notes: Flying pet. As this quest line is alliance-only, horde players may not obtain this pet.
5. INVERTEBRATES:
Perhaps you prefer the type of pet that creeps and crawls, making others uncomfortable wherever you go. If so, these pets are for you.
(a) MOTHS:
Blue Moth - vendor; BoU
Description: blue moth with fusia markings
Affiliation: alliance (Draenei)
Rarity: common
Sold by: Tuura for 50s - The Exodar
Notes: Coming soon! Flying pet. Only sold to alliance players. Horde players may purchase this pet through a neutral AH and on occasion through their own AH.
Red Moth - vendor; BoU
Description: reddish-brown moth with green wings
Affiliation: neutral
Rarity: rare
Sold by: Dealer Rashaad for 10g - The Stormspire
Notes: Coming soon! Flying pet. While anyone can purchase this pet, it's rare due to it's price and Outland-only availability.
White Moth - vendor; BoU
Description: white moth with black markings
Affiliation: alliance (Draenei)
Rarity: common
Sold by: Tuura for 50s - The Exodar
Notes: Coming soon! Flying pet. Only sold to alliance players. Horde players may purchase this pet through a neutral AH and on occasion through their own AH.
Yellow Moth - vendor; BoU
Description: yellow moth with blue markings
Affiliation: alliance (Draenei)
Rarity: common
Sold by: Tuura for 50s - The Exodar
Notes: Coming soon! Flying pet. Only sold to alliance players. Horde players may purchase this pet through a neutral AH and on occasion through their own AH.
(b) OTHER:
Cockroach - vendor; BoU
Description: brown insect
Affiliation: neutral
Rarity: common (horde); uncommon (alliance)
Sold by: Jeremiah Payson for 50s - Undercity; Dealer Rashaad for 40s - The Stormspire
Notes: Flying pet (when moving). Alliance players may purchase this pet in Outland.
Disgusting Oozeling - drop; BoU
Description: green globule
Affiliation: neutral
Rarity: rare
Dropped by: Oozing Bag (dropped by most 50+ slimes)
Notes: To date, this is the only NC pet which effects combat. Unfortunately, its 'Disgusting Aura' is negative: -20 to defense and -20 to all resistances (and adds a green tint to the owner). Disgusting Oozling will also drink any Dark Iron Ale thrown on the ground.
Mana Wyrmling - vendor; BoU
Description: dark green flying wyrm w/ bluish translucent fins
Affiliation: neutral
Rarity: very rare
Sold by: Dealer Rashaad for 40g - The Stormspire
Notes: Coming soon! Flying pet. While anyone can purchase this pet, it's very rare due to it's high price and Outland-only availability.
Smolderweb Hatchling - quest; BoP
Description: small blue crystaline spider
Affiliation: neutral
Rarity: rare
Quest Reward: [55] En-Ay-Es-Tee-Why
Notes: At one time, Smolderweb Hatchlings were able to attack mobs for a small amount of damage, but this ability was removed.
6. MECHANICAL PETS:
Engineers throughout Azeroth can create a variety of player-made menchanical friends. So if you prefer an erector set for a pet, consider some of the following ingenious wind-up toys.
Lifelike Mechanical Toad - player-made; BoU
Description: greenish-yellow frog w/ dark spots (same model as Wood Frog)
Affiliation: neutral
Rarity: uncommon
Player-made: requires Engineering 265 to make
Notes: May be used by non-engineers. Recipe is a rare BoE drop found at higher levels.
Lil' Smoky - player-made; BoP
Description: small reaper-like robot
Affiliation: neutral (Gnomish engineers)
Rarity: very rare
Player-made: requires Engineering 205 to make
Notes: Makes a non-stop high-pitched whirring noise. Chance for BoP recipe drop in a mailed package upon renewal of Gnomish Engineering Membership Card.
Mechanical Chicken - quest; BoU
Description: chicken w/ mechanized skin
Affiliation: neutral
Rarity: rare
Quest Reward: [40] OOX-22/FE Distress Beacon, [43] OOX-09/HL Distress Beacon, [43] OOX-17/TN Distress Beacon
Notes: May be used by non-engineers. Must complete all three quests to earn this reward. However, because it is BoU, you may buy the item from another player.
Mechanical Squirrel - player-made; BoU
Description: squirrel w/ mechanized skin
Affiliation: neutral
Rarity: common
Player-made: requires Engineering 75 to make
Notes: May be used by non-engineers. Recipe is a BoE drop found at lower levels.
Pet Bombling - player-made; BoP
Description: black bomb w/ feet
Affiliation: neutral (Goblin engineers)
Rarity: very rare
Player-made: requires Engineering 205 to make
Notes: Clanks and ticks as it moves about. Chance for BoP recipe drop in a mailed package upon renewal of Goblin Engineering Membership Card.
Tranquil Mechanical Yeti - player-made; BoU
Description: Gnome-sized grayish-white yeti
Affiliation: neutral
Rarity: rare
Player-made: requires Engineering 265 to make
Notes: May be used by non-engineers. BoP recipe may be purchased from Umi Rumplesnicker after completing [58] Are We There Yeti quest line.
7. SEASONAL COMPANIONS:
Winter, spring, summer, or fall, 'tis the season for a festive companion.
Green Helper - drop; BoU
Description: tiny male Gnome in green & white holiday attire
Affiliation: neutral
Rarity: uncommon
Dropped by: various gift-wrapped presents; available only during Winter Veil event
Notes: Requires a snowball to summon.
Peddlefeet - drop; BoP
Description: tiny cupid-like Goblin w/ wings
Affiliation: neutral
Rarity: very rare
Dropped by: Gift of Adoration:; available only during Love is in the Air event
Notes: Flying pet. Summoned by 'Truesilver Shafted Arrow'. This is a very rare pet as it is only available for a few days each year and the drop rate is quite low.
Red Helper - drop; BoU
Description: tiny female Gnome in red & white holiday attire
Affiliation: neutral
Rarity: uncommon
Dropped by: various gift-wrapped presents; available only during Winter Veil event
Notes: Requires a snowball to summon.
Snowman - drop; BoU
Description: small snowman
Affiliation: neutral
Rarity: uncommon
Dropped by: various gift-wrapped presents; available only during Winter Veil event
Notes: Snowman is immobile and will remain where he is summoned. If you "/dance" with a him, it will dance as well. Requires a snowball to summon.
Spirit of Summer - quest; BoP
Description: red wisp-like spirit
Affiliation: neutral
Rarity: rare
Quest: [60] A Light in Dark Places; available only during Midsummer Fire Festival event
Notes: Flying pet. Summoned by 'Captured Flame'.
Winter Reindeer - drop; BoU
Description: small brown reindeer
Affiliation: neutral
Rarity: uncommon
Dropped by: various gift-wrapped presents; available only during Winter Veil event
Notes: Requires a snowball to summon.
8. MISCELLANEOUS PETS:
Gurky - special; BoP
Description: baby Murloc; salmon-colored w/ teal spines
Affiliation: neutral
Rarity: very rare
Special Gift: [unknown - not yet released]
Notes: It is assumed that Gurky, while idle, will don a top hat/cane and dance like Murky. It is also assumed that a special code will be required to obtain this pet.
Hippogryph Hatchling - special; BoP
Description: blue baby hippogrph w/ orange wings and underbelly
Affiliation: neutral
Rarity: very rare
Special Gift: Legendary Loot Card
Notes: Redeemed through the very rare Thunderhead Hippogryph Legendary Loot card. This card is from the World of Warcraft collectable trading card game.
Mini Diablo - special; BoP
Description: tiny red Diablo critter
Affiliation: neutral
Rarity: very rare
Special Gift: World of Warcraft - Collector's Edition
Notes: May create a pillar of fire when idle. Collector's Edition is no longer sold in stores, making this a very rare pet.
Murky - special; BoP
Description: baby Murloc; light blue w/ orange spines
Affiliation: neutral
Rarity: very rare
Special Gift: BlizCon 2005
Notes: Murky may don a top hat/cane and dance while idle. Only attendees of BlizCon 2005 received a special code to obtain this pet.
Netherwhelp - special; BoP
Description: [unknown at this time]
Affiliation: neutral
Rarity: rare/very rare
Special Gift: The Burning Crusade - Collector's Edition
Notes: A limited number of these Collector's Editions will be distributed, making this a rare to very rare pet. It is not yet known how rare it will be.
Zergling - special; BoP
Description: reddish-brown Zerg creature from StarCraft; looks similar to a small felhound
Affiliation: neutral
Rarity: very rare
Special Gift: World of Warcraft - Collector's Edition
Notes: Collector's Edition is no longer sold in stores, making this a very rare pet.
By Breanni, Scarlet Crusade
Visit Breanni’s site, WarcraftPets.com, with pictures and data for EVERY small pet!
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Traveling the world of Azeroth is always more enjoyable with a little friend by your side. Thus, World of Warcraft allows players to summon a vanity pet (also called a non-combat (NC) pet) for a little extra company. This critter will cheerfully follow you wherever your travels take you.
This guide answers common questions for those new to NC pets. It also provides a complete bestiary (a work-in-progress) for all of the pet enthusiasts out there. So if you're looking for the perfect traveling companion to accentuate your character, you've come to the right place!
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C O N T E N T S :
I. Q & A
II. BESTIARY
1. Small Mammals
(a) FELINES
. . . Black Tabby
. . . Bombay
. . . Cornish Rex
. . . Orange Tabby
. . . Siamese
. . . Silver Tabby
. . . White Kitten
(b) RABBITS
. . . Brown Rabbit
. . . Snowshoe Rabbit
(c) RODENTS
. . . Mechanical Squirrel
. . . Prairie Dog
. . . Whiskers (rat)
(d) OTHER
. . . Mr. Wiggles (pig)
. . . Panda Cub
. . . Worg Pup
2. Birds
(a) CHICKENS
. . . Ancona Chicken
. . . Mechanical Chicken
. . . Prairie Chicken
(b) OWLS
. . . Great Horned Owl
. . . Hawk Owl
(c) PARROTS
. . . Blood Parrot
. . . Cockatiel
. . . Green Wing Macaw
. . . Hyacinth Macaw
. . . Senegal
3. Amphibians & Reptiles
(a) FROGS & TOADS
. . . Jubling
. . . Lifelike Mechanical Toad
. . . Tree Frog
. . . Wood Frog
(b) SNAKES
. . . Black Kingsnake
. . . Brown Snake
. . . Crimson Snake
(c) OTHER
. . . Speedy (turtle)
4. Dragonkin
(a) WHELPLINGS
. . . Dark Whelpling
. . . Tiny Crimson Whelpling
. . . Tiny Emerald Whelpling
(b) DRAGONHAWKS & FAERIE DRAGONS
. . . Blue Dragonhawk Hatchling
. . . Golden Dragonhawk Hatchling
. . . Red Dragonhawk Hatchling
. . . Silver Dragonhawk Hatchling
. . . Sprite Darter Hatchling
5. Invertebrates
(a) MOTHS
. . . Blue Moth
. . . Red Moth
. . . White Moth
. . . Yellow Moth
(b) OTHER
. . . Cockroach
. . . Disgusting Oozeling
. . . Mana Wyrmling
. . . Smolderweb Hatchling
6. Mechanical Pets
. . . Lifelike Mechanical Toad
. . . Lil' Smoky
. . . Mechanical Chicken
. . . Mechanical Squirrel
. . . Pet Bombling
. . . Tranquil Mechanical Yeti
7. Seasonal Companions
. . . Green Helper (tiny Gnome)
. . . Peddlefeet
. . . Red Helper (tiny Gnome)
. . . Snowman
. . . Spirit of Summer
. . . Winter Reindeer
8. Miscellaneous Pets
. . . Gurky (baby Murloc)
. . . Hippogryph Hatchling
. . . Mini Diablo
. . . Murky (baby Murloc)
. . . Netherwhelp
. . . Zergling
III. AUTHOR'S NOTE
I. Q & A
Q: What do vanity pets actually do?
A: Vanity pets will loyally follow you around while you are traveling by foot or mount, regardless of your speed. They'll follow you anywhere, indoors or out, dangerous or otherwise, but they retreat to their cages when you hop a flight (even if the pet can fly).
At this time, only one vanity pet provides a small buff (or in this case, a debuff) when summoned. See Disgusting Oozling for details.
Q: Where can I get a vanity pet?
A: Vendors, drops, quest rewards, engineering recipes, auction houses, and through special promotions by Blizzard. This guide provides the location of drops and vendors for every known vanity pet. It also explains which pets can be obtained through what quests. Many vanity pets can be purchased through the auction house (AH), but prices greatly vary.
Q: Is there a level requirement for owning a vanity pet?
A: No, however some quests with NC pet rewards will be unavailable to you until you reach an appropriate level.
Q: Can I sell my vanity pet to another player?
A: Many vanity pets are BoP (soulbound on pickup). Others are BoU (soulbound when used). If you haven't summoned the pet, you can sell it or trade it to other players (assuming it was not a BoP item). Most unwanted soulbound pets can be sold to a vendor.
Q: How many vanity pets can I own?
A: You can own as many vanity pets as you wish, but you may only have one active at a time.
Q: Can warlocks and hunters have a non-combat pet active while their combat pet is summoned?
A: Yes. This allows hunters and warlocks to travel the world with their own little posse in tow. Fo' shizzle.
Q: Can I name my vanity pet?
A: Not at this time. But maybe someday... (pretty please Blizzard?)
Q: Do I have to feed my vanity pet?
A: No. Amazingly, these little guys keep on trucking without a drop of water or an ounce of food. They are the envy of all hunters.
Q: Are vanity pets class or faction specific?
A: For the most part, no. Any class or faction can summon any pet. However, some BoP quest reward vanity pets are only available to one faction or another, preventing the opposing faction from ever obtaining that pet. Furthermore, certain mechanical pets are BoP and can only be used by the engineers who build them.
Q: Can my vanity pet be killed?
A: Yes and no. They can't be killed by other players and mobs directly, but they can be fried by some area-of-effect spells and effects. You want that whelpling regular or extra crispy?
BESTIARY
NOTE: BoP means "Bind on Pickup"; BoU mean "Bind on Use". Some pets have been listed multiple times when more than one category was appropriate. Also note that seasonal companions can be used year-round.
1. SMALL MAMMALS:
Traditional pets at their finest. You won't find hamsters or gerbils here (yet), but you will find a healthy assortment of some of the cutest pets in the game, including a wide variety of cats.
(a) FELINES:
Black Tabby - drop; BoU
Description: black & brown striped w/ white belly
Affiliation: horde
Rarity: uncommon
Dropped by: Dalaran Spellscribe (21) - Silverpine Forest, Dalaran mobs (31-35) - Alterac Mountains
Notes: Formerly called 'Maine Coon'. As Dalaran mobs are friendly to alliance players, only horde players can obtain this drop. Alliance players may purchase this pet through a neutral AH and on occasion through their own AH.
Bombay - vendor; BoU
Description: black cat
Affiliation: alliance (Human)
Rarity: common
Sold by: Donni Anthania for 40s - Elwynn Forest
Notes: Only sold to alliance players. Horde players may purchase this pet through a neutral AH and on occasion through their own AH.
Cornish Rex - vendor; BoU
Description: orange cat w/ white belly
Affiliation: alliance (Human)
Rarity: common
Sold by: Donni Anthania for 40s - Elwynn Forest
Notes: Only sold to alliance players. Horde players may purchase this pet through a neutral AH and on occasion through their own AH.
Orange Tabby - vendor; BoU
Description: orange-striped cat
Affiliation: alliance (Human)
Rarity: common
Sold by: Donni Anthania for 40s - Elwynn Forest
Notes: Only sold to alliance players. Horde players may purchase this pet through a neutral AH and on occasion through their own AH.
Siamese - drop & vendor; BoU
Description: off-white cat w/ black markings & blue eyes
Affiliation: neutral
Rarity: uncommon
Dropped by: Cookie (20+) - The Deadmines
Sold by: Dealer Rashaad for 60s - The Stormspire
Silver Tabby - vendor; BoU
Description: gray cat w/ black stripes & white belly
Affiliation: alliance (Human)
Rarity: common
Sold by: Donni Anthania for 40s - Elwynn Forest
Notes: Only sold to alliance players. Horde players may purchase this pet through a neutral AH and on occasion through their own AH.
White Kitten - vendor; BoU
Description: small white cat
Affiliation: alliance (Human)
Rarity: less rare
Sold by: Lil Timmy for 60s - Stormwind City
Notes: Limited supply (1). Lil Timmy is a rare spawn who travels the Canal District of SW. Only sold to alliance players. Horde players may purchase this pet through a neutral AH and on occasion through their own AH.
(b) RABBITS:
Brown Rabbit - vendor; BoU
Description: brownish-tan rabbit
Affiliation: neutral
Rarity: rare
Sold by: Dealer Rashaad for 10g - The Stormspire
Notes: Coming soon! While anyone can purchase this pet, it's rare due to it's price and Outland-only availability.
Snowshoe Rabbit - vendor; BoU
Description: white rabbit w/ brown markings; larger model
Affiliation: alliance (Dwarf)
Rarity: common
Sold by: Yarlyn Amberstill for 20s - Dun Morogh
Notes: Only sold to alliance players. Horde players may purchase this pet through a neutral AH and on occasion through their own AH.
(c) RODENTS:
Mechanical Squirrel - player-made; BoU
Description: squirrel w/ mechanized skin
Affiliation: neutral
Rarity: common
Player-made: requires Engineering 75 to make
Notes: May be used by non-engineers. Recipe is a BoE drop found at lower levels.
Prairie Dog - vendor; BoU
Description: brown gopher-like rodent w/ off-white belly
Affiliation: horde (Tauren)
Rarity: common
Sold by: Halpa for 50s - Thunder Bluff
Notes: Only sold to horde players. Alliance players may purchase this pet through a neutral AH and on occasion through their own AH.
Whiskers (rat) - quest; BoP
Description: white rat w/ red eyes
Affiliation: neutral
Rarity: uncommon
Quest Reward: [10] Children's Week
Notes: Chosen among three vanity pets as a reward after completing a series of Children's Week quests.
(d) OTHER:
Mr. Wiggles (pig) - quest; BoP
Description: pink pot-belly pig
Affiliation: neutral
Rarity: uncommon
Quest Reward: [10] Children's Week
Notes: Chosen among three vanity pets as a reward after completing a series of Children's Week quests.
Panda Cub - special; BoP
Description: small black & white bear
Affiliation: neutral
Rarity: very rare
Special Gift: Collector's Edition
Notes: Panda Cub may fall asleep while idle. Collector's Edition is no longer sold in stores, making this a very rare pet.
Worg Pup - quest; BoP
Description: small worg model; color varies
Affiliation: neutral
Rarity: rare
Quest Reward: [55] Kibler's Exotic Pets
Notes: Color may change each time you summon. At one time, Worg Pups were able to attack mobs for a small amount of damage, but this ability was removed.
