tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14806107023648913872024-03-13T10:20:04.743-05:00DunsparrowDunsparrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17569353953735021823noreply@blogger.comBlogger72125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1480610702364891387.post-23034572497323694542012-04-17T16:31:00.003-05:002012-04-17T16:31:27.833-05:00ArchiveThis portion of the site is now the archive. Head to <a href="http://www.dunsparrow.com/">Dunsparrow.com </a>to see the updated site!Dunsparrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17569353953735021823noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1480610702364891387.post-45962982696770775762012-04-15T17:13:00.003-05:002012-04-15T18:21:50.467-05:001.8 - The Return of Saboteur (and ME!)<div style="font-size: 100%; font-weight: normal; ">Sorry for my extended absence. Between work and other games, and nothing new for Rift, I've been spending my time elsewhere. On Wednesday, 1.8 and Infernal Dawn come down, and with them, some new and changed rogue specs. There's a lot to cover and I'm going to spend some time with it, but I wanted to let everyone know I'm alive and testing.</div><div style="font-size: 100%; font-weight: normal; "><br /></div><div style="font-size: 100%; font-weight: normal; ">Here's what to expect in 1.8:</div><div style="font-size: 100%; font-weight: normal; "><br /></div><div style="font-weight: normal; "><b><span >Ranger as the new ranged spec</span></b></div><div style="font-size: 100%; font-weight: normal; ">It's been a long time since anyone ran Ranger in a raid, but I've been toying with some specs and rotations on the test server and you can definitely beat Marksman for single target ranged damage, using the HK ranger crystal.</div><div style="font-size: 100%; font-weight: normal; "><br /></div><div style="font-weight: normal; "><b><span >Sabstreet's Back</span></b></div><div style="font-size: 100%; font-weight: normal; ">Rogues will actually be able to AOE once again, with our old friend Saboteur. The rotation has changed a lot and its nothing like playing Sabo or Sabdancer has been in the past. Get ready for some complex rotations/priorities/dependencies and a lot of botched rotation until you get it down.</div><div><br /><span ><b>Bloodstalker still top dog</b></span></div><div style="font-size: 100%; font-weight: normal; "><span style="font-size: 100%; ">The more things change, the more they stay the same. For pure single target damage, Bloodstalker is still tops and nothing has changed in 1.8. Same rotation, same damage. Its really a one-trick pony though. If you need to do something besides kill a boss in melee range, look elsewhere.</span></div><div style="font-size: 100%; font-weight: normal; "><span style="font-size: 100%; "><br /></span></div><div style="font-weight: normal; "><span ><b>Marksman (?)</b></span></div><div style="font-size: 100%; font-weight: normal; "><span style="font-size: 100%; ">Marksman is still alive and kicking, and it will be tops on fights where you need to be at ranged, deal single-target damage and pets aren't viable. How many fights like that are there? Well, none in HK. We'll have to see how ID looks before passing judgment on this spec. Right now, its a niche role, at best.</span></div><div style="font-size: 100%; font-weight: normal; "><span style="font-size: 100%; "><br /></span></div><div style="font-weight: normal; "><span ><b>Lightning Ragnarok Shining Majesty</b></span></div><div style="font-size: 100%; font-weight: normal; ">Do not doubt the LRSM. 1.8 breathes new life into this survival/farming spec with the addition of Meditative Trance in place of False Blade. Meditative Trance heals for about 2500 over 12 seconds, making it great for keeping your health up while dealing with tough enemies. Combined with Rift Scavenger and Leaching Poison, you'll be plowing EI mobs like nobody's business.</div><div style="font-size: 100%; font-weight: normal; "><span style="font-size: 100%; "><br /></span></div><b><span >More to come</span></b><div style="font-size: 100%; font-weight: normal; ">I'll be going in depth on the new specs soon. Especially Saboteur and Ranger. Sabo is going to be an important part of raiding and may even find some uses in PvP (who knows). The Chinese curse says "may you live in interesting times" and we are, at that.</div>Dunsparrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17569353953735021823noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1480610702364891387.post-61425554127618890102012-01-28T02:01:00.010-06:002012-01-28T08:36:11.247-06:00BioWare Makes Trion Shine by ContrastIn case you couldn't tell from my last post, I've been playing SWToR, along with Rift for the past month or so. I really like the PvP in SWToR, despite its enormous problems. You can see the hand of Mythic staff at work in the PvP map design, which is quite frankly, the best of any game.<div><br /></div><div>However, the blight of problems that a company as big as EA/BioWare should have foreseen is an albatross around the neck of this game. The reason I mention this, is because these failings by BioWare really illuminate some of the things we don't always think about that make Rift awesome.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><span>Weekly Maintenance Every Day</span></b></div><div>First of all, BioWare has maintenance multiple times each week, for 4, 6, 8 and sometimes 10 hours at a time. Not just for major patches, but for small updates like those that Trion hotfixes into Rift in 30 minutes or less. SWToR's <i>shortest </i>maintenance cycle has been 4 hours.