2. BIRDS:
Parrots for the swashbucklers, owls for the wizards, and chickens for those with more exotic tastes. Whatever your fancy, there's a bird for you!
(a) CHICKENS:
Ancona Chicken - vendor; BoU
Description: black chicken
Affiliation: neutral
Rarity: common
Sold by: Magus Tirth for 1g - Thousand Needles
Mechanical Chicken - quest; BoU
Description: chicken w/ mechanized skin
Affiliation: neutral
Rarity: rare
Quest Reward: [40] OOX-22/FE Distress Beacon, [43] OOX-09/HL Distress Beacon, [43] OOX-17/TN Distress Beacon
Notes: May be used by non-engineers. Must complete all three quests to earn this reward. However, because it is BoU, you may buy the item from another player.
Prairie Chicken - quest; BoP
Description: white chicken
Affiliation: alliance
Rarity: common (alliance); rare (horde)
Quest Reward: [4] CLUCK!
Notes: While this quest is alliance-only, horde players may loot the 'egg' after an alliance player completes the quest.
(b) OWLS:
Great Horned Owl - vendor; BoU
Description: brown owl
Affiliation: alliance (Night Elf)
Rarity: common
Sold by: Shylenai for 50s - Darnassus
Notes: Flying pet. Only sold to alliance players. Horde players may purchase this pet through a neutral AH and on occasion through their own AH.
Hawk Owl - vendor; BoU
Description: charcoal owl
Affiliation: alliance (Night Elf)
Rarity: common
Sold by: Shylenai for 50s - Darnassus
Notes: Flying pet. Only sold to alliance players. Horde players may purchase this pet through a neutral AH and on occasion through their own AH.
(c) PARROTS:
Blood Parrot - drop; BoP
Description: red parrot w/ red & charcoal wings
Affiliation: neutral
Rarity: very rare
Quest Reward: [55] Avast, ye Admiral!
Notes: Flying pet. Summoned by 'Bloodsail Admiral's Hat'. The hat must be equipped to summon, but may be removed after the parrot is active. To earn this quest, you must be friendly with the Bloodsail Pirates, which means sacrificing your reputation with neutral goblin factions.
Cockatiel - vendor; BoU
Description: gray & black parrot w/ red feathers under tail
Affiliation: neutral
Rarity: common
Sold by: Narkk for 40s - Booty Bay
Notes: Flying pet.
Green Wing Macaw - drop; BoU
Description: red parrot w/ green & blue wings
Affiliation: neutral
Rarity: uncommon
Dropped by: Defias Pirate (19-20+) - The Deadmines
Notes: Flying pet.
Hyacinth Macaw - drop; BoU
Description: blue parrot w/ teal & purple wings
Affiliation: neutral
Rarity: very rare
Dropped by: Bloodsail mobs (41-45) - Stranglethorn Vale
Notes: Flying pet. One of the rarest drops in the game.
Senegal - vendor; BoU
Description: green parrot w/ orange & black wings
Affiliation: neutral
Rarity: common
Sold by: Narkk for 40s - Booty Bay; Dealer Rashaad for 40s - The Stormspire
Notes: Flying pet.
3. AMPHIBIANS & REPTILES:
Some prefer scaly and slimy to soft and cuddly. If this sounds like you, consider one of these unique creatures.
(a) FROGS & TOADS:
Jubling - quest; BoP
Description: orange frog w/ blue legs & belly; larger model
Affiliation: neutral
Rarity: rare
Quest Reward: [0] Spawn of Jubjub (no level requirement)
Notes: It takes seven real-time days before 'Unhatched Jubling Egg' will produce a Jubling.
Lifelike Mechanical Toad - player-made; BoU
Description: greenish-yellow frog w/ dark spots (same model as Wood Frog)
Affiliation: neutral
Rarity: uncommon
Player-made: requires Engineering 265 to make
Notes: May be used by non-engineers. Recipe is a rare BoE drop found at higher levels.
Tree Frog - vendor; BoU
Description: yellowish-green frog (no spots)
Affiliation: neutral
Rarity: common
Sold by: Flik for 1g - Darkmoon Faire (Elwynn Forest & Mulgore)
Wood Frog - vendor; BoU
Description: greenish-yellow frog w/ dark spots (same model as Lifelike Mechanical Toad)
Affiliation: neutral
Rarity: uncommon
Sold by: Flik for 1g - Darkmoon Faire (Elwynn Forest & Mulgore)
Notes: Limited supply (1). Frog croaks when idle.
(b) SNAKES:
Black Kingsnake - vendor; BoU
Description: black snake
Affiliation: horde (Troll)
Rarity: common
Sold by: Xan'tish for 50s - Orgrimmar
Notes: Only sold to horde players. Alliance players may purchase this pet through a neutral AH and on occasion through their own AH.
Brown Snake - vendor; BoU
Description: brownish-green snake w/ black stripes
Affiliation: horde (Troll)
Rarity: common
Sold by: Xan'tish for 50s - Orgrimmar
Notes: Only sold to horde players. Alliance players may purchase this pet through a neutral AH and on occasion through their own AH.
Crimson Snake - vendor; BoU
Description: red snake
Affiliation: neutral
Rarity: common (horde); uncommon (alliance)
Sold by: Xan'tish for 50s - Orgrimmar; Dealer Rashaad for 40s - The Stormspire
Notes: Alliance players may purchase this pet in Outland.
(c) OTHER:
Speedy (turtle) - quest; BoP
Description: green turtle w/ yellow/brown spotted shell
Affiliation: neutral
Rarity: uncommon
Quest Reward: [10] Children's Week
Notes: Chosen among three vanity pets as a reward after completing a series of Children's Week quests.
4. DRAGONKIN:
These adorable little dragons and dragonesque creatures are some of the most gorgeous non-combat pets in the game.
(a) WHELPLINGS:
Dark Whelpling - drop; BoU
Description: black dragon whelp w/ beige belly
Affiliation: neutral
Rarity: rare
Dropped by: Scalding Whelp (41-43) - Badlands, Searing Whelp (42-43) - Dustwallow Marsh
Notes: Flying pet. May spin around when idle.
Tiny Crimson Whelpling - drop; BoU
Description: red dragon whelp w/ beige belly
Affiliation: neutral
Rarity: rare[
Dropped by: Crimson, Red, and Flamesnorting Whelps (24-27) - Wetlands
Notes: Flying pet. May spin around when idle.
Tiny Emerald Whelpling - drop; BoU
Description: green dragon whelp w/ yellow belly
Affiliation: neutral
Rarity: very rare
Dropped by: Dreaming Whelp (35-36) - Swamp of Sorrows
Notes: Flying pet. May spin around when idle. While the drop rate for this pet is similar to Crimson and Dark Whelplings, there are less Dreaming Whelps to kill, making the Emerald Whelpling the most rare of the three.
(b) DRAGONHAWKS & FAERIE DRAGONS:
Blue Dragonhawk Hatchling - vendor; BoU
Description: blue dragonhawk w/ teal wing tips
Affiliation: neutral
Rarity: rare
Sold by: Dealer Rashaad for 10g - The Stormspire
Notes: Coming soon! Flying pet. While anyone can purchase this pet, it's rare due to it's price and Outland-only availability..
Golden Dragonhawk Hatchling - vendor; BoU
Description: Orangish-gold dragonhawk
Affiliation: horde (Blood Elf)
Rarity: common
Sold by: Jilanne for 50s - Fairbreeze Village, Eversong Woods
Notes: Coming soon! Flying pet. Only sold to horde players. Alliance players may purchase this pet through a neutral AH and on occasion through their own AH.
Red Dragonhawk Hatchling - vendor; BoU
Description: Reddish-pink dragonhawk
Affiliation: horde (Blood Elf)
Rarity: common
Sold by: Jilanne for 50s - Fairbreeze Village, Eversong Woods
Notes: [Coming soon! Flying pet. Only sold to horde players. Alliance players may purchase this pet through a neutral AH and on occasion through their own AH.
Silver Dragonhawk Hatchling - vendor; BoU
Description: Silver-gray dragonhawk
Affiliation: horde (Blood Elf)
Rarity: common
Sold by: Jilanne for 50s - Fairbreeze Village, Eversong Woods
Notes: Coming soon! Flying pet. Only sold to horde players. Alliance players may purchase this pet through a neutral AH and on occasion through their own AH.
Sprite Darter Hatchling - quest; BoP
Description: small rainbow-colored Farie Dragon
Affiliation: alliance-only
Rarity: rare
Quest Reward: [47] Becoming a Parent
Notes: Flying pet. As this quest line is alliance-only, horde players may not obtain this pet.
5. INVERTEBRATES:
Perhaps you prefer the type of pet that creeps and crawls, making others uncomfortable wherever you go. If so, these pets are for you.
(a) MOTHS:
Blue Moth - vendor; BoU
Description: blue moth with fusia markings
Affiliation: alliance (Draenei)
Rarity: common
Sold by: Tuura for 50s - The Exodar
Notes: Coming soon! Flying pet. Only sold to alliance players. Horde players may purchase this pet through a neutral AH and on occasion through their own AH.
Red Moth - vendor; BoU
Description: reddish-brown moth with green wings
Affiliation: neutral
Rarity: rare
Sold by: Dealer Rashaad for 10g - The Stormspire
Notes: Coming soon! Flying pet. While anyone can purchase this pet, it's rare due to it's price and Outland-only availability.
White Moth - vendor; BoU
Description: white moth with black markings
Affiliation: alliance (Draenei)
Rarity: common
Sold by: Tuura for 50s - The Exodar
Notes: Coming soon! Flying pet. Only sold to alliance players. Horde players may purchase this pet through a neutral AH and on occasion through their own AH.
Yellow Moth - vendor; BoU
Description: yellow moth with blue markings
Affiliation: alliance (Draenei)
Rarity: common
Sold by: Tuura for 50s - The Exodar
Notes: Coming soon! Flying pet. Only sold to alliance players. Horde players may purchase this pet through a neutral AH and on occasion through their own AH.
(b) OTHER:
Cockroach - vendor; BoU
Description: brown insect
Affiliation: neutral
Rarity: common (horde); uncommon (alliance)
Sold by: Jeremiah Payson for 50s - Undercity; Dealer Rashaad for 40s - The Stormspire
Notes: Flying pet (when moving). Alliance players may purchase this pet in Outland.
Disgusting Oozeling - drop; BoU
Description: green globule
Affiliation: neutral
Rarity: rare
Dropped by: Oozing Bag (dropped by most 50+ slimes)
Notes: To date, this is the only NC pet which effects combat. Unfortunately, its 'Disgusting Aura' is negative: -20 to defense and -20 to all resistances (and adds a green tint to the owner). Disgusting Oozling will also drink any Dark Iron Ale thrown on the ground.
Mana Wyrmling - vendor; BoU
Description: dark green flying wyrm w/ bluish translucent fins
Affiliation: neutral
Rarity: very rare
Sold by: Dealer Rashaad for 40g - The Stormspire
Notes: Coming soon! Flying pet. While anyone can purchase this pet, it's very rare due to it's high price and Outland-only availability.
Smolderweb Hatchling - quest; BoP
Description: small blue crystaline spider
Affiliation: neutral
Rarity: rare
Quest Reward: [55] En-Ay-Es-Tee-Why
Notes: At one time, Smolderweb Hatchlings were able to attack mobs for a small amount of damage, but this ability was removed.
6. MECHANICAL PETS:
Engineers throughout Azeroth can create a variety of player-made menchanical friends. So if you prefer an erector set for a pet, consider some of the following ingenious wind-up toys.
Lifelike Mechanical Toad - player-made; BoU
Description: greenish-yellow frog w/ dark spots (same model as Wood Frog)
Affiliation: neutral
Rarity: uncommon
Player-made: requires Engineering 265 to make
Notes: May be used by non-engineers. Recipe is a rare BoE drop found at higher levels.
Lil' Smoky - player-made; BoP
Description: small reaper-like robot
Affiliation: neutral (Gnomish engineers)
Rarity: very rare
Player-made: requires Engineering 205 to make
Notes: Makes a non-stop high-pitched whirring noise. Chance for BoP recipe drop in a mailed package upon renewal of Gnomish Engineering Membership Card.
Mechanical Chicken - quest; BoU
Description: chicken w/ mechanized skin
Affiliation: neutral
Rarity: rare
Quest Reward: [40] OOX-22/FE Distress Beacon, [43] OOX-09/HL Distress Beacon, [43] OOX-17/TN Distress Beacon
Notes: May be used by non-engineers. Must complete all three quests to earn this reward. However, because it is BoU, you may buy the item from another player.
Mechanical Squirrel - player-made; BoU
Description: squirrel w/ mechanized skin
Affiliation: neutral
Rarity: common
Player-made: requires Engineering 75 to make
Notes: May be used by non-engineers. Recipe is a BoE drop found at lower levels.
Pet Bombling - player-made; BoP
Description: black bomb w/ feet
Affiliation: neutral (Goblin engineers)
Rarity: very rare
Player-made: requires Engineering 205 to make
Notes: Clanks and ticks as it moves about. Chance for BoP recipe drop in a mailed package upon renewal of Goblin Engineering Membership Card.
Tranquil Mechanical Yeti - player-made; BoU
Description: Gnome-sized grayish-white yeti
Affiliation: neutral
Rarity: rare
Player-made: requires Engineering 265 to make
Notes: May be used by non-engineers. BoP recipe may be purchased from Umi Rumplesnicker after completing [58] Are We There Yeti quest line.
7. SEASONAL COMPANIONS:
Winter, spring, summer, or fall, 'tis the season for a festive companion.
Green Helper - drop; BoU
Description: tiny male Gnome in green & white holiday attire
Affiliation: neutral
Rarity: uncommon
Dropped by: various gift-wrapped presents; available only during Winter Veil event
Notes: Requires a snowball to summon.
Peddlefeet - drop; BoP
Description: tiny cupid-like Goblin w/ wings
Affiliation: neutral
Rarity: very rare
Dropped by: Gift of Adoration:
Notes: Flying pet. Summoned by 'Truesilver Shafted Arrow'. This is a very rare pet as it is only available for a few days each year and the drop rate is quite low.
Red Helper - drop; BoU
Description: tiny female Gnome in red & white holiday attire
Affiliation: neutral
Rarity: uncommon
Dropped by: various gift-wrapped presents; available only during Winter Veil event
Notes: Requires a snowball to summon.
Snowman - drop; BoU
Description: small snowman
Affiliation: neutral
Rarity: uncommon
Dropped by: various gift-wrapped presents; available only during Winter Veil event
Notes: Snowman is immobile and will remain where he is summoned. If you "/dance" with a him, it will dance as well. Requires a snowball to summon.
Spirit of Summer - quest; BoP
Description: red wisp-like spirit
Affiliation: neutral
Rarity: rare
Quest: [60] A Light in Dark Places; available only during Midsummer Fire Festival event
Notes: Flying pet. Summoned by 'Captured Flame'.
Winter Reindeer - drop; BoU
Description: small brown reindeer
Affiliation: neutral
Rarity: uncommon
Dropped by: various gift-wrapped presents; available only during Winter Veil event
Notes: Requires a snowball to summon.
8. MISCELLANEOUS PETS:
Gurky - special; BoP
Description: baby Murloc; salmon-colored w/ teal spines
Affiliation: neutral
Rarity: very rare
Special Gift: [unknown - not yet released]
Notes: It is assumed that Gurky, while idle, will don a top hat/cane and dance like Murky. It is also assumed that a special code will be required to obtain this pet.
Hippogryph Hatchling - special; BoP
Description: blue baby hippogrph w/ orange wings and underbelly
Affiliation: neutral
Rarity: very rare
Special Gift: Legendary Loot Card
Notes: Redeemed through the very rare Thunderhead Hippogryph Legendary Loot card. This card is from the World of Warcraft collectable trading card game.
Mini Diablo - special; BoP
Description: tiny red Diablo critter
Affiliation: neutral
Rarity: very rare
Special Gift: World of Warcraft - Collector's Edition
Notes: May create a pillar of fire when idle. Collector's Edition is no longer sold in stores, making this a very rare pet.
Murky - special; BoP
Description: baby Murloc; light blue w/ orange spines
Affiliation: neutral
Rarity: very rare
Special Gift: BlizCon 2005
Notes: Murky may don a top hat/cane and dance while idle. Only attendees of BlizCon 2005 received a special code to obtain this pet.
Netherwhelp - special; BoP
Description: [unknown at this time]
Affiliation: neutral
Rarity: rare/very rare
Special Gift: The Burning Crusade - Collector's Edition
Notes: A limited number of these Collector's Editions will be distributed, making this a rare to very rare pet. It is not yet known how rare it will be.
Zergling - special; BoP
Description: reddish-brown Zerg creature from StarCraft; looks similar to a small felhound
Affiliation: neutral
Rarity: very rare
Special Gift: World of Warcraft - Collector's Edition
Notes: Collector's Edition is no longer sold in stores, making this a very rare pet.
Hunter PVE DPS Tricks, Tips, and everything else 3.08
by Agiri of Boulderfist (US)
significant portions of this guide originally by Reverance of Alleria (US) (at level 70)
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. Frequently Asked Questions
3. Talents **builds finished, specifics on talents under construction**
4. Itemization Basics
5 . Pet Basics
6. Rotations: Shots and Stings
7. User Interface/Addons/Macros **under construction**
8. Pre-Raid Gear List
9. Gems, Glyphs and Enchants
10. Known Hunter Bugs / Issues
11. Links **under construction**
News: Currently updating for 3.0.8 Next up is Talents, then Macros and Links.
1. Introduction
Hunters are the only ranged, physical damage dealing class in WoW. Hunters combine the best damage dealing in the game with above average Crowd Control and raid utility. A skilled hunter progresses his or her group quickly through trash and bosses alike with a minimum of fuss, depending on a mix of ranged shots, deadly personalized pets and occasional devastating melee swings. Hunters are a class which scales dramatically with player skill- the more you know and the better you get, the more you will get out of your hunter. The intent of this guide is to help you do exactly that.
If you find a mistake in the guide, politely point it out in the comments and I will be happy to fix the problem. If you disagree with my recommendations on talents, gear or pets, you are more than welcome to make your objections know. Keep it polite and have hard math to back it up, though, or I'll be happy to tear into you. This is a step above the rest of the hunter forums - not a place for you to say "Some lvl 70 on the EU forums thinks that so and so is such and such, so you're wrong". This guide is to teach, not to flame and argue. Keep it clean and keep it helpful.
2. Frequently Asked Questions
I need a Steady Shot macro!
In Wrath of the Lich King, a “shot macro” is no longer required in order to maximize hunter damage. That said, there is still benefit to using macros. See the UI/Addons/Macro section for more information.
I want to do a lot of damage. Is this a good class for me?
Hunters are one of the 4 “pure dps” classes, and so are designed by Blizzard to produce reliably high dps in the hands of a capable player. However, rogues, warlocks and mages are also designed for high damage, and a player who wishes to top damage charts but who finds pet management and shot rotations too difficult or not fun may enjoy another dps class more.
I want to be helpful to my group. Is this a good class for me?
Hunters bring a fair amount of utility to a group. Tenacity pets are quite capable offtanks, and can even main tank in some circumstances (all WotLK 5-mans have been tanked by hunter pets). A hunter of any spec can use Misdirection to pull monsters from range and send them directly to the tank, and depending on spec, hunters bring either a 3% damage buff, a 10% attack power buff, or a mana replenishment buff to the group.
Is it possible to play a melee-oriented Hunter?
It is possible, but not optimal. Again it is possible but neglecting ranged attacks and utility is even worse than neglecting your pet. Hunter melee is designed around delivering a heavy burst of damage while snaring or rooting your opponent with the goal of moving back to range. Hunters have no facility for sustained melee damage.
I’ve heard a lot about “trap dancing”. What is that? What's it for?
Trap Dancing is a style of Survival hunter play that depends on dropping Immolation traps at frequent intervals in order to increase the number of Lock ‘N Load procs and therefore Explosive Shots. It is a dps increase in theory, but more time and testing is required before I will pass judgment on whether or not it is viable on live server boss fights.
What's the best race for hunters?
Dwarves, Orcs, Draenai and Trolls have excellent PVE abilities, while Night Elves, Dwarves, Tauren and Orcs have good PVP abilities. Every race has interesting perks and can be effective in any environment.
What talent spec should I be?
Any of the three trees can be effective when played well, though their strengths differ. For more information, see the Talents section of this guide.
Beast Mastery - Generally best personal DPS against single targets. Ferocious Inspiration gives +3% damage to the entire raid, magic users included.
Marksmanship - High PvP control and burst damage. Solid sustained damage against multiple targets. True-Shot Aura is a raid-wide +10% Attack Power boost.
Survival - Good personal damage. Excellent crowd control. Replenishment regens mana for your raid every time you crit.
What's the spec for leveling?
Hunters level quickly no matter what spec you choose. Both Beast Mastery and Marksmanship are solid leveling specs, especially once you have either 31 point talent. Survival requires a lot of talent points and appropriate gear for the synergy to kick in.
What's the best pet?
Refer to the Pet section of this guide, or head on over to petopia.brashendeavors.net. The short answer is Cat or Raptor for PVE dps.
What happens to my tamed exotic pet when I change specs?
Your pet will sit in your stable and wait for you to love him enough to take him out again.
Common talent builds:
(All assume you can reach the hitcap through gear alone - see Itemization section for more details on the hitcap). In each of these builds I take 1/3 Imp. Monkey to reach the 3rd tier of the BM tree- that is purely personal preference. Many hunters prefer 1/5 Endurance Training.
BM 50/21: This spec is no longer recommended for serious PVE, due to the "nerf" which prevents Readiness from resetting the cooldown of Bestial Wrath.
BM 50/14/7 : http://www.wowhead.com/?talent=cxdMzxtRwu0ekx0eVoZx00b
This is the top BM spec currently, but MM and SV both do better dps.
Pure raid 15/51/5 MM: http://www.wowhead.com/?talent=ctbMzLZ0eAfMhzMxoxhiox
This is the current top MM spec.
PVE 11/53/7 MM with PVP abilities: http://www.wowhead.com/?talent=cxdMzZ0eAbRhzGxoguVox00b
This build picks up Aimed and Silencing shot for more PVP capability.
Mana-efficient 15/51/5 MM: http://www.wowhead.com/?talent=ctbMzLZ0eAbMIzMxoghVox
Only use this MM spec if you have severe mana issues in PVE. Both MM specs above this will do more damage.
iAotH SV 2/18/51 Trapdancing/Sniper Training hybrid: http://www.wowhead.com/?talent=cbZ0eVozhZe00i0cIhxdAhsz
This build allows the use of the imp Aspect of the Hawk glyph. It is the current *theorycrafted* maxdps build, and allows both trap dancing and sniper training as the situation warrants. It does not take hunting party- if your raid depends on you for replenishment, you will have to choose between ST and traps.
iAotH SV 6/14/51 w/ Sniper Training: http://www.wowhead.com/?talent=cxoZ0eVoZe00i0cIhxdAhsz
This build is better dps than the one above if you are far from the hastecap (<160 haste).
Itemization: Understanding Stats
Quick Reference
1 Stamina = 10 Health
1 Intellect = 15 Mana
1 Attack Power = 1 Ranged Attack Power & 1 Melee Attack Power
1 Strength = 1 Melee Attack Power
1 Agility = 1 Ranged Attack Power
1 Agility = 2 Armor
30 Agility = 1% Dodge
88 Agility = 1% Crit
Rating System
Hit, Haste, Critical Strike, Armor Penetration and Resilience are represented in both rating and percentage form. The conversion formula from rating -> percent changes based on your level and the stat involved. The higher your level, the more rating you need to achieve the same percent. Ratings Buster is a good addon that breaks down the ratings into %’s so you don’t have to. For convenience, there is also a table here:
32.79 Hit Rating = 1% Hit
32.79 Haste Rating = 1% Haste
45.91 Critical Strike Rating = 1% Crit
15.40 Armor Penetration = 1% armor ignored
82.00 Resilience Rating = -1% chance to be Crit, -1% damage taken from DoTs, -2% damage taken from Crits
Critting, Hitting, and Missing
Ranged attacks can either crit, hit, or miss. (They can be blocked too, but you can ignore that). They cannot be dodged or parried, so Expertise -- the stat which lowers dodges and parries -- is useless to us. (Incidentally, Expertise does not transfer to pets either).
Hunter theorycrafters believe that a "two roll" attack system is used for ranged shots. That is, for each shot you make, the server “rolls” two numbers. The first roll decides whether your shot missed entirely. If it didn't miss, the server rolls again to determine whether the shot hits or crits. This implies that having hit rating that is below the cap will actually decrease your crit chance as well (i.e. if your chance to miss is 5% and your chance to crit is 30%, your actual chance to crit is 28.5%)
Eliminating Misses
As you can see, hit rating is very important for a hunter. Fortunately, gear with hit rating on it is fairly easy to obtain, and there are talents to help out as well. So how much do you need?
Base chance to miss depends on your target's level compared to your own:
+0 level - 5% miss
+1 level - 5.5% miss
+2 level - 6% miss
+3 level - 8% miss
Yes, that IS suddenly an extra 2% going from two to three levels higher. Raid bosses -- with the skull for a level -- are treated as +3 targets.
The talent Focused Aim adds 1% Hit per point (for a maximum +3%) which is not reflected on paper doll stats. FA is a good talent with which to maximize your hit if necessary, but it is not advised to use FA if you can cap hit through gear. Unlike hit from gear, hit from FA does not transfer to your pet, and there is some evidence that using FA results in a lower chance to crit (remember that 2-roll system?).
The good news is that there is lots of gear with hit rating on it. Every 32.79 hit rating grants another 1% hit at 80. To stop missing against raid bosses, you need:
263 hit rating - normal
230 hit rating – with Draenai aura
164 hit rating - with 3/3 FA
131 hit rating – with 3/3 FA and Draenai aura
(In PVP you need only 5% hit, or 164 without FA or aura)
Attack Power and Crit Synergy
Attack Power increases the damage of your hits and your crits. Crit chance increases frequency of crits. Both stats become more valuable as the other stat improves. 1% Crit means more at 2000 Attack Power than at 1500 Attack Power. 100 Attack Power means more at 30% Crit than 20% Crit. Many Hunters have trouble seeing both directions at first. This misunderstanding can make those with really high Attack Power continue to favor Attack Power, or those with really high Crit continue to favor Crit. Best results come from favoring the lacking stat.
It can be hard to tell which combination of Attack Power and Crit is best, given your current stats and talents. Use of a spreadsheet like the one linked at the end of this guide is essential for making the most of your gear and maximizing dps.
Attack Power
Attack Power is the stat that makes individual hits and crits show big numbers. The exact contribution of Attack Power for any particular attack varies by that attack's formula. See the 'Shots and Stings' section of this guide for details.
Critical Strike Chance
Crit stat increases frequency of crits, not damage done by individual crits. Untalented, crits deal double damage compared to normal hits. With 5/5 Mortal Shots, they deal 2.3 times normal damage. Improved Tracking, Noxious Stings and Focused Fire all add to normal damage, and therefore crit damage as well. The Relentless Earthsiege Diamond metagem adds 3% crit damage.
Agility
Agility is good for ranged damage because it adds to both Attack Power and Crit simultaneously, taking advantage of the synergy between those stats. Survival Hunters gain an extra 15% total Agility from Lightning Reflexes and 1/4 of total Agility becomes Attack Power for SV hunters and their pets when Expose Weakness is up.
In The Burning Crusade, hunters typically socketed agility gems over any other sort, figuring that raw agility was a dps increase over socket bonuses or the advantages of attack power. In Wrath of the Lich King, the situation has reversed. The addition of raidwide +10% AP buffs has made Attack Power gems the new standbys. Survival hunters will still find Agility gems to be better, though.
Haste
If reaching hitcap is a PVE hunter's first priority, then reaching the haste "softcap" should be their second!
The "haste softcap" is the amount of haste required to reduce the cast time of Steady Shot from the base 2.0 seconds to the Global Cool Down of 1.5 seconds.
Haste does not change damage done by individual Shots. When a Shot's formula calls for ranged weapon speed, it's asking for the unchanging speed listed on that weapon's tooltip. Haste reduces the time between Auto Shots and the cast time of Steady Shot. Divide current time by 1 + Haste to find the new time. For example, a 2.0 sec cast with 20% Haste increase:
2.0 / (1.20) = 1.67 sec
Multiple Haste effects are multiplied together. Haste Rating from gear is added together, converted to a percent, and used as a single Haste effect to be multiplied with the other Haste effects. Let's apply Serpent's Swiftness (+20%), Rapid Fire (+40%), and Improved Aspect of the Hawk (+15%) to that same 2.0 sec cast:
2.0 / ( 1.20 * 1.40 * 1.15 ) = 1.03 sec
Through some fairly simple math, we see that BM hunters are softcapped right out of the box with 5/5 Serpent's Swiftness and a +15% quiver. MM and SV hunters, however, have a 15% quiver and no talents, so they require 523 haste to soft-cap.
It's not as bad as it sounds, though- imp Aspect of the Hawk helps quite a bit, as does its glyph, and there is plenty of haste on entry level gear in WotLK. iAotH is worth 98.37 haste per point when it is active, and the glyph adds 196.74 to that. In other words, the beginning MM or SV hunter can take just 1 point in iAotH and be assured of 295 haste on a regular basis!
Intellect
Each point of Intellect adds 15 to mana capacity, and 1 AP with 3/3 Careful Aim.
Stamina
Stamina adds to health (1 stam = 10 hp, without modifiers) and is modified by the Tauren racial (+5% health) and the talent Endurance Training (+1% per rank). The talent Survivalist adds +2% stamina per rank, and is required for the talent Hunter Versus Wild, which turns stamina in attack power for the hunter and pet.
Magical Resistances
Reduces damage from a school of magic by a certain percent. Your raid leaders should let you know about any resistance expectations.
MP5, Spell Power & Spirit
These stats are effectively useless for Hunters and are not worth stacking.
Pet Basics
Taming a Pet
At level 10, you will be directed to a particular class trainer depending on race. If you are above level 10 and do not yet have a pet, check www.wowhead.com for information on the quest "Taming the Beast" specific to your race and starting area.
At this point you can tame nearly anything with 'Beast' on its tooltip. There are some exceptions such as fish. You must also find a beast at your own level or below.
To tame a beast, simply select it and click 'Tame Beast.' Several things will happen. The beast will attack you, your armor will drop to zero, and you will start a 20 second spell channel. If any other player pulls aggro on the beast, taming will fail.
Taming tips
* Clear the area of any other mobs or hostile players.
* Start at max taming range: 30 yards. Farther if pulling with a Shot.
* Once you have Freezing Trap, lay one down before starting.
* Concussive Shot will slow the beast's approach.
* Scorpid Sting and Aspect of the Monkey reduce damage taken.
* Have some food ready to use right after taming. Otherwise it may run away.
Sometimes taming will still fail for unknown reasons. Run away or Feign Death to reset the mob and try again. Once taming succeeds, you can rename your pet once by right clicking its portrait and selecting 'Rename'.
Happiness
Pets have a special "status" known as Happiness. There are three levels of Happiness shown by the face icon next to the pet's health bar:
* Happy - green smiling face. Pet does 125% of normal damage
* Content - yellow neutral face. Pet does normal damage
* Unhappy - red frowning face. Pet does 75% of normal damage
Increase Happiness by feeding your pet. The Mend Pet minor glyph also grants your pet 20 Happiness each time you use it - not much, but it can be helpful. Happiness is lost when your pet dies (big amount), when you cast Dismiss Pet (small amount), or just by having it out at all (slow trickle). Tell your pet to stay then run away from it to cause a no-penalty dismissal.
Feeding
Depending on your pet's family (e.g. a Boar or Serpent), it will only eat particular types of food. Usually one to three from the following list: Fish, Meat, Fruit, Fungus, Cheese, Bread. At level 24, you'll learn a new spell 'Beast Lore' which lists the kind of foods the targeted Beast likes. Nearly every kind of pet will either eat Meat or Bread. Food that is within 10 levels of your pet will grant 35 Happiness/tick. After feeding, wait the 20 seconds out before feeding again, or the extra food just goes to waste.
Leveling
If you choose to tame a pet that is much lower level than you, the pet will automatically level up to 5 levels below you. When you kill a monster that would normally grant you experience, your pet gains experience. Just be sure to kill non-gray mobs.
Pets don't benefit from the rest bonus or quest experience. Nor can pets start working on a level you haven't finished gaining yourself. For these reasons, it isn't practical to level multiple pets simultaneously.
Focus
Instead of mana, pets use Focus which is very similar to a Rogue's Energy bar. Focus ticks up by 24 points every four seconds. Normal “white” attacks don't consume any Focus. When a pet uses more focus than it can regenerate, it is referred to as “focus-starved”. This condition is bad for dps, but fortunately there are ways to avoid it.
The hunter talent 'Bestial Discipline' increases pet focus regen by 12 focus / 4 sec per point, to a maximum of 48 focus / 4 seconds. The hunter talent 'Go for the Throat' grants your pet an extra 25 focus per point every time you get a ranged crit.
A common mistake made by MM and SV hunters is to neglect Go for the Throat in favor of other talents. Don’t do this. Even though MM and SV specs depend less on their pets than BM, that pet is still a significant portion of a hunter’s dps, and it is a mistake not to help it along.
Pet Talents
Pets have talent trees similar to the trees that players use. Unlike players, pets can only have points in one tree, and the tree they use is determined by their type. For instance, Cats are dps pets that use the Ferocity tree, while Wind Serpents are utility pets that use the Cunning tree. The pet tanking tree is Tenacity, and is used by pets such as gorillas and bears.
Sample Pet Talent Builds
Ferocity (non-exotic / 51 point BM): http://www.wowhead.com/?petcalc=chd00scz0hoo
Call of the Wild should be used during Bloodlust to provide a greater benefit to the raid.
Tenacity (non-exotic / 51 point BM): http://www.wowhead.com/?petcalc=M0bG0bu0b0o
Cunning (non-exotic / 51 point BM): http://www.wowhead.com/?petcalc=MRboz0ch0rzo
Tenacity dps (scorpid): http://www.wowhead.com/?petcalc=M0d0u0uzboo
The 51 BM talent gives an additional 4 pet talent points. These points don't add anything for dps for a ferocity pet, but they are good for tanking pets or for adding survivability to any pet.
Pet Skills
Every pet has access to Growl, Cower, and a damage-dealing “focus dump”. Each pet also has a unique ability based on pet family, as well as other potential abilities gained from pet talents.
Growl costs 15 Focus on a 5 second cooldown. Growling generates extra threat but does not force mobs to attack your pet.
Cower costs no focus and is on a 20 second cooldown. It does the opposite of Growl: lowers your pet's threat against its target.
The focus dumps are Smack, Bite, and Claw (depending on pet). Each costs 25 Focus with no cooldown, and does a small amount of damage, modified by your pet’s attack power.
Pet Control
Any time your pet is out, a new action bar will appear: the Petbar. Keybinds are listed as 'Secondary Action Button' 1-10. Slash commands also work in macros: /petattack, /petfollow, /petstay, /petaggressive, /petdefensive, /petpassive.
Set easy keybinds for /petattack and /petfollow. An important part of keeping your pet alive is pulling it back out of dangerous AoE pulses.
Most of the time -- particularly in PvE -- your pet should be set to Follow and Passive. Take care when jumping down ledges, crossing bridges, or climbing stairs in PvE. Pets sometimes path oddly and can aggro a bunch of mobs.
The middle of the pet bar is reserved for pet skills. Drag skills from the Pet tab of your spellbook and rearrange to your convenience. Right-clicking a skill in either place will toggle automatic mode on and off.
Choosing a Pet
Beast Family
The key to pet performance is beast family. Beast family is now the only distinction between pets. "A Cat is a Cat," as some like to put it. Things which do not affect performance:
* Level at which it was tamed
* Stats revealed by Beast Lore before taming
* Whether it was an Elite, Rare, or named mob
* Model or color
Beast family matters and that's it.
Family Multipliers and Skills
Each pet has a positive modifier for 2 or 3 of the following: pet Damage, Health, and Armor. Which modifiers the pet gets depend on the role the pet fills. For instance, Tenacity pets such as Scorpids have a +5% armor modifier and a +10% health modifier. Ferocity pets like cats have a +10% damage modifier and a +5% health modifier. These multipliers affect everything, not just base stats.
As mentioned in 'Pet Basics', many skills are tied to a certain family or set of families. Skills available to a particular family have a profound impact on that family's total damage and utility, beyond what the multipliers alone might suggest.
Warning: a few specific beasts have so-called "caster stats." Their mana stats are high while physical stats are low. Avoid taming beasts with a mana bar. Happily, all pet families are available in non-caster versions.
Beast Family Reference
Popular Families
Cats, Devilsaurs (exotic) and Raptors are all excellent DPS families. They share a 10% Damage multiplier and have excellent damage-dealing special abilities. Cats currently dish out the most damage of any Ferocity pets in PVE, followed closely by Raptors.
Scorpids were a popular dps pet at the release of WotLK due to their stacking poison and scaling with raid buffs, but they were nerfed heavily in patch 3.0.8. Scorpids are not a recommended dps pet any longer.
Wasps were bugged at wotlk release, but have been fixed and are a viable option for 5-mans and possibly raids. Sting special prevents rogues from stealthing and can supply your party or raid with a minor armor debuff similar to the one that a warlock or druid can bring.
Wolves are another “utility” pet, even though they are considered “ferocity”, they do less damage than ferocity pets with damaging specials. However, Howl increases party damage, at least for those in range. Be aware that Howl does not stack with a warrior’s Battle Shout or a Pally’s Blessing of Might.
Gorillas are another popular pet. They are great for leveling and solo farming. The AoE threat of Thunderstomp allows you to pull large packs of mobs and defeat them singlehandedly.
Further Information
See petopia.brashendeavors.net for more information about specific pets, where to tame them, and what skills they can use.
Rotations: Shots and Stings
Quick Reference
Shot rotations for maximum dps by spec:
BM will always be a tight rotation: Serpent > Arcane > Steady x3 > Arcane > Steady x3 > Arcane > Steady x3 > Serpent
MM will depend on haste: Serpent > Chimera > Arcane > Steady x4 or 5 > Chimera (MM without Imp Steady should use Arcane on cooldown)
SV: Serpent > Explosive > Steady x4 > Explosive > Steady x4 > Explosive > Serpent
SV differs from BM and MM rotations in that it is a priority rotation. At any point that you get a Lock 'N Load proc, you immediately fire Explosive > Steady > Explosive >Steady > Explosive and then resume your normal rotation.
If you have mana to spare, you can spec Aimed Shot and replace a Steady Shot every 6 seconds in all rotations. Aimed does more damage than Steady, but costs double the mana. If you start needing to go into Viper, leave Aimed out of the rotation.
Shot Damage Formula
Auto Shot
BowMax + (AttackPower/14)*BowSpeed + Ammo + Scope
Steady Shot
(2.8 / BowSpeed) * BowMax + 0.1*Attack Power + 252 + Ammo
Steady Shot (Dazed)
(2.8 / BowSpeed) * BowMax + 0.1*Attack Power + 427 + Ammo
Chimera Shot (Nature Damage)
(1.25)(Bowmax + (AP /14)* Bowspeed + Ammo + Scope)
Explosive Shot (Fire Damage)
(AttackPower)*( 0.16) + 516 + Ammo (every second for 2 seconds - 3 ticks total)
Multi-Shot
BowMax + 2.8*(Attack Power/14) + Ammo + Scope + 408
Aimed Shot
BowMax + (Attack Power/14) + Ammo + Scope + 408
Arcane Shot
0.15*Attack Power + 492
Silencing Shot & Scatter Shot
AutoShotMax / 2
Volley Tick
505 + 0.1*Attackpower
Substitute 'BowMin' for 'BowMax' to find lower bounds. Steady, Multi, Aimed, Arcane, and Volley have a rank based bonus. Formulas given above reflect top rank bonuses.
Note: Above formulas are before general multipliers like Ranged Weapon Specialization, Focus Fire, and Armor mitigation. Multipliers can be applied in any order.
Weapon Tooltip Stats
The min damage, max damage, speed, and DPS listed on a ranged weapon's tooltip are all used in Shot formulas. BowDPS is really just the average of BowMin and BowMax divided by BowSpeed.
Scopes and Ammunition
Scope and Ammo represent how much each is raising damage per shot. Diamond-Cut Refractor Scopes, for example, have a modifier of 15. Crit, haste and Hit scopes have a modifier of 0.
Shells and Arrows also boost per-shot damage like scopes, but their modifier scales with BowSpeed. Terrorshaft Arrow, for example, adds 46.5 damage per second. This really means 46.5 weapon damage per second of BowSpeed. So for a 2.9 second bow: 46.5 * 2.9 = 134 Ammo modifier.
Steady Shot and Arcane Shot ignore bonus damage from scopes, which is the main reason that most hunters get crit or haste scopes instead of +damage scopes.
Stings
Hunters have 4 different "stings" in their arsenal. Each applies a Poison debuff to a target. Only one sting per hunter may be active on any one target at a time. One hunter can have multiple stings up simultaneously on different targets. Stings do not benefit from crit, Imp Tracking, or Ranged Weapon Specialization. They do benefit from Improved Stings, Noxious Stings, and Focused Fire.
Serpent Sting
Serpent Sting is the main damage dealing sting. It ticks 5 times over 15 seconds, doing a total amount equal to:
Attack Power * 0.2 + 1210
Improved Stings multiplies this total damage by another 30%, and Glyph of Serpent Sting adds another tick of damage that does equal damage to the first 5. The glyph does not reduce the damage of any tick.
Serpent Sting is a fundamental part of a PVE hunter’s rotation. Glyph of Steady Shot adds +10% damage to your Steady Shot if you have a sting on the target.
Scorpid Sting
A 20 second non-damaging debuff that turns 3% of the target's ranged and melee attacks into full out misses. This includes most special attacks. Look at it as buffing the tank (and everyone else) with an extra 3% Dodge.
Viper Sting
Viper Sting drains 16% of the target's mana over 8 sec (up to a maximum of 32% of the hunter''s maximum mana). Improved Stings increases it to 21% drained. Viper Sting will break crowd control such as Freezing Traps.
Wyvern Sting
Wyvern Sting puts the target to sleep for 12 seconds. When the sleep ends, for any reason, the sting does 2082 damage over 6 seconds. Improved Stings multiplies damage by another 30%. Though short, extra crowd control is always welcome.
significant portions of this guide originally by Reverance of Alleria (US) (at level 70)
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. Frequently Asked Questions
3. Talents **builds finished, specifics on talents under construction**
4. Itemization Basics
5 . Pet Basics
6. Rotations: Shots and Stings
7. User Interface/Addons/Macros **under construction**
8. Pre-Raid Gear List
9. Gems, Glyphs and Enchants
10. Known Hunter Bugs / Issues
11. Links **under construction**
News: Currently updating for 3.0.8 Next up is Talents, then Macros and Links.
1. Introduction
Hunters are the only ranged, physical damage dealing class in WoW. Hunters combine the best damage dealing in the game with above average Crowd Control and raid utility. A skilled hunter progresses his or her group quickly through trash and bosses alike with a minimum of fuss, depending on a mix of ranged shots, deadly personalized pets and occasional devastating melee swings. Hunters are a class which scales dramatically with player skill- the more you know and the better you get, the more you will get out of your hunter. The intent of this guide is to help you do exactly that.
If you find a mistake in the guide, politely point it out in the comments and I will be happy to fix the problem. If you disagree with my recommendations on talents, gear or pets, you are more than welcome to make your objections know. Keep it polite and have hard math to back it up, though, or I'll be happy to tear into you. This is a step above the rest of the hunter forums - not a place for you to say "Some lvl 70 on the EU forums thinks that so and so is such and such, so you're wrong". This guide is to teach, not to flame and argue. Keep it clean and keep it helpful.
2. Frequently Asked Questions
I need a Steady Shot macro!
In Wrath of the Lich King, a “shot macro” is no longer required in order to maximize hunter damage. That said, there is still benefit to using macros. See the UI/Addons/Macro section for more information.
I want to do a lot of damage. Is this a good class for me?
Hunters are one of the 4 “pure dps” classes, and so are designed by Blizzard to produce reliably high dps in the hands of a capable player. However, rogues, warlocks and mages are also designed for high damage, and a player who wishes to top damage charts but who finds pet management and shot rotations too difficult or not fun may enjoy another dps class more.
I want to be helpful to my group. Is this a good class for me?
Hunters bring a fair amount of utility to a group. Tenacity pets are quite capable offtanks, and can even main tank in some circumstances (all WotLK 5-mans have been tanked by hunter pets). A hunter of any spec can use Misdirection to pull monsters from range and send them directly to the tank, and depending on spec, hunters bring either a 3% damage buff, a 10% attack power buff, or a mana replenishment buff to the group.
Is it possible to play a melee-oriented Hunter?
It is possible, but not optimal. Again it is possible but neglecting ranged attacks and utility is even worse than neglecting your pet. Hunter melee is designed around delivering a heavy burst of damage while snaring or rooting your opponent with the goal of moving back to range. Hunters have no facility for sustained melee damage.
I’ve heard a lot about “trap dancing”. What is that? What's it for?
Trap Dancing is a style of Survival hunter play that depends on dropping Immolation traps at frequent intervals in order to increase the number of Lock ‘N Load procs and therefore Explosive Shots. It is a dps increase in theory, but more time and testing is required before I will pass judgment on whether or not it is viable on live server boss fights.
What's the best race for hunters?
Dwarves, Orcs, Draenai and Trolls have excellent PVE abilities, while Night Elves, Dwarves, Tauren and Orcs have good PVP abilities. Every race has interesting perks and can be effective in any environment.
What talent spec should I be?
Any of the three trees can be effective when played well, though their strengths differ. For more information, see the Talents section of this guide.
Beast Mastery - Generally best personal DPS against single targets. Ferocious Inspiration gives +3% damage to the entire raid, magic users included.
Marksmanship - High PvP control and burst damage. Solid sustained damage against multiple targets. True-Shot Aura is a raid-wide +10% Attack Power boost.
Survival - Good personal damage. Excellent crowd control. Replenishment regens mana for your raid every time you crit.
What's the spec for leveling?
Hunters level quickly no matter what spec you choose. Both Beast Mastery and Marksmanship are solid leveling specs, especially once you have either 31 point talent. Survival requires a lot of talent points and appropriate gear for the synergy to kick in.
What's the best pet?
Refer to the Pet section of this guide, or head on over to petopia.brashendeavors.net. The short answer is Cat or Raptor for PVE dps.
What happens to my tamed exotic pet when I change specs?
Your pet will sit in your stable and wait for you to love him enough to take him out again.
Common talent builds:
(All assume you can reach the hitcap through gear alone - see Itemization section for more details on the hitcap). In each of these builds I take 1/3 Imp. Monkey to reach the 3rd tier of the BM tree- that is purely personal preference. Many hunters prefer 1/5 Endurance Training.
BM 50/21: This spec is no longer recommended for serious PVE, due to the "nerf" which prevents Readiness from resetting the cooldown of Bestial Wrath.
BM 50/14/7 : http://www.wowhead.com/?talent=cxdMzxtRwu0ekx0eVoZx00b
This is the top BM spec currently, but MM and SV both do better dps.
Pure raid 15/51/5 MM: http://www.wowhead.com/?talent=ctbMzLZ0eAfMhzMxoxhiox
This is the current top MM spec.
PVE 11/53/7 MM with PVP abilities: http://www.wowhead.com/?talent=cxdMzZ0eAbRhzGxoguVox00b
This build picks up Aimed and Silencing shot for more PVP capability.
Mana-efficient 15/51/5 MM: http://www.wowhead.com/?talent=ctbMzLZ0eAbMIzMxoghVox
Only use this MM spec if you have severe mana issues in PVE. Both MM specs above this will do more damage.
iAotH SV 2/18/51 Trapdancing/Sniper Training hybrid: http://www.wowhead.com/?talent=cbZ0eVozhZe00i0cIhxdAhsz
This build allows the use of the imp Aspect of the Hawk glyph. It is the current *theorycrafted* maxdps build, and allows both trap dancing and sniper training as the situation warrants. It does not take hunting party- if your raid depends on you for replenishment, you will have to choose between ST and traps.
iAotH SV 6/14/51 w/ Sniper Training: http://www.wowhead.com/?talent=cxoZ0eVoZe00i0cIhxdAhsz
This build is better dps than the one above if you are far from the hastecap (<160 haste).
Itemization: Understanding Stats
Quick Reference
1 Stamina = 10 Health
1 Intellect = 15 Mana
1 Attack Power = 1 Ranged Attack Power & 1 Melee Attack Power
1 Strength = 1 Melee Attack Power
1 Agility = 1 Ranged Attack Power
1 Agility = 2 Armor
30 Agility = 1% Dodge
88 Agility = 1% Crit
Rating System
Hit, Haste, Critical Strike, Armor Penetration and Resilience are represented in both rating and percentage form. The conversion formula from rating -> percent changes based on your level and the stat involved. The higher your level, the more rating you need to achieve the same percent. Ratings Buster is a good addon that breaks down the ratings into %’s so you don’t have to. For convenience, there is also a table here:
32.79 Hit Rating = 1% Hit
32.79 Haste Rating = 1% Haste
45.91 Critical Strike Rating = 1% Crit
15.40 Armor Penetration = 1% armor ignored
82.00 Resilience Rating = -1% chance to be Crit, -1% damage taken from DoTs, -2% damage taken from Crits
Critting, Hitting, and Missing
Ranged attacks can either crit, hit, or miss. (They can be blocked too, but you can ignore that). They cannot be dodged or parried, so Expertise -- the stat which lowers dodges and parries -- is useless to us. (Incidentally, Expertise does not transfer to pets either).
Hunter theorycrafters believe that a "two roll" attack system is used for ranged shots. That is, for each shot you make, the server “rolls” two numbers. The first roll decides whether your shot missed entirely. If it didn't miss, the server rolls again to determine whether the shot hits or crits. This implies that having hit rating that is below the cap will actually decrease your crit chance as well (i.e. if your chance to miss is 5% and your chance to crit is 30%, your actual chance to crit is 28.5%)
Eliminating Misses
As you can see, hit rating is very important for a hunter. Fortunately, gear with hit rating on it is fairly easy to obtain, and there are talents to help out as well. So how much do you need?
Base chance to miss depends on your target's level compared to your own:
+0 level - 5% miss
+1 level - 5.5% miss
+2 level - 6% miss
+3 level - 8% miss
Yes, that IS suddenly an extra 2% going from two to three levels higher. Raid bosses -- with the skull for a level -- are treated as +3 targets.
The talent Focused Aim adds 1% Hit per point (for a maximum +3%) which is not reflected on paper doll stats. FA is a good talent with which to maximize your hit if necessary, but it is not advised to use FA if you can cap hit through gear. Unlike hit from gear, hit from FA does not transfer to your pet, and there is some evidence that using FA results in a lower chance to crit (remember that 2-roll system?).
The good news is that there is lots of gear with hit rating on it. Every 32.79 hit rating grants another 1% hit at 80. To stop missing against raid bosses, you need:
263 hit rating - normal
230 hit rating – with Draenai aura
164 hit rating - with 3/3 FA
131 hit rating – with 3/3 FA and Draenai aura
(In PVP you need only 5% hit, or 164 without FA or aura)
Attack Power and Crit Synergy
Attack Power increases the damage of your hits and your crits. Crit chance increases frequency of crits. Both stats become more valuable as the other stat improves. 1% Crit means more at 2000 Attack Power than at 1500 Attack Power. 100 Attack Power means more at 30% Crit than 20% Crit. Many Hunters have trouble seeing both directions at first. This misunderstanding can make those with really high Attack Power continue to favor Attack Power, or those with really high Crit continue to favor Crit. Best results come from favoring the lacking stat.
It can be hard to tell which combination of Attack Power and Crit is best, given your current stats and talents. Use of a spreadsheet like the one linked at the end of this guide is essential for making the most of your gear and maximizing dps.
Attack Power
Attack Power is the stat that makes individual hits and crits show big numbers. The exact contribution of Attack Power for any particular attack varies by that attack's formula. See the 'Shots and Stings' section of this guide for details.
Critical Strike Chance
Crit stat increases frequency of crits, not damage done by individual crits. Untalented, crits deal double damage compared to normal hits. With 5/5 Mortal Shots, they deal 2.3 times normal damage. Improved Tracking, Noxious Stings and Focused Fire all add to normal damage, and therefore crit damage as well. The Relentless Earthsiege Diamond metagem adds 3% crit damage.
Agility
Agility is good for ranged damage because it adds to both Attack Power and Crit simultaneously, taking advantage of the synergy between those stats. Survival Hunters gain an extra 15% total Agility from Lightning Reflexes and 1/4 of total Agility becomes Attack Power for SV hunters and their pets when Expose Weakness is up.
In The Burning Crusade, hunters typically socketed agility gems over any other sort, figuring that raw agility was a dps increase over socket bonuses or the advantages of attack power. In Wrath of the Lich King, the situation has reversed. The addition of raidwide +10% AP buffs has made Attack Power gems the new standbys. Survival hunters will still find Agility gems to be better, though.
Haste
If reaching hitcap is a PVE hunter's first priority, then reaching the haste "softcap" should be their second!
The "haste softcap" is the amount of haste required to reduce the cast time of Steady Shot from the base 2.0 seconds to the Global Cool Down of 1.5 seconds.
Haste does not change damage done by individual Shots. When a Shot's formula calls for ranged weapon speed, it's asking for the unchanging speed listed on that weapon's tooltip. Haste reduces the time between Auto Shots and the cast time of Steady Shot. Divide current time by 1 + Haste to find the new time. For example, a 2.0 sec cast with 20% Haste increase:
2.0 / (1.20) = 1.67 sec
Multiple Haste effects are multiplied together. Haste Rating from gear is added together, converted to a percent, and used as a single Haste effect to be multiplied with the other Haste effects. Let's apply Serpent's Swiftness (+20%), Rapid Fire (+40%), and Improved Aspect of the Hawk (+15%) to that same 2.0 sec cast:
2.0 / ( 1.20 * 1.40 * 1.15 ) = 1.03 sec
Through some fairly simple math, we see that BM hunters are softcapped right out of the box with 5/5 Serpent's Swiftness and a +15% quiver. MM and SV hunters, however, have a 15% quiver and no talents, so they require 523 haste to soft-cap.
It's not as bad as it sounds, though- imp Aspect of the Hawk helps quite a bit, as does its glyph, and there is plenty of haste on entry level gear in WotLK. iAotH is worth 98.37 haste per point when it is active, and the glyph adds 196.74 to that. In other words, the beginning MM or SV hunter can take just 1 point in iAotH and be assured of 295 haste on a regular basis!
Intellect
Each point of Intellect adds 15 to mana capacity, and 1 AP with 3/3 Careful Aim.
Stamina
Stamina adds to health (1 stam = 10 hp, without modifiers) and is modified by the Tauren racial (+5% health) and the talent Endurance Training (+1% per rank). The talent Survivalist adds +2% stamina per rank, and is required for the talent Hunter Versus Wild, which turns stamina in attack power for the hunter and pet.
Magical Resistances
Reduces damage from a school of magic by a certain percent. Your raid leaders should let you know about any resistance expectations.
MP5, Spell Power & Spirit
These stats are effectively useless for Hunters and are not worth stacking.
Pet Basics
Taming a Pet
At level 10, you will be directed to a particular class trainer depending on race. If you are above level 10 and do not yet have a pet, check www.wowhead.com for information on the quest "Taming the Beast" specific to your race and starting area.
At this point you can tame nearly anything with 'Beast' on its tooltip. There are some exceptions such as fish. You must also find a beast at your own level or below.
To tame a beast, simply select it and click 'Tame Beast.' Several things will happen. The beast will attack you, your armor will drop to zero, and you will start a 20 second spell channel. If any other player pulls aggro on the beast, taming will fail.
Taming tips
* Clear the area of any other mobs or hostile players.
* Start at max taming range: 30 yards. Farther if pulling with a Shot.
* Once you have Freezing Trap, lay one down before starting.
* Concussive Shot will slow the beast's approach.
* Scorpid Sting and Aspect of the Monkey reduce damage taken.
* Have some food ready to use right after taming. Otherwise it may run away.
Sometimes taming will still fail for unknown reasons. Run away or Feign Death to reset the mob and try again. Once taming succeeds, you can rename your pet once by right clicking its portrait and selecting 'Rename'.
Happiness
Pets have a special "status" known as Happiness. There are three levels of Happiness shown by the face icon next to the pet's health bar:
* Happy - green smiling face. Pet does 125% of normal damage
* Content - yellow neutral face. Pet does normal damage
* Unhappy - red frowning face. Pet does 75% of normal damage
Increase Happiness by feeding your pet. The Mend Pet minor glyph also grants your pet 20 Happiness each time you use it - not much, but it can be helpful. Happiness is lost when your pet dies (big amount), when you cast Dismiss Pet (small amount), or just by having it out at all (slow trickle). Tell your pet to stay then run away from it to cause a no-penalty dismissal.
Feeding
Depending on your pet's family (e.g. a Boar or Serpent), it will only eat particular types of food. Usually one to three from the following list: Fish, Meat, Fruit, Fungus, Cheese, Bread. At level 24, you'll learn a new spell 'Beast Lore' which lists the kind of foods the targeted Beast likes. Nearly every kind of pet will either eat Meat or Bread. Food that is within 10 levels of your pet will grant 35 Happiness/tick. After feeding, wait the 20 seconds out before feeding again, or the extra food just goes to waste.
Leveling
If you choose to tame a pet that is much lower level than you, the pet will automatically level up to 5 levels below you. When you kill a monster that would normally grant you experience, your pet gains experience. Just be sure to kill non-gray mobs.
Pets don't benefit from the rest bonus or quest experience. Nor can pets start working on a level you haven't finished gaining yourself. For these reasons, it isn't practical to level multiple pets simultaneously.
Focus
Instead of mana, pets use Focus which is very similar to a Rogue's Energy bar. Focus ticks up by 24 points every four seconds. Normal “white” attacks don't consume any Focus. When a pet uses more focus than it can regenerate, it is referred to as “focus-starved”. This condition is bad for dps, but fortunately there are ways to avoid it.
The hunter talent 'Bestial Discipline' increases pet focus regen by 12 focus / 4 sec per point, to a maximum of 48 focus / 4 seconds. The hunter talent 'Go for the Throat' grants your pet an extra 25 focus per point every time you get a ranged crit.
A common mistake made by MM and SV hunters is to neglect Go for the Throat in favor of other talents. Don’t do this. Even though MM and SV specs depend less on their pets than BM, that pet is still a significant portion of a hunter’s dps, and it is a mistake not to help it along.
Pet Talents
Pets have talent trees similar to the trees that players use. Unlike players, pets can only have points in one tree, and the tree they use is determined by their type. For instance, Cats are dps pets that use the Ferocity tree, while Wind Serpents are utility pets that use the Cunning tree. The pet tanking tree is Tenacity, and is used by pets such as gorillas and bears.
Sample Pet Talent Builds
Ferocity (non-exotic / 51 point BM): http://www.wowhead.com/?petcalc=chd00scz0hoo
Call of the Wild should be used during Bloodlust to provide a greater benefit to the raid.
Tenacity (non-exotic / 51 point BM): http://www.wowhead.com/?petcalc=M0bG0bu0b0o
Cunning (non-exotic / 51 point BM): http://www.wowhead.com/?petcalc=MRboz0ch0rzo
Tenacity dps (scorpid): http://www.wowhead.com/?petcalc=M0d0u0uzboo
The 51 BM talent gives an additional 4 pet talent points. These points don't add anything for dps for a ferocity pet, but they are good for tanking pets or for adding survivability to any pet.
Pet Skills
Every pet has access to Growl, Cower, and a damage-dealing “focus dump”. Each pet also has a unique ability based on pet family, as well as other potential abilities gained from pet talents.
Growl costs 15 Focus on a 5 second cooldown. Growling generates extra threat but does not force mobs to attack your pet.
Cower costs no focus and is on a 20 second cooldown. It does the opposite of Growl: lowers your pet's threat against its target.
The focus dumps are Smack, Bite, and Claw (depending on pet). Each costs 25 Focus with no cooldown, and does a small amount of damage, modified by your pet’s attack power.
Pet Control
Any time your pet is out, a new action bar will appear: the Petbar. Keybinds are listed as 'Secondary Action Button' 1-10. Slash commands also work in macros: /petattack, /petfollow, /petstay, /petaggressive, /petdefensive, /petpassive.
Set easy keybinds for /petattack and /petfollow. An important part of keeping your pet alive is pulling it back out of dangerous AoE pulses.
Most of the time -- particularly in PvE -- your pet should be set to Follow and Passive. Take care when jumping down ledges, crossing bridges, or climbing stairs in PvE. Pets sometimes path oddly and can aggro a bunch of mobs.
The middle of the pet bar is reserved for pet skills. Drag skills from the Pet tab of your spellbook and rearrange to your convenience. Right-clicking a skill in either place will toggle automatic mode on and off.
Choosing a Pet
Beast Family
The key to pet performance is beast family. Beast family is now the only distinction between pets. "A Cat is a Cat," as some like to put it. Things which do not affect performance:
* Level at which it was tamed
* Stats revealed by Beast Lore before taming
* Whether it was an Elite, Rare, or named mob
* Model or color
Beast family matters and that's it.
Family Multipliers and Skills
Each pet has a positive modifier for 2 or 3 of the following: pet Damage, Health, and Armor. Which modifiers the pet gets depend on the role the pet fills. For instance, Tenacity pets such as Scorpids have a +5% armor modifier and a +10% health modifier. Ferocity pets like cats have a +10% damage modifier and a +5% health modifier. These multipliers affect everything, not just base stats.
As mentioned in 'Pet Basics', many skills are tied to a certain family or set of families. Skills available to a particular family have a profound impact on that family's total damage and utility, beyond what the multipliers alone might suggest.
Warning: a few specific beasts have so-called "caster stats." Their mana stats are high while physical stats are low. Avoid taming beasts with a mana bar. Happily, all pet families are available in non-caster versions.
Beast Family Reference
Popular Families
Cats, Devilsaurs (exotic) and Raptors are all excellent DPS families. They share a 10% Damage multiplier and have excellent damage-dealing special abilities. Cats currently dish out the most damage of any Ferocity pets in PVE, followed closely by Raptors.
Scorpids were a popular dps pet at the release of WotLK due to their stacking poison and scaling with raid buffs, but they were nerfed heavily in patch 3.0.8. Scorpids are not a recommended dps pet any longer.
Wasps were bugged at wotlk release, but have been fixed and are a viable option for 5-mans and possibly raids. Sting special prevents rogues from stealthing and can supply your party or raid with a minor armor debuff similar to the one that a warlock or druid can bring.
Wolves are another “utility” pet, even though they are considered “ferocity”, they do less damage than ferocity pets with damaging specials. However, Howl increases party damage, at least for those in range. Be aware that Howl does not stack with a warrior’s Battle Shout or a Pally’s Blessing of Might.
Gorillas are another popular pet. They are great for leveling and solo farming. The AoE threat of Thunderstomp allows you to pull large packs of mobs and defeat them singlehandedly.
Further Information
See petopia.brashendeavors.net for more information about specific pets, where to tame them, and what skills they can use.
Rotations: Shots and Stings
Quick Reference
Shot rotations for maximum dps by spec:
BM will always be a tight rotation: Serpent > Arcane > Steady x3 > Arcane > Steady x3 > Arcane > Steady x3 > Serpent
MM will depend on haste: Serpent > Chimera > Arcane > Steady x4 or 5 > Chimera (MM without Imp Steady should use Arcane on cooldown)
SV: Serpent > Explosive > Steady x4 > Explosive > Steady x4 > Explosive > Serpent
SV differs from BM and MM rotations in that it is a priority rotation. At any point that you get a Lock 'N Load proc, you immediately fire Explosive > Steady > Explosive >Steady > Explosive and then resume your normal rotation.
If you have mana to spare, you can spec Aimed Shot and replace a Steady Shot every 6 seconds in all rotations. Aimed does more damage than Steady, but costs double the mana. If you start needing to go into Viper, leave Aimed out of the rotation.
Shot Damage Formula
Auto Shot
BowMax + (AttackPower/14)*BowSpeed + Ammo + Scope
Steady Shot
(2.8 / BowSpeed) * BowMax + 0.1*Attack Power + 252 + Ammo
Steady Shot (Dazed)
(2.8 / BowSpeed) * BowMax + 0.1*Attack Power + 427 + Ammo
Chimera Shot (Nature Damage)
(1.25)(Bowmax + (AP /14)* Bowspeed + Ammo + Scope)
Explosive Shot (Fire Damage)
(AttackPower)*( 0.16) + 516 + Ammo (every second for 2 seconds - 3 ticks total)
Multi-Shot
BowMax + 2.8*(Attack Power/14) + Ammo + Scope + 408
Aimed Shot
BowMax + (Attack Power/14) + Ammo + Scope + 408
Arcane Shot
0.15*Attack Power + 492
Silencing Shot & Scatter Shot
AutoShotMax / 2
Volley Tick
505 + 0.1*Attackpower
Substitute 'BowMin' for 'BowMax' to find lower bounds. Steady, Multi, Aimed, Arcane, and Volley have a rank based bonus. Formulas given above reflect top rank bonuses.
Note: Above formulas are before general multipliers like Ranged Weapon Specialization, Focus Fire, and Armor mitigation. Multipliers can be applied in any order.
Weapon Tooltip Stats
The min damage, max damage, speed, and DPS listed on a ranged weapon's tooltip are all used in Shot formulas. BowDPS is really just the average of BowMin and BowMax divided by BowSpeed.
Scopes and Ammunition
Scope and Ammo represent how much each is raising damage per shot. Diamond-Cut Refractor Scopes, for example, have a modifier of 15. Crit, haste and Hit scopes have a modifier of 0.
Shells and Arrows also boost per-shot damage like scopes, but their modifier scales with BowSpeed. Terrorshaft Arrow, for example, adds 46.5 damage per second. This really means 46.5 weapon damage per second of BowSpeed. So for a 2.9 second bow: 46.5 * 2.9 = 134 Ammo modifier.
Steady Shot and Arcane Shot ignore bonus damage from scopes, which is the main reason that most hunters get crit or haste scopes instead of +damage scopes.
Stings
Hunters have 4 different "stings" in their arsenal. Each applies a Poison debuff to a target. Only one sting per hunter may be active on any one target at a time. One hunter can have multiple stings up simultaneously on different targets. Stings do not benefit from crit, Imp Tracking, or Ranged Weapon Specialization. They do benefit from Improved Stings, Noxious Stings, and Focused Fire.
Serpent Sting
Serpent Sting is the main damage dealing sting. It ticks 5 times over 15 seconds, doing a total amount equal to:
Attack Power * 0.2 + 1210
Improved Stings multiplies this total damage by another 30%, and Glyph of Serpent Sting adds another tick of damage that does equal damage to the first 5. The glyph does not reduce the damage of any tick.
Serpent Sting is a fundamental part of a PVE hunter’s rotation. Glyph of Steady Shot adds +10% damage to your Steady Shot if you have a sting on the target.
Scorpid Sting
A 20 second non-damaging debuff that turns 3% of the target's ranged and melee attacks into full out misses. This includes most special attacks. Look at it as buffing the tank (and everyone else) with an extra 3% Dodge.
Viper Sting
Viper Sting drains 16% of the target's mana over 8 sec (up to a maximum of 32% of the hunter''s maximum mana). Improved Stings increases it to 21% drained. Viper Sting will break crowd control such as Freezing Traps.
Wyvern Sting
Wyvern Sting puts the target to sleep for 12 seconds. When the sleep ends, for any reason, the sting does 2082 damage over 6 seconds. Improved Stings multiplies damage by another 30%. Though short, extra crowd control is always welcome.
Ret Paladin Pve DPS guide 3.XX WoTLK
Read this so you don’t have downtime, your dps is at 100%, and your group utility is absurd. If anyone says they don’t prefer a ret in their group, tell them that you read this post and they’ll change their mind. There's a TLDR below should you be inclined to skim.
There's no theory crafting here, and no begging blizzard to buff us (they've stated plenty of times that forum posts to not affect who they buff/nerf. Vigorous testing does). We're perfect the way they are, and this will show you how to see it for yourself.
This guide is for all rets. I haven’t played a 3.x ret in low levels, so apply what you can and toss what you can’t as your level and talent points permit. Things may be different for you, but this is my experience at 71+, mostly with pugs.
I don't usually post in forums, but playing ret in Northrend has got me noticing the amazing potential of retadins that lies outside of the impressive CS JoL DS rotation. It's good and all, but it's obvious. There is so much more to do with your endless mana bar and not enough good paladins are spreading the word.
If you do run out oom ever while instancing, then this guide is especially for you. If you do often partake in groups that never break for mana/health, then I hope I shed light on something you haven’t previously considered. We’ll start with the most significant and obvious. I’ll try to maintain some order of importance.
I’m sorry for those who are on a crusade against caps, but understand I use them sparingly, and they have very special emphasis. This can get a little wordy, but bare with me and understand that I care about this spec, and the people who make it look bad. I’m only trying to make the scrubs understand all aspects of the conversation, so there’s some obvious nub details left in here. Without further interruption:
1. You NEED 3/3 Judgements of the Wise AND 5/5 Fanaticism.
I really wish this went without saying, but I’ve grouped with a few rets that didn’t have it 3/3. This is now our staple. With it, you require no downtime solo/grouped, without BoW, and Replenishment is just one of the most coveted efficiency tools for all groups, because regardless of the number of casters, your healer has a mana bar, and this serves him/her well.
5/5 Fanaticism is for the supreme judgment dps, and so you’re not a douchebag acting like a tank. You’re not. Prot/feral mitigation in LK is so much greater than you that your plate means nothing. If you’re getting hit, you’re doing the group a terrible disservice by sucking up a healer’s or your own mana (or your tank isn’t specced, and hasn’t read his own pro tip guides). You may be the reason that your group needs a mana break.
2. USE THIS MACRO: FoL
/cast [target=focus] Flash of Light
And when the group starts, find out who is tanking, and type this in chat:
/focus TankName
If successful, a portrait of the tank will appear below the party display, and you’re ready to go. BE AWARE: As of this post, instant cast FoLs reset your swing timer. There is a lot to handle and concentrate on, but if you can help it, use this macro immediately after a white hit lands to not stunt your dps.
This macro alone can get an under-geared group through an encounter. If it’s not obvious what it’s for: You’re ret, you get instant cast FoLs often. You’re not the healer, but your role extends far beyond amazing dps. With this macro, you can instant heal the tank without having to find who to click, or switching targets, allowing you to keep up your dmg and minimize confusion. This macro is amazing on bosses and long fights. Save your healer mana, keep your tank alive, all with one click so you can keep dishing out the righteous pain. Remember not to waste your mana by using this at every opportunity. At least glance to see that the tanks health bar isn’t full. Don’t over do it, and let your healer heal.
If you want to pay more attention and fill an off-heal roll, this macro is for you:
/cast [target=mouseover] Flash of Light;
Hotkey the macro, mouse over someone in party UI, and hit it. You won't have to switch targets.
***NEW: Beyond these, if your serious about using the insta FoLs or your healer blows and you just wanna finish the instance or something, then use the HealBot mod. I hear Grid is good to, but I have yet to use it.
3. You want to spam Divine Plea on almost every CD.
ONE MINUTE CDS ARE NOT FOR EMERGENCIES. USE IT. Here it is. Another gift from god; free mana. You’re not the healer, and 20% isn’t a big loss from your JoL procs, so if you’re not at 80%+ mana, and you're not going to spike up on mana because your Judge is on CD, THEN USE IT. Be aware of it (don’t stare at its CD though, as this action is for scrubs). Know when you’re going to click it again. This will stop you from going oom, thus keeping your potential dps at %100. You don’t need to stop your CS-JoL-DS rotation for it, as this rotation has a cd gap, allowing for the use of such things. So don’t wait, pop a 1 min CD.
4. End pulls with judges.
Do this for the greater good. I know; you want to use Hammer of Wrath. You want to see your name on the top of dmg meters. Fight the temptation to see big numbers and remember that you’re reading this because you want to be a better player. That damage is going to overkill anyway. Don’t waste the mana for bragging rights. That = scrub.
Replenishment lasts 15 seconds whether the mob is dead or alive. Use your last chance to judge to give your group another 15 seconds of precious mana regen! Even if you have an SPriest, they’re not going to DoT (vamp touch-mindblast replenishment) a mob that is so close to death. It falls on you. You don’t need Hammer of Wrath to top meters in pugs. I don’t want to gloat, but to provide credentials, I’m top damage and 2nd in heals in 90% (accurate, no exaggeration, literally 9 of 10) of groups. And I wish there was such a thing as mana meters, because I’d definitely lead that one too.
IF YOU RUN OOM SOLO, take this tip to the next level. If the mob is near death and your JoL is on CD, turn you back to him, hit esc, w/e you want, stop all dmg. Wait for CD to end, and end with a judge. Get your manas worth! You should never be oom!
5. Mana loss vs dps gain. Consecrate and HoW often hurt. A lot.
Stop spaming consecrate. Stop using HoW if you’re going to get overkill. Use these skills when mana permits (100%), or when they’re efficient. AKA: Use consecrate on huge or accidental add pulls, after the tank has aoe aggrod of course. Use HoW on bosses or pulls consisting of a large, high hp single mob. Time potential rare consecrates with use of Divine Plea. If you go oom, you’re doing it wrong. Read this again.
Spec into Benediction for a huge dps increase. With this talent, you can fit a lot more Consecrates/HoWs in without your mana bar being eaten alive. As a rule of thumb, don't do it until you're oom, even if you think a pull is over. !#@# happens. You want enough mana to use your judgement. If you need to, have combat text tell you when you're low on mana. You can set the threshhold to warn you at the point where you mana is at the cost of judge + consecrate (because it's our highest mana move). That way, when you've hit that range, you know that your next move MUST be a judgement to keep your bar alive. This range may alot for you to get a CS in, but try to play it safe. Maybe you'll need that spec of mana for an FoL
@@@LVL 80@@@ At 80, benediction, glyphs, and 1337ness pretty much allow you to spam consecrate, HoW, exo, w/e on trash pulls. On bosses use consec as your mana dump. Time your mana bar and DP with consecrate usage, so at the final 20% you have the mana to spam HoW. Down a mana pot for more consecs.
***NEW:
6.ROTATION
This section is new and thus open to suggestions:
To start, and anytime all 3 CDs are up at the same time: Judge, DS, then CS.
Why? If you CS right after judge they will come off cooldown at the same time. Any time this happens, you are losing dps.
1 mob: Favor CS>DS, so long as not all 3 CDs are up (Judge DS and CS). If they are, DS first to unsync, or reapply consec if you must and its a boss.
2 mobs: Judge, DS, then CS/consec, depending on the fight's duration
EDIT: 3/4/5 mobs: DS, Judge, consec, CS
EDIT: Buttloads of mobs (enough mobs to make 1.5s of consec outdmg a 1.5 sec delay on DS on 4 target's damage):
consec, DS, Judge, CS. Alright, so the CS after judge will cause a CD conflict. Guess what? The damage caused by this rotation more than makes up for it. Go go aoe!
Below 20%: 1 mob: Judge, HoW, CS, DS, consec
More than one mob: Judge, DS, HoW, CS/consec, depending on the fight's duration and how many more mobs there are
Boss home stretch (boss is below 20% and your mana bar is sure to last you the rest of the fight):
HoW, Judge, CS, DS, consec (simply because HoW has a 20% higher crit chance than Judge)
WHEW, that can get complicated. Use your head. If the above doesn't play out as a direct rotation for you, think of it as an ability priority list along the First Come First Serve guidelines that people are blindly sticking to.
If you have any doubts about Judge being priority over everything, then just go get:
http://www.wowhead.com/?item=37574
@@@LVL 80:THIS ITEM IS BETTER THAN THE VENTURE CO LIBRAM. Do not vendor it! In raid, with trash everywhere, procing this, then using divine storm will apply the crit rating to the all 4 of the DS strikes. The venture co libram procs AFTER DS is made, and thus cannot benefit DS (this can be seen in combat logs)
7. If your group is pro and you know it, go faster with Avenging Wrath.
It’s a 2 min cd with our talents. Not for emergency, but for frequent pwnage. So up your dps and use it. You’re still going not going oom, unless you’re over doing it with the easy-mode-macro FoLs. Use it with your reseals if you cant remember a cd. If you need to reseal, you want to use AW again soon. Losing bubble is :(, but you don't need bubble in optimal situations, and waiting to pop any cds for some horrible catastrophe is a complete waste.
8. Macro to allow melee hits easily on new targets even if judge/CS is down.
Really simple macros here. Just replace your CS and JoL with these so you can hit the button and start auto attacking even if your judge/CS is down. Sometimes you don’t even have to hit tab with this, as it auto targets for you. Having to know when what and where to right click is for scrubs.
/startattack
/cast Crusader Strike
AND
/startattack
/cast Judgement of Light
Of course you can make macros for the other judgements as well, but:
9. JoL > JoW solo, JoW > JoL grouped[b]
Here's some reasons to use JoW in pugs:
1. JoL heals on yourself do not cause spirtual attunement mana return, which should occur often because you should ALWAYS use seal of blood in a pve environment
2. JoW supplements your mana pool and allows you to throw consecrations. Consecration is a huge amount of damage, and on our meters it's usually third of my top three damaging abilities.
Okay, so, other than that:
JoL JoL JoL. If you’re doing it right, you’ll never be oom and you don’t need JoW to keep you that way. Solo, JoL heals you like crazy. JoL should be in prime space on your hotbar and JoW should be off in the abyss. Switch the 2 buttons whenever you get into an instance. Use JoL if your group asks for it and you're nice, or there's 4 melees.
[b]10. You don’t need any +int gear at all.
If you’re judging every moment you can, using Divine Plea, and not spamming consecrate or something else retarded, you don’t need any int to stay completely self sufficient. Any gear that has +int has some of its “power” diverted from maximizing your dps. I spam the rotation. I don’t go oom. I don’t have +int. And you can too! I don’t believe rets who go oom, because I can’t see what they’re doing, and it’s not something I’d ever do. If you’re fighting a single mob and you’re lom, maybe you should let your DS sit for a bit. It costs a lot of mana, and never being oom wins at life. It’s what makes ret so drooly. If you’re fighting for constant DS forever, maybe Benediction will help you, but I don’t recommend it. I sliver of mp5 2 put you on the right track. You won't find it on random gear that's for melee dps, which is what you're after, so maybe an enchant'll do the trick.
Someone wanted to say "Int is great". To this, I can reply with math. I didn't want to do any theorycrafting, but since this is just solid game mechanics, I hope I can get away with it.
EXAMPLE: You're cool, you get +50 int from your gear. 50x15 = 750 mana. Nifty! Replenishment gives .25% mana per second. That's .0025 of your max mana per second, or .0125 mp5. Replenishment on 750 mana will give you 750x.0125 = 9.375 mp5..... And 10 mp5 is just plain easier to come by than 50 intellect. You can get a whole lot more than 10 mp5 from gear instead of getting 50 int from equivalent gear. You have more mana huh? Well a bigger mana pool doesn't help if your mana is infinite. With 750 mana, you can get another consecrate in! Woop-de-doo! Think about how much AP, crit, etc you lost to stack your 50 int. The +spell crit is negligible.
Look, int isn’t the worse stat on earth for ret (spirit is, lol). If you think you need it for some reason, get it. If there’s a nice piece of gear but it has an abundance of int, don’t say “EW! CHODER SAYS NO!” Do what you must, but as I operate without going oom and have 0 +int, I advise against it. Sure, you can do some more burst in a fight, but think of all the passive damage something like +50 str could get you . If you take it to the extreme, your rotation dps’ll suck, and you might just end up needing a drink, god forbid.
11. You don’t need any +spell power gear at all.
You’re talented to make atk power sooooo much better, and ALL OF YOUR ATTACKS gain a bonus from attack power that is LINEARLY EQUAL to the bonus granted from spell power (YES, even consecrate benefits from ap). This is something many rets don’t realize. Not only that, but ~3ap = +1sp, so there is absolutely no reason to favor spell power. Your heals even gain from ap. For 1337er heals? What do you need that for? Soloing? JoL is enough. And guess what? The amount healed by JoL scales with your attack power, at the same exact rate as your spell power. That’s right. Linearly equal. If you want spell power and you want 1337er heals, respec holy. AP > SP for rets, end all, be all, in the same way agi > str for sham/hunters post 3.x.
12. Get Decursive Mod
Don't be against mods. If you've never used a mod before, go get this now. Google 'wow mod decursive'. It's not just for healers. It allows you to one click cleanse anyone in your group without switching targets. Use your endless mana. You're not the healer, so maybe you don't think its your job, but not all classes can remove magic, disease, and poison. You can. So do it.
BE AWARE: Cleanse resets your swing timer. Being awesome hurts your dps, ever so slightly. It may be worth it.
13. Target of target BoP (HoP now) macro, saves lives in a moment of confusion
You’re going to have to be good for this to be any benefit to you. There are some people who just aren’t capable of doing this, and while this guide is mostly for them, this macro is for any good pally, ret and non ret alike. Some people are door knobs. Some people don’t have reactions. If you do, or you think you could get lucky one day, then use this macro.
I would post mine here, but everyone would want it to behave a little differently. For instance, no target = HoP yourself, maybe /cancelaura if you’re mistakingly HoP youself, etc. A google search will yield good results.
Use it if you think your reactions are quicker than the tanks, or the tank doesn’t realize that someone is about to die. If you’re a second too slow, the tank will taunt, you’ll hit the macro, you’ll BoP (HoP) the tank, and he’ll lose agro on all physical dmg mobs. If he’s not quick enough to click it off, everyone dies.
14. SoB/SoM Macro
/cast Seal of the Martyr
/sw 115
/script Stopwatch_Play()
Gives you a graphic display and sound for when you SoM/SoB is about to end. Don't get caught dead w/out seal up. Put up before fight, or use this timer 2 squeeze it into your rotation. You can do this for all of your seals if you feel like it.
Mods like TellMeWhen > This. And if you don't know what seal you should be using 24/7, 100% of the time in pve, I hope this helps you figure it out (a rare exception is a raid boss that pwns u and the healers just can't handle it: Decimate during gluth, during Saph, maybe even loantheb if ur healers suck).
15. Specs
I thought I’d show the core spec that I think is necessary for all paladins who wish to call themselves ret. It is attainable at level 69, so there are many (11 at 80) points to throw around at your leisure. This renders my first protip moot:
TOO MANY PEOPLE THINK THIS IS A LVL 80 SPEC and are wondering why I'm missing so many great talents. It's a spec from lvl 69, and they are talents that all rets must have to follow this guide, no matter where you think the rest should go. The reason this spec can't be bad is because you still have 11 points to do w/e you want with. Link below for the "core" ret spec:
http://www.worldofwarcraft.com/info/classes/paladin/talents.html?tal=000000000000000000000000000050000000000000000000000052322512033310302135201351
If you're doing what I do (point of reading this guide), you can do EVERYTHING with SoM/SoB and still have 0 mana problems. So at some point you'll feel comfortable taking a point out of SoC. You can have safely have kings as early as 74 (if you don't spec swift retribution). I got it at 77 with this spec:
http://www.worldofwarcraft.com/info/classes/paladin/talents.html?tal=000000000000000000000000001450000000000000000000000052320502033310302135231351
Having Kings makes you a cool kid to have in groups. Kings on tank = omfg hp bar. Others enjoy kings as well (like the agi classes). Ask them. You still want to BoM yourself, cause you'll do more dmg this way, unless you have tons of agi, and I have no idea where the hell that would come from cause it's not on northrend plate.
@@@LVL 80: And here it is. Min/max raiding cookie cutter ret spec. This is my spec. If there's 2 rets in the raid, you don't both need kings, so maybe you can find something cool to do with your points like 2/2 Divine Purpose and remove stuns all day, and 2/2 vindication for w/e mobs it works on. Also, It has SoC again just in case a fight needs it. I can't think of any that do, but wth:
http://www.worldofwarcraft.com/info/classes/paladin/talents.html?tal=000000000000000000000000001450000000000000000000000052320512033310322135231351
16. Glyphs
1. Judgement Dmg
2. CS glyph.
3. Consec glyph.
Glyph of SA doesn't provide more mana than CS or consec glyph.
Glyph of SoB provides less mana than glyph of SA (I tested this myself, it's multiplicative, not additive, making SA 11%, as opposed to glyph of SA with makes SA 12%, so GoSoB is actually completely useless. Wtf Blizz).
Glyph of Avenging Wrath (GoHoW) is interesting, but too situational. Hard to line up a boss on 20% and pop wings. On top of that, with the length of raid fights, having the extra mana from GoCS or GoConsec
with give you more dps than this glyph.
Glyph of Divinity gives you the same amount of mana that LoH gives your target. This turns self LoH into an uber mana pot with a 20min cd, especially when combined with the minor LoH glyph which gives a 20% bonus to LoH mana. Is it cool? Well, you've lost your LoH and gained a free mana bar every 20min. It'd be interesting to see whether this or GoCS gives more mana in a boss fight, but I'm not gonna be the guy who runs those tests.
Minor Gylphs:
1. Glyph of Sense Undead (Actually useful, gogo naxx!)
2. GoBoM (Convenience)
3. GoLoH (Moar MANA!)
Before I go: You definitely want to go ahead and warn everyone that you’re the best retadin on earth (if you’ve read this whole guide) and you do crazy, unheard of things, like BoP people within an inch of their life to save a wipe. Tell them to be ready to click off a BoP to continue fighting. If you can pull it off, you impress me. You’re not half bad. I didn’t write this guide for you, but I hope you took something from it.
Tyvm.
Feedback wanted.
TLDR:
1. You NEED 3/3 Judgements of the Wise AND 5/5 Fanaticism.
2. USE THIS MACRO: FoL
3. You want to spam Divine Plea on almost every CD.
4. End pulls with judges.
5. Mana loss vs dps gain. Consecrate and HoW often hurt. A lot.
6. ROTATION
7. If your group is pro and you know it, go faster with Avenging Wrath.
8. Macro to allow melee hits easily on new targets even if judge/CS is down.
9. JoL > JoW in general usage.
10. You don’t need any +int gear at all.
11. You don’t need any +spell power gear at all.
12. Get Decursive Mod
13. Target of target BoP (HoP now) macro, saves lives in a moment of confusion
14. Macro SoB
15. Specs
16. Glyphs
If any of these points interest you, feel free to scroll up and find their section for further information/explanation
Taken from Choder from Gorgannash
There's no theory crafting here, and no begging blizzard to buff us (they've stated plenty of times that forum posts to not affect who they buff/nerf. Vigorous testing does). We're perfect the way they are, and this will show you how to see it for yourself.
This guide is for all rets. I haven’t played a 3.x ret in low levels, so apply what you can and toss what you can’t as your level and talent points permit. Things may be different for you, but this is my experience at 71+, mostly with pugs.
I don't usually post in forums, but playing ret in Northrend has got me noticing the amazing potential of retadins that lies outside of the impressive CS JoL DS rotation. It's good and all, but it's obvious. There is so much more to do with your endless mana bar and not enough good paladins are spreading the word.
If you do run out oom ever while instancing, then this guide is especially for you. If you do often partake in groups that never break for mana/health, then I hope I shed light on something you haven’t previously considered. We’ll start with the most significant and obvious. I’ll try to maintain some order of importance.
I’m sorry for those who are on a crusade against caps, but understand I use them sparingly, and they have very special emphasis. This can get a little wordy, but bare with me and understand that I care about this spec, and the people who make it look bad. I’m only trying to make the scrubs understand all aspects of the conversation, so there’s some obvious nub details left in here. Without further interruption:
1. You NEED 3/3 Judgements of the Wise AND 5/5 Fanaticism.
I really wish this went without saying, but I’ve grouped with a few rets that didn’t have it 3/3. This is now our staple. With it, you require no downtime solo/grouped, without BoW, and Replenishment is just one of the most coveted efficiency tools for all groups, because regardless of the number of casters, your healer has a mana bar, and this serves him/her well.
5/5 Fanaticism is for the supreme judgment dps, and so you’re not a douchebag acting like a tank. You’re not. Prot/feral mitigation in LK is so much greater than you that your plate means nothing. If you’re getting hit, you’re doing the group a terrible disservice by sucking up a healer’s or your own mana (or your tank isn’t specced, and hasn’t read his own pro tip guides). You may be the reason that your group needs a mana break.
2. USE THIS MACRO: FoL
/cast [target=focus] Flash of Light
And when the group starts, find out who is tanking, and type this in chat:
/focus TankName
If successful, a portrait of the tank will appear below the party display, and you’re ready to go. BE AWARE: As of this post, instant cast FoLs reset your swing timer. There is a lot to handle and concentrate on, but if you can help it, use this macro immediately after a white hit lands to not stunt your dps.
This macro alone can get an under-geared group through an encounter. If it’s not obvious what it’s for: You’re ret, you get instant cast FoLs often. You’re not the healer, but your role extends far beyond amazing dps. With this macro, you can instant heal the tank without having to find who to click, or switching targets, allowing you to keep up your dmg and minimize confusion. This macro is amazing on bosses and long fights. Save your healer mana, keep your tank alive, all with one click so you can keep dishing out the righteous pain. Remember not to waste your mana by using this at every opportunity. At least glance to see that the tanks health bar isn’t full. Don’t over do it, and let your healer heal.
If you want to pay more attention and fill an off-heal roll, this macro is for you:
/cast [target=mouseover] Flash of Light;
Hotkey the macro, mouse over someone in party UI, and hit it. You won't have to switch targets.
***NEW: Beyond these, if your serious about using the insta FoLs or your healer blows and you just wanna finish the instance or something, then use the HealBot mod. I hear Grid is good to, but I have yet to use it.
3. You want to spam Divine Plea on almost every CD.
ONE MINUTE CDS ARE NOT FOR EMERGENCIES. USE IT. Here it is. Another gift from god; free mana. You’re not the healer, and 20% isn’t a big loss from your JoL procs, so if you’re not at 80%+ mana, and you're not going to spike up on mana because your Judge is on CD, THEN USE IT. Be aware of it (don’t stare at its CD though, as this action is for scrubs). Know when you’re going to click it again. This will stop you from going oom, thus keeping your potential dps at %100. You don’t need to stop your CS-JoL-DS rotation for it, as this rotation has a cd gap, allowing for the use of such things. So don’t wait, pop a 1 min CD.
4. End pulls with judges.
Do this for the greater good. I know; you want to use Hammer of Wrath. You want to see your name on the top of dmg meters. Fight the temptation to see big numbers and remember that you’re reading this because you want to be a better player. That damage is going to overkill anyway. Don’t waste the mana for bragging rights. That = scrub.
Replenishment lasts 15 seconds whether the mob is dead or alive. Use your last chance to judge to give your group another 15 seconds of precious mana regen! Even if you have an SPriest, they’re not going to DoT (vamp touch-mindblast replenishment) a mob that is so close to death. It falls on you. You don’t need Hammer of Wrath to top meters in pugs. I don’t want to gloat, but to provide credentials, I’m top damage and 2nd in heals in 90% (accurate, no exaggeration, literally 9 of 10) of groups. And I wish there was such a thing as mana meters, because I’d definitely lead that one too.
IF YOU RUN OOM SOLO, take this tip to the next level. If the mob is near death and your JoL is on CD, turn you back to him, hit esc, w/e you want, stop all dmg. Wait for CD to end, and end with a judge. Get your manas worth! You should never be oom!
5. Mana loss vs dps gain. Consecrate and HoW often hurt. A lot.
Stop spaming consecrate. Stop using HoW if you’re going to get overkill. Use these skills when mana permits (100%), or when they’re efficient. AKA: Use consecrate on huge or accidental add pulls, after the tank has aoe aggrod of course. Use HoW on bosses or pulls consisting of a large, high hp single mob. Time potential rare consecrates with use of Divine Plea. If you go oom, you’re doing it wrong. Read this again.
Spec into Benediction for a huge dps increase. With this talent, you can fit a lot more Consecrates/HoWs in without your mana bar being eaten alive. As a rule of thumb, don't do it until you're oom, even if you think a pull is over. !#@# happens. You want enough mana to use your judgement. If you need to, have combat text tell you when you're low on mana. You can set the threshhold to warn you at the point where you mana is at the cost of judge + consecrate (because it's our highest mana move). That way, when you've hit that range, you know that your next move MUST be a judgement to keep your bar alive. This range may alot for you to get a CS in, but try to play it safe. Maybe you'll need that spec of mana for an FoL
@@@LVL 80@@@ At 80, benediction, glyphs, and 1337ness pretty much allow you to spam consecrate, HoW, exo, w/e on trash pulls. On bosses use consec as your mana dump. Time your mana bar and DP with consecrate usage, so at the final 20% you have the mana to spam HoW. Down a mana pot for more consecs.
***NEW:
6.ROTATION
This section is new and thus open to suggestions:
To start, and anytime all 3 CDs are up at the same time: Judge, DS, then CS.
Why? If you CS right after judge they will come off cooldown at the same time. Any time this happens, you are losing dps.
1 mob: Favor CS>DS, so long as not all 3 CDs are up (Judge DS and CS). If they are, DS first to unsync, or reapply consec if you must and its a boss.
2 mobs: Judge, DS, then CS/consec, depending on the fight's duration
EDIT: 3/4/5 mobs: DS, Judge, consec, CS
EDIT: Buttloads of mobs (enough mobs to make 1.5s of consec outdmg a 1.5 sec delay on DS on 4 target's damage):
consec, DS, Judge, CS. Alright, so the CS after judge will cause a CD conflict. Guess what? The damage caused by this rotation more than makes up for it. Go go aoe!
Below 20%: 1 mob: Judge, HoW, CS, DS, consec
More than one mob: Judge, DS, HoW, CS/consec, depending on the fight's duration and how many more mobs there are
Boss home stretch (boss is below 20% and your mana bar is sure to last you the rest of the fight):
HoW, Judge, CS, DS, consec (simply because HoW has a 20% higher crit chance than Judge)
WHEW, that can get complicated. Use your head. If the above doesn't play out as a direct rotation for you, think of it as an ability priority list along the First Come First Serve guidelines that people are blindly sticking to.
If you have any doubts about Judge being priority over everything, then just go get:
http://www.wowhead.com/?item=37574
@@@LVL 80:THIS ITEM IS BETTER THAN THE VENTURE CO LIBRAM. Do not vendor it! In raid, with trash everywhere, procing this, then using divine storm will apply the crit rating to the all 4 of the DS strikes. The venture co libram procs AFTER DS is made, and thus cannot benefit DS (this can be seen in combat logs)
7. If your group is pro and you know it, go faster with Avenging Wrath.
It’s a 2 min cd with our talents. Not for emergency, but for frequent pwnage. So up your dps and use it. You’re still going not going oom, unless you’re over doing it with the easy-mode-macro FoLs. Use it with your reseals if you cant remember a cd. If you need to reseal, you want to use AW again soon. Losing bubble is :(, but you don't need bubble in optimal situations, and waiting to pop any cds for some horrible catastrophe is a complete waste.
8. Macro to allow melee hits easily on new targets even if judge/CS is down.
Really simple macros here. Just replace your CS and JoL with these so you can hit the button and start auto attacking even if your judge/CS is down. Sometimes you don’t even have to hit tab with this, as it auto targets for you. Having to know when what and where to right click is for scrubs.
/startattack
/cast Crusader Strike
AND
/startattack
/cast Judgement of Light
Of course you can make macros for the other judgements as well, but:
9. JoL > JoW solo, JoW > JoL grouped[b]
Here's some reasons to use JoW in pugs:
1. JoL heals on yourself do not cause spirtual attunement mana return, which should occur often because you should ALWAYS use seal of blood in a pve environment
2. JoW supplements your mana pool and allows you to throw consecrations. Consecration is a huge amount of damage, and on our meters it's usually third of my top three damaging abilities.
Okay, so, other than that:
JoL JoL JoL. If you’re doing it right, you’ll never be oom and you don’t need JoW to keep you that way. Solo, JoL heals you like crazy. JoL should be in prime space on your hotbar and JoW should be off in the abyss. Switch the 2 buttons whenever you get into an instance. Use JoL if your group asks for it and you're nice, or there's 4 melees.
[b]10. You don’t need any +int gear at all.
If you’re judging every moment you can, using Divine Plea, and not spamming consecrate or something else retarded, you don’t need any int to stay completely self sufficient. Any gear that has +int has some of its “power” diverted from maximizing your dps. I spam the rotation. I don’t go oom. I don’t have +int. And you can too! I don’t believe rets who go oom, because I can’t see what they’re doing, and it’s not something I’d ever do. If you’re fighting a single mob and you’re lom, maybe you should let your DS sit for a bit. It costs a lot of mana, and never being oom wins at life. It’s what makes ret so drooly. If you’re fighting for constant DS forever, maybe Benediction will help you, but I don’t recommend it. I sliver of mp5 2 put you on the right track. You won't find it on random gear that's for melee dps, which is what you're after, so maybe an enchant'll do the trick.
Someone wanted to say "Int is great". To this, I can reply with math. I didn't want to do any theorycrafting, but since this is just solid game mechanics, I hope I can get away with it.
EXAMPLE: You're cool, you get +50 int from your gear. 50x15 = 750 mana. Nifty! Replenishment gives .25% mana per second. That's .0025 of your max mana per second, or .0125 mp5. Replenishment on 750 mana will give you 750x.0125 = 9.375 mp5..... And 10 mp5 is just plain easier to come by than 50 intellect. You can get a whole lot more than 10 mp5 from gear instead of getting 50 int from equivalent gear. You have more mana huh? Well a bigger mana pool doesn't help if your mana is infinite. With 750 mana, you can get another consecrate in! Woop-de-doo! Think about how much AP, crit, etc you lost to stack your 50 int. The +spell crit is negligible.
Look, int isn’t the worse stat on earth for ret (spirit is, lol). If you think you need it for some reason, get it. If there’s a nice piece of gear but it has an abundance of int, don’t say “EW! CHODER SAYS NO!” Do what you must, but as I operate without going oom and have 0 +int, I advise against it. Sure, you can do some more burst in a fight, but think of all the passive damage something like +50 str could get you . If you take it to the extreme, your rotation dps’ll suck, and you might just end up needing a drink, god forbid.
11. You don’t need any +spell power gear at all.
You’re talented to make atk power sooooo much better, and ALL OF YOUR ATTACKS gain a bonus from attack power that is LINEARLY EQUAL to the bonus granted from spell power (YES, even consecrate benefits from ap). This is something many rets don’t realize. Not only that, but ~3ap = +1sp, so there is absolutely no reason to favor spell power. Your heals even gain from ap. For 1337er heals? What do you need that for? Soloing? JoL is enough. And guess what? The amount healed by JoL scales with your attack power, at the same exact rate as your spell power. That’s right. Linearly equal. If you want spell power and you want 1337er heals, respec holy. AP > SP for rets, end all, be all, in the same way agi > str for sham/hunters post 3.x.
12. Get Decursive Mod
Don't be against mods. If you've never used a mod before, go get this now. Google 'wow mod decursive'. It's not just for healers. It allows you to one click cleanse anyone in your group without switching targets. Use your endless mana. You're not the healer, so maybe you don't think its your job, but not all classes can remove magic, disease, and poison. You can. So do it.
BE AWARE: Cleanse resets your swing timer. Being awesome hurts your dps, ever so slightly. It may be worth it.
13. Target of target BoP (HoP now) macro, saves lives in a moment of confusion
You’re going to have to be good for this to be any benefit to you. There are some people who just aren’t capable of doing this, and while this guide is mostly for them, this macro is for any good pally, ret and non ret alike. Some people are door knobs. Some people don’t have reactions. If you do, or you think you could get lucky one day, then use this macro.
I would post mine here, but everyone would want it to behave a little differently. For instance, no target = HoP yourself, maybe /cancelaura if you’re mistakingly HoP youself, etc. A google search will yield good results.
Use it if you think your reactions are quicker than the tanks, or the tank doesn’t realize that someone is about to die. If you’re a second too slow, the tank will taunt, you’ll hit the macro, you’ll BoP (HoP) the tank, and he’ll lose agro on all physical dmg mobs. If he’s not quick enough to click it off, everyone dies.
14. SoB/SoM Macro
/cast Seal of the Martyr
/sw 115
/script Stopwatch_Play()
Gives you a graphic display and sound for when you SoM/SoB is about to end. Don't get caught dead w/out seal up. Put up before fight, or use this timer 2 squeeze it into your rotation. You can do this for all of your seals if you feel like it.
Mods like TellMeWhen > This. And if you don't know what seal you should be using 24/7, 100% of the time in pve, I hope this helps you figure it out (a rare exception is a raid boss that pwns u and the healers just can't handle it: Decimate during gluth, during Saph, maybe even loantheb if ur healers suck).
15. Specs
I thought I’d show the core spec that I think is necessary for all paladins who wish to call themselves ret. It is attainable at level 69, so there are many (11 at 80) points to throw around at your leisure. This renders my first protip moot:
TOO MANY PEOPLE THINK THIS IS A LVL 80 SPEC and are wondering why I'm missing so many great talents. It's a spec from lvl 69, and they are talents that all rets must have to follow this guide, no matter where you think the rest should go. The reason this spec can't be bad is because you still have 11 points to do w/e you want with. Link below for the "core" ret spec:
http://www.worldofwarcraft.com/info/classes/paladin/talents.html?tal=000000000000000000000000000050000000000000000000000052322512033310302135201351
If you're doing what I do (point of reading this guide), you can do EVERYTHING with SoM/SoB and still have 0 mana problems. So at some point you'll feel comfortable taking a point out of SoC. You can have safely have kings as early as 74 (if you don't spec swift retribution). I got it at 77 with this spec:
http://www.worldofwarcraft.com/info/classes/paladin/talents.html?tal=000000000000000000000000001450000000000000000000000052320502033310302135231351
Having Kings makes you a cool kid to have in groups. Kings on tank = omfg hp bar. Others enjoy kings as well (like the agi classes). Ask them. You still want to BoM yourself, cause you'll do more dmg this way, unless you have tons of agi, and I have no idea where the hell that would come from cause it's not on northrend plate.
@@@LVL 80: And here it is. Min/max raiding cookie cutter ret spec. This is my spec. If there's 2 rets in the raid, you don't both need kings, so maybe you can find something cool to do with your points like 2/2 Divine Purpose and remove stuns all day, and 2/2 vindication for w/e mobs it works on. Also, It has SoC again just in case a fight needs it. I can't think of any that do, but wth:
http://www.worldofwarcraft.com/info/classes/paladin/talents.html?tal=000000000000000000000000001450000000000000000000000052320512033310322135231351
16. Glyphs
1. Judgement Dmg
2. CS glyph.
3. Consec glyph.
Glyph of SA doesn't provide more mana than CS or consec glyph.
Glyph of SoB provides less mana than glyph of SA (I tested this myself, it's multiplicative, not additive, making SA 11%, as opposed to glyph of SA with makes SA 12%, so GoSoB is actually completely useless. Wtf Blizz).
Glyph of Avenging Wrath (GoHoW) is interesting, but too situational. Hard to line up a boss on 20% and pop wings. On top of that, with the length of raid fights, having the extra mana from GoCS or GoConsec
with give you more dps than this glyph.
Glyph of Divinity gives you the same amount of mana that LoH gives your target. This turns self LoH into an uber mana pot with a 20min cd, especially when combined with the minor LoH glyph which gives a 20% bonus to LoH mana. Is it cool? Well, you've lost your LoH and gained a free mana bar every 20min. It'd be interesting to see whether this or GoCS gives more mana in a boss fight, but I'm not gonna be the guy who runs those tests.
Minor Gylphs:
1. Glyph of Sense Undead (Actually useful, gogo naxx!)
2. GoBoM (Convenience)
3. GoLoH (Moar MANA!)
Before I go: You definitely want to go ahead and warn everyone that you’re the best retadin on earth (if you’ve read this whole guide) and you do crazy, unheard of things, like BoP people within an inch of their life to save a wipe. Tell them to be ready to click off a BoP to continue fighting. If you can pull it off, you impress me. You’re not half bad. I didn’t write this guide for you, but I hope you took something from it.
Tyvm.
Feedback wanted.
TLDR:
1. You NEED 3/3 Judgements of the Wise AND 5/5 Fanaticism.
2. USE THIS MACRO: FoL
3. You want to spam Divine Plea on almost every CD.
4. End pulls with judges.
5. Mana loss vs dps gain. Consecrate and HoW often hurt. A lot.
6. ROTATION
7. If your group is pro and you know it, go faster with Avenging Wrath.
8. Macro to allow melee hits easily on new targets even if judge/CS is down.
9. JoL > JoW in general usage.
10. You don’t need any +int gear at all.
11. You don’t need any +spell power gear at all.
12. Get Decursive Mod
13. Target of target BoP (HoP now) macro, saves lives in a moment of confusion
14. Macro SoB
15. Specs
16. Glyphs
If any of these points interest you, feel free to scroll up and find their section for further information/explanation
Taken from Choder from Gorgannash
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Tier 8 Armor - Gear Pictures - WoTLK - Teir
Bout time right? Here are Priest, Rogue, Hunter,Death knight, Mage teir 8 Uldar armor sets. On MMO-Champion they have each set in 4 or so different colors, not too sure what that is about but one pictures pretty much is all you need to see the actual design.
Warlock
Rogue
Priest
Mage
Hunter
Death Knight
Warlock
Rogue
Priest
Mage
Hunter
Death KnightI Will be listing the other few sets as they come, thanks for mmo champ for the pictures.
Monday, January 26, 2009
New Template - What else to add?
Today I come to you guys for advice. I recently changed the layout/template of this site to something a little bit cleaner. Although it looks a little nicer, i feel it is lacking something.
So, I come to you for help, please comment and suggest changes I could make to the website. I feel like it needs more content or something, or even if you have a nice wow template you'd like to suggest. Let me know and it will be much appricated!
So, I come to you for help, please comment and suggest changes I could make to the website. I feel like it needs more content or something, or even if you have a nice wow template you'd like to suggest. Let me know and it will be much appricated!
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
WoTLK Affliction Rotation Guide for Warlock
Please note, this guide is not an all-inclusive raiding guide. It focuses specifically on affliction, due to the fact that affliction rotations are particularly difficult. This thread dissects all information regarding just this aspect of raiding. For more comprehensive raiding, there will soon be a new WOTLK guide. This guide will still supplement that one, specifically for affliction.
The thread here is about Affliction Raiding. This will answer very common questions such as these: Should I use immolate? Should I drop any DoTs from my rotation? What is the rotation? My DPS is really bad, what am I doing wrong? How can I get better at affliction? This will be broken up into 2 posts. The first, below, dealing with DPCTs and whether or not you should be casting all of your DoTs.
I'll start by clarifying what DoTs should be used. The answer simply is, ALL of them. This includes immolate! Affliction is all about efficient use of the Global Cooldown or GCD. If you're not constantly casting something, then you're losing DPS. (this is true with any spec really) But, with affliction, that loss is more noticable. Because affliction is so dependent upon efficient GCD usage, one of the most important things to know for any affliction warlock is called DPCT. (Damage Per Cast Time)
DPCT is a measure of what you get in return for the amount of time used to cast a spell. For example. If you cast a shadowbolt, and your shadowbolt's average damage is 1000, with a 2.5 second cast time, the DPCT is 1000/2.5 or 400DPCT. If you cast a DoT that will do 1000 damage (no matter how long it takes to do that damage), and the DoT is instant cast, then the DPCT is 1000/1.5 or ~667DPCT. (instant casts "time used casting" is whatever the length of your global cooldown is)
So, what does this mean to an affliction warlock? Simple. Shadowbolt is your "filler" spell. IE, it's what you cast when your dots are ticking and none of them need refreshing. You fill this gap with shadowbolts. That said, any dot that has a higher DPCT than your filler spell (shadowbolt) should be cast, because it will mean more dps for you. This is because you get more damage for the amount of time spent casting the spell than you would casting a shadowbolt.
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Below, I have listed out the DPCT for all of an affliction warlock's spells, using (22% crit from gear) 40% crit rating, 2000 spell power, and hit capped. This assumes a 56/0/15 build, and the stats are AFTER raid buffs have been applied. (build: http://www.wowhead.com/?talent=IbxMbuMAoqA0IstZE00V)
Corruption:
1080 base damage + ((120% coefficient + 36% empowered corruption + 30% everlasting affliction) * 2000) =
1080 + (1.86 * 2000) = 4800 base damage.
Modifiers:
4800 * (10% improved corruption + 15% shadow mastery + 5% contagion) * 3% malediction * 13% earth and moon * 3% sanctified retribution (ret pally) * 20% haunt * 10% shadow embrace =
4800 * 1.30 * 1.03 * 1.13 * 1.03 * 1.20 * 1.10 = 9874 modified damage.
Pandemic: 9874 * 1.22 = 12046
12046 / 1.5 second GCD = 8031DPCT
Curse of Agony:
1740 base damage + (120% coefficient * 2000) =
1740 + (1.20 * 2000) = 4140 base damage.
Modifiers:
4140 * (10% improved CoA + 15% shadow mastery + 5% contagion) * 3% malediction * 13% earth and moon * 3% sanctified retribution (ret pally) * 20% haunt * 10% shadow embrace =
4140 * 1.30 * 1.03 * 1.13 * 1.03 * 1.20 * 1.10 = 8516 modified damage.
8516 / 1.0 second GCD (amplify curse) = 8516DPCT
Immolate:
(460 base DD damage + (20% coefficient * 2000)) + (785 base DoT damage + (100% coefficient * 2000)) =
860 base DD damage + 2785 base DoT damage
Modifiers:
860 base DD damage * 3% malediction * 13% earth and moon * 3% sanctified retribution (ret pally) = 1031 modified DD damage.
(crit factor) 1031 modified DD damage * 1.40% = 1443 total DD damage.
2785 base DoT damage * 3% malediction * 13% earth and moon * 3% sanctified retribution (ret pally) * 20% haunt * 10% shadow embrace = 4407 modified DoT damage.
1443 DD + 4407 DoT = 5850 total damage.
5850 / 1.5 second cast time = 3900DPCT
Siphon Life:
810 base damage + ((100% coefficient + 50% everlasting affliction) * 2000) =
810 + (1.50 * 2000) = 3810 base damage.
Modifiers:
3810 * 15% shadow mastery * 3% malediction * 13% earth and moon * 3% sanctified retribution (ret pally) * 20% haunt * 10% shadow embrace =
3810 * 1.15 * 1.03 * 1.13 * 1.03 * 1.20 * 1.10 = 6933 modified damage.
6933 / 1.5 second GCD = 4622DPCT
Unstable Affliction:
1150 base damage + ((100% coefficient + 25% everlasting affliction) * 2000) =
1150 + (1.25 * 2000) = 3650 base damage.
Modifiers:
3650 * 15% shadow mastery * 3% malediction * 13% earth and moon * 3% sanctified retribution (ret pally) * 20% haunt * 10% shadow embrace =
3650 * 1.15 * 1.03 * 1.13 * 1.03 * 1.20 * 1.10 = 6642 modified damage.
Pandemic = 6642 * 1.22 = 8103
8103 / 1.5 second GCD = 5402DPCT
And finally,
Shadow Bolt:
730 avg base damage + (85.7% coefficient * 2000) =
730 + (.857 * 2000) = 2444 base damage
Modifiers:
2444 base damage * 15% shadow mastery * 3% malediction * 13% earth and moon * 3% sanctified retribution (ret pally) = 3369 modified damage.
ISB factor = 3369 * 1.085 = 3655. (this assumes 85% uptime which is inline with 40% crit rate)
(crit factor) 3655 modified DD damage * 40.0% = 5117 total DD damage.
5117 / 2.5 second cast time = 2046DPCT
So, as you can see, ALL of your DoTs should be cast. You can use the above formulas to plug in your own stats, including haste, crit, and spell power. For crit, without ruin, you simply cut your crit rating in half, and insert that % into the above formulas. For haste, simply change the cast time to match your cast time. :)
Up next, it's time to talk about rotations, and how to raid with affliction. This will also include a section on how to run a WWS parse, and calculate your DoT uptime.
Let's start with what's normally called the "rotation". Rotation is kind of mis-named, since after the initial casting of each DoT, you'll pretty much never cast them all in the same order again, due to the fact most of them have different durations.
If you can pre-cast, you should start with a shadowbolt, and then haunt. Now, many people often ask why you would do this, and some people are even under the misconception that casting haunt after your DoTs is somehow more efficient. Think about it this way: Haunt should have 100% uptime for the entire fight. And since DoTs receive the bonus no matter when the debuff went up (before the DoT was cast, after the DoT was cast, makes no difference), it only matters that the debuff is up. So, why would you cast DoTs first, and have the first several ticks not get any benefit from Haunt? If you're going to have Haunt up the entire fight anyways, wouldn't it be better to have ALL ticks benefit from Haunt? Of course. The same goes for shadow embrace. The first stack is put on by that shadowbolt, and the second stack by Haunt.
So, your intial cast rotation will look like this:
Shadowbolt > Haunt > UA > Immolate > CoA > Corruption > Siphon Life. After that, you're now into what is called "filler" time. If your raid does NOT have a moonkin druid or unholy death knight, you will use CoE for your curse instead.
If you cannot pre-cast, then start with instant cast DoTs such as CoA, Siphon Life, and Corruption. Getting these up as you move into position will start your dps up sooner.
From this point on, your goal is to refresh DoTs as efficiently and quickly as possible. I HIGHLY recommend Asheyla's DoTimer. It is a truly epic mod, and the best mod any warlock can have. You can get it here: http://www.wowinterface.com/downloads/info5302-DoTimer.html
The goal is to refresh a DoT the very moment the last tick expires. For DoT's with cast times, this is done by starting to re-cast the DoT when the amount of time it has left is just slightly less than the DoTs cast time. For example. If your Unstable Affliction has a 1.5 second cast time, you start to cast a new UA when the current one has 1.4 seconds left on the timer. Now, being realistic, obviously it's rare that this will happen. The reason for that is you do NOT want to stand around doing nothing just because you're waiting for that timer to hit 1.4 seconds. It is better to do something, whether that's casting a shadowbolt or using dark pact / life tap. Even if it means you will be a bit "late" refreshing the DoT.
Generally, you do not want to "clip" a DoT. This means refreshing the DoT before the previous one had its last tick of damage go off. And since Corruption is automatically refreshed by Haunt via Everlasting Affliction, you never have to worry about corruption.
Next, there is a reason we cast UA and Immolate together. They both have a 15 second duration, therefore every successive refreshing of these 2 DoTs will always be UA and then Immolate immediately following. You can essentially think of them as just one dot with a 3 second cast time.
And finally, since haunt has a 12 second duration, and you start with Haunt, then UA, and immolate, eventually haunt will work its way around and end up right after you refresh UA and Immolate. When this happens, on the very next "refresh", refresh Haunt early, allowing you to reset the rotation back to Haunt, then UA, then Immolate. So for example, with about 2.9 seconds left on UA's duration, cast Haunt. This brings you to 1.4 seconds left on UA's duration, so you immediately follow Haunt with UA, and then of course immediately again with Immolate.
Oh one last thing. NEVER interrupt a spell cast mid-cast just so you can cast something else. You want to try and avoid that whenever possible.
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Now that you have the basics of DoT casting order, rotations, etc, let's work on applying that, practicing, and seeing results for yourself.
To start, a quick explination of WWS (wow web stats). WWS is an online DPS parser. It takes a combat log you record in game, and allows you to see the information in a very useful and detailed format. To create a WWS report:
1. Before you start WoW, browse to C:\Program Files\World of Warcraft\Interface\Logs. If you have a file called "wowcombatlog.txt", delete it!
2. Now, in game, before you start whatever it is you want to log, hit enter in your chat window and type: /combatlog (this will get wow recording your combat log parse)
3. After you are done with everything you want to record, go to http://wowwebstats.com/
4. Click on "Start WWS Client" (note, you may have to quickly sign up for a free account)
5. Click on "Add Combat Log" and browse to C:\Program Files\World of Warcraft\Interface\Logs, and add wowcombatlog.txt.
6. Click on "Host Report". You will now see a WWS report of your combat log!
The sample below references a WWS brutallus report.
Let's figure out what my DoT uptime was. To start, we need to know what the total combat length of the boss fight was in seconds. At the top of a WWS report, you'll see the date, time, and length of fight in minutes/seconds. In my example, the fight was 2 minutes and 39 seconds long. So, that's 159 seconds.
Next, to figure out DoT uptime, we need to determine what 100% uptime would be for each DoT. This is done by taking the length of the fight and dividing it by the interval of a DoTs tick. For example, corruption, UA, siphon life, and immolate all tick every 3 seconds. 159 / 3 = 53. So, if I had 53 ticks of each of those DoTs, that would be 100% uptime. To see how many times your DoTs ticked, look under each spell, and look under the column that says "Dots".
I had as follows:
-Corruption: 48 ticks
-UA: 42 ticks
-Immolate: 39 ticks
-Siphon Life: 46 ticks
As you can see, in that fight my UA and Immolate uptime was not quite up to speed. Also, remember that 100% uptime is not realistic. Especially if the mechanics of the fight stress execution over DPS via moving around, doing other things, etc.
For CoA, which ticks every 2 seconds, that would be 159 / 2 = 79 (round down). I had 68 ticks, so that's not too bad. To determine uptime, take the number of ticks you had and divide it by the number of ticks you would have had with 100% uptime. So, for CoA: 68/79 = .86 or, 86% uptime. 85-90% uptime is a realistic goal in a stand-up tank and spank single target fight.
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Lastly, I am posting a video of the above Brutallus fight. This will give you a chance to see all of the above in action. Note the video has NO sound, no music, and no editing or any of that jazz. In the video, take not of my DoTimer in the upper right corner. I will add another video later of a test dummy fight, so you have a chance to see a bit more detail of what's going on. Remember: efficient use of GCD's, keeping DoTs refreshed, and ALWAYS be casting something!
Brutallus Video: http://files.filefront.com/affliction+brutallusavi/;12255898;/fileinfo.html
Practicing tips: If you're struggling with DoT uptime, start by simplifying the rotations by temporarily dropping a DoT. Drop siphon life and CoA. Then, practice, and get that rotation down and working. Then, add in Curse of Doom. Practice more! Then, add in Siphon life. Practice practice practice. Now finally, replace Curse of Doom with Curse of Agony again.
From Fallenman of Mal'ganis
The thread here is about Affliction Raiding. This will answer very common questions such as these: Should I use immolate? Should I drop any DoTs from my rotation? What is the rotation? My DPS is really bad, what am I doing wrong? How can I get better at affliction? This will be broken up into 2 posts. The first, below, dealing with DPCTs and whether or not you should be casting all of your DoTs.
I'll start by clarifying what DoTs should be used. The answer simply is, ALL of them. This includes immolate! Affliction is all about efficient use of the Global Cooldown or GCD. If you're not constantly casting something, then you're losing DPS. (this is true with any spec really) But, with affliction, that loss is more noticable. Because affliction is so dependent upon efficient GCD usage, one of the most important things to know for any affliction warlock is called DPCT. (Damage Per Cast Time)
DPCT is a measure of what you get in return for the amount of time used to cast a spell. For example. If you cast a shadowbolt, and your shadowbolt's average damage is 1000, with a 2.5 second cast time, the DPCT is 1000/2.5 or 400DPCT. If you cast a DoT that will do 1000 damage (no matter how long it takes to do that damage), and the DoT is instant cast, then the DPCT is 1000/1.5 or ~667DPCT. (instant casts "time used casting" is whatever the length of your global cooldown is)
So, what does this mean to an affliction warlock? Simple. Shadowbolt is your "filler" spell. IE, it's what you cast when your dots are ticking and none of them need refreshing. You fill this gap with shadowbolts. That said, any dot that has a higher DPCT than your filler spell (shadowbolt) should be cast, because it will mean more dps for you. This is because you get more damage for the amount of time spent casting the spell than you would casting a shadowbolt.
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Below, I have listed out the DPCT for all of an affliction warlock's spells, using (22% crit from gear) 40% crit rating, 2000 spell power, and hit capped. This assumes a 56/0/15 build, and the stats are AFTER raid buffs have been applied. (build: http://www.wowhead.com/?talent=IbxMbuMAoqA0IstZE00V)
Corruption:
1080 base damage + ((120% coefficient + 36% empowered corruption + 30% everlasting affliction) * 2000) =
1080 + (1.86 * 2000) = 4800 base damage.
Modifiers:
4800 * (10% improved corruption + 15% shadow mastery + 5% contagion) * 3% malediction * 13% earth and moon * 3% sanctified retribution (ret pally) * 20% haunt * 10% shadow embrace =
4800 * 1.30 * 1.03 * 1.13 * 1.03 * 1.20 * 1.10 = 9874 modified damage.
Pandemic: 9874 * 1.22 = 12046
12046 / 1.5 second GCD = 8031DPCT
Curse of Agony:
1740 base damage + (120% coefficient * 2000) =
1740 + (1.20 * 2000) = 4140 base damage.
Modifiers:
4140 * (10% improved CoA + 15% shadow mastery + 5% contagion) * 3% malediction * 13% earth and moon * 3% sanctified retribution (ret pally) * 20% haunt * 10% shadow embrace =
4140 * 1.30 * 1.03 * 1.13 * 1.03 * 1.20 * 1.10 = 8516 modified damage.
8516 / 1.0 second GCD (amplify curse) = 8516DPCT
Immolate:
(460 base DD damage + (20% coefficient * 2000)) + (785 base DoT damage + (100% coefficient * 2000)) =
860 base DD damage + 2785 base DoT damage
Modifiers:
860 base DD damage * 3% malediction * 13% earth and moon * 3% sanctified retribution (ret pally) = 1031 modified DD damage.
(crit factor) 1031 modified DD damage * 1.40% = 1443 total DD damage.
2785 base DoT damage * 3% malediction * 13% earth and moon * 3% sanctified retribution (ret pally) * 20% haunt * 10% shadow embrace = 4407 modified DoT damage.
1443 DD + 4407 DoT = 5850 total damage.
5850 / 1.5 second cast time = 3900DPCT
Siphon Life:
810 base damage + ((100% coefficient + 50% everlasting affliction) * 2000) =
810 + (1.50 * 2000) = 3810 base damage.
Modifiers:
3810 * 15% shadow mastery * 3% malediction * 13% earth and moon * 3% sanctified retribution (ret pally) * 20% haunt * 10% shadow embrace =
3810 * 1.15 * 1.03 * 1.13 * 1.03 * 1.20 * 1.10 = 6933 modified damage.
6933 / 1.5 second GCD = 4622DPCT
Unstable Affliction:
1150 base damage + ((100% coefficient + 25% everlasting affliction) * 2000) =
1150 + (1.25 * 2000) = 3650 base damage.
Modifiers:
3650 * 15% shadow mastery * 3% malediction * 13% earth and moon * 3% sanctified retribution (ret pally) * 20% haunt * 10% shadow embrace =
3650 * 1.15 * 1.03 * 1.13 * 1.03 * 1.20 * 1.10 = 6642 modified damage.
Pandemic = 6642 * 1.22 = 8103
8103 / 1.5 second GCD = 5402DPCT
And finally,
Shadow Bolt:
730 avg base damage + (85.7% coefficient * 2000) =
730 + (.857 * 2000) = 2444 base damage
Modifiers:
2444 base damage * 15% shadow mastery * 3% malediction * 13% earth and moon * 3% sanctified retribution (ret pally) = 3369 modified damage.
ISB factor = 3369 * 1.085 = 3655. (this assumes 85% uptime which is inline with 40% crit rate)
(crit factor) 3655 modified DD damage * 40.0% = 5117 total DD damage.
5117 / 2.5 second cast time = 2046DPCT
So, as you can see, ALL of your DoTs should be cast. You can use the above formulas to plug in your own stats, including haste, crit, and spell power. For crit, without ruin, you simply cut your crit rating in half, and insert that % into the above formulas. For haste, simply change the cast time to match your cast time. :)
Up next, it's time to talk about rotations, and how to raid with affliction. This will also include a section on how to run a WWS parse, and calculate your DoT uptime.
Let's start with what's normally called the "rotation". Rotation is kind of mis-named, since after the initial casting of each DoT, you'll pretty much never cast them all in the same order again, due to the fact most of them have different durations.
If you can pre-cast, you should start with a shadowbolt, and then haunt. Now, many people often ask why you would do this, and some people are even under the misconception that casting haunt after your DoTs is somehow more efficient. Think about it this way: Haunt should have 100% uptime for the entire fight. And since DoTs receive the bonus no matter when the debuff went up (before the DoT was cast, after the DoT was cast, makes no difference), it only matters that the debuff is up. So, why would you cast DoTs first, and have the first several ticks not get any benefit from Haunt? If you're going to have Haunt up the entire fight anyways, wouldn't it be better to have ALL ticks benefit from Haunt? Of course. The same goes for shadow embrace. The first stack is put on by that shadowbolt, and the second stack by Haunt.
So, your intial cast rotation will look like this:
Shadowbolt > Haunt > UA > Immolate > CoA > Corruption > Siphon Life. After that, you're now into what is called "filler" time. If your raid does NOT have a moonkin druid or unholy death knight, you will use CoE for your curse instead.
If you cannot pre-cast, then start with instant cast DoTs such as CoA, Siphon Life, and Corruption. Getting these up as you move into position will start your dps up sooner.
From this point on, your goal is to refresh DoTs as efficiently and quickly as possible. I HIGHLY recommend Asheyla's DoTimer. It is a truly epic mod, and the best mod any warlock can have. You can get it here: http://www.wowinterface.com/downloads/info5302-DoTimer.html
The goal is to refresh a DoT the very moment the last tick expires. For DoT's with cast times, this is done by starting to re-cast the DoT when the amount of time it has left is just slightly less than the DoTs cast time. For example. If your Unstable Affliction has a 1.5 second cast time, you start to cast a new UA when the current one has 1.4 seconds left on the timer. Now, being realistic, obviously it's rare that this will happen. The reason for that is you do NOT want to stand around doing nothing just because you're waiting for that timer to hit 1.4 seconds. It is better to do something, whether that's casting a shadowbolt or using dark pact / life tap. Even if it means you will be a bit "late" refreshing the DoT.
Generally, you do not want to "clip" a DoT. This means refreshing the DoT before the previous one had its last tick of damage go off. And since Corruption is automatically refreshed by Haunt via Everlasting Affliction, you never have to worry about corruption.
Next, there is a reason we cast UA and Immolate together. They both have a 15 second duration, therefore every successive refreshing of these 2 DoTs will always be UA and then Immolate immediately following. You can essentially think of them as just one dot with a 3 second cast time.
And finally, since haunt has a 12 second duration, and you start with Haunt, then UA, and immolate, eventually haunt will work its way around and end up right after you refresh UA and Immolate. When this happens, on the very next "refresh", refresh Haunt early, allowing you to reset the rotation back to Haunt, then UA, then Immolate. So for example, with about 2.9 seconds left on UA's duration, cast Haunt. This brings you to 1.4 seconds left on UA's duration, so you immediately follow Haunt with UA, and then of course immediately again with Immolate.
Oh one last thing. NEVER interrupt a spell cast mid-cast just so you can cast something else. You want to try and avoid that whenever possible.
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Now that you have the basics of DoT casting order, rotations, etc, let's work on applying that, practicing, and seeing results for yourself.
To start, a quick explination of WWS (wow web stats). WWS is an online DPS parser. It takes a combat log you record in game, and allows you to see the information in a very useful and detailed format. To create a WWS report:
1. Before you start WoW, browse to C:\Program Files\World of Warcraft\Interface\Logs. If you have a file called "wowcombatlog.txt", delete it!
2. Now, in game, before you start whatever it is you want to log, hit enter in your chat window and type: /combatlog (this will get wow recording your combat log parse)
3. After you are done with everything you want to record, go to http://wowwebstats.com/
4. Click on "Start WWS Client" (note, you may have to quickly sign up for a free account)
5. Click on "Add Combat Log" and browse to C:\Program Files\World of Warcraft\Interface\Logs, and add wowcombatlog.txt.
6. Click on "Host Report". You will now see a WWS report of your combat log!
The sample below references a WWS brutallus report.
Let's figure out what my DoT uptime was. To start, we need to know what the total combat length of the boss fight was in seconds. At the top of a WWS report, you'll see the date, time, and length of fight in minutes/seconds. In my example, the fight was 2 minutes and 39 seconds long. So, that's 159 seconds.
Next, to figure out DoT uptime, we need to determine what 100% uptime would be for each DoT. This is done by taking the length of the fight and dividing it by the interval of a DoTs tick. For example, corruption, UA, siphon life, and immolate all tick every 3 seconds. 159 / 3 = 53. So, if I had 53 ticks of each of those DoTs, that would be 100% uptime. To see how many times your DoTs ticked, look under each spell, and look under the column that says "Dots".
I had as follows:
-Corruption: 48 ticks
-UA: 42 ticks
-Immolate: 39 ticks
-Siphon Life: 46 ticks
As you can see, in that fight my UA and Immolate uptime was not quite up to speed. Also, remember that 100% uptime is not realistic. Especially if the mechanics of the fight stress execution over DPS via moving around, doing other things, etc.
For CoA, which ticks every 2 seconds, that would be 159 / 2 = 79 (round down). I had 68 ticks, so that's not too bad. To determine uptime, take the number of ticks you had and divide it by the number of ticks you would have had with 100% uptime. So, for CoA: 68/79 = .86 or, 86% uptime. 85-90% uptime is a realistic goal in a stand-up tank and spank single target fight.
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Lastly, I am posting a video of the above Brutallus fight. This will give you a chance to see all of the above in action. Note the video has NO sound, no music, and no editing or any of that jazz. In the video, take not of my DoTimer in the upper right corner. I will add another video later of a test dummy fight, so you have a chance to see a bit more detail of what's going on. Remember: efficient use of GCD's, keeping DoTs refreshed, and ALWAYS be casting something!
Brutallus Video: http://files.filefront.com/affliction+brutallusavi/;12255898;/fileinfo.html
Practicing tips: If you're struggling with DoT uptime, start by simplifying the rotations by temporarily dropping a DoT. Drop siphon life and CoA. Then, practice, and get that rotation down and working. Then, add in Curse of Doom. Practice more! Then, add in Siphon life. Practice practice practice. Now finally, replace Curse of Doom with Curse of Agony again.
From Fallenman of Mal'ganis
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