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><span>User Disinterface</span></b></div><div>The user interface and ability bars are horrendous. SWTOR has no macros and no UI customization (but its coming in some future patch some day!), no Addons and not even a combat log. Its like they don't even look at standard features of MMOs. There is a persistent bug for all players where pressing the middle mouse button or MB4 on your mouse will lock up your entire UI. Its existed since beta and is not even acknowledged, despite being 100% reproduceable for every single player in the game. The UI is a mess that you constantly have to fight while you fight enemies.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><span>Character Control Fail</span></b></div><div>SWTOR has the absolute worst player control of any MMO I've ever played. Half the time I feel so disconnected from my character that I actually think I am someone else if there are a lot of players stacked in a small area. If you press your hotkeys too fast, <b>you can actually interrupt your own instant cast abilities</b>. Its unbelievable. Here's a <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=avypDVmvhto">video</a> of some other annoying crap that happens.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><span>Hope You Like Your Spec</span></b></div><div>There is no dual spec. You have one spec, and it costs more each time you respec, up to 100k credits (equivalent to 50 plat in Rift). You can't shift specs on the fly. You can't bring fight-specific specs like you can in Rift and you can't switch between heal/dps or dps/tank between fights like you can in every other major MMO on the market today. The Operations (aka raids) do not take this into account. Some fights require 1 tank, some require 2. I guess you're supposed to sit your off tank and tell him what a douche he is for the 1 tank fights. Meanwhile in Rift, you can bring a tank, dps and support spec to any raid and change roles between fights or between attempts so that you don't have to worry about what class is in the raid, but what player.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><span>Failure to Plan</span></b></div><div>The first Open World PvP zone is the planet Ilum. They billed this as an amazing PvP zone, but players just traded objectives with the other faction until the <a href="http://www.mmocrunch.com/2012/01/18/swtor-patch-1-1-game-over-empire-wins/">1.1 patch ruined the zone</a> entirely. SWTOR's hapless community team attempted damage control, but with <a href="http://www.swtor.com/community/showthread.php?t=194213">posts like this</a>, it didn't work out too well. Contrast this with Trion, who always tries to own their mistakes, and make up for them. When the River of Souls opening went South, <a href="http://forums.riftgame.com/rift-general-discussions/general-discussion/167307-river-souls-world-event-wrapup.html">Trion immediately apologized</a> and compensated everyone involved so they felt rewarded. They didn't say they would "work on a response." They responded.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><span>Its Bad to be Good</span></b></div><div>If you're playing the Republic, you are probably outnumbered by Empire by a ratio 3:1 or 4:1 on your server. Oops.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><span>Nerf to Balance</span></b></div><div>HOLYBUTTS I JUST DIED! NERF ROCK - Scissors</div><div>This is the mentality that BW listens to. Scoundrels are very good at killing low armor classes like Sorcerers. The problem is that there are 10 Sorcerers (Empire) for every Scoundrel (Republic). So when the Sorcerers start crying about Scoundrels, BW <a href="http://www.swtor.com/community/showthread.php?t=212341">nerfs the hell out of them</a>. Meanwhile classes that can <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SUUWIgm5ssE">literally spam 1 button to victory</a> go untouched. Instead of making the underplayed classes more appealing, they nerf them to appease the more popular classes who are crying. If Scoundrels are so overpowered, why does no one play them?</div><div><br /></div><div><b><span>If Hitler Developed a Community Management Strategy</span></b></div><div>BioWare would adopt it. They love to crack down on free thought and critical posts, and frequently <a href="http://www.swtor.com/community/showthread.php?p=2256245#edit2256245">disable all posting</a> on the forum during maintenance to keep people from flocking to the forums to ask why the game needs a 6-hour maintenance every 2 days. Trion tries to improve the problems that people find with the game. BW tries to prevent people from talking about problems.</div><div><br /></div><div>I could go on, but I won't. BioWare has basically wasted a very cool intellectual property. It will be a long time before we see another Star Wars MMO. Too bad, I'm a huge Star Wars fanboy.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>UPDATE: 8:33 CST</b></div><div>The link I posted above-- <a href="http://www.swtor.com/community/showthread.php?p=2256245#edit2256245">disable all posting</a> -- now shows up as a broken link. This is because BioWare always deletes their posts when the forums are re-enabled, instead of just updating the post to say that the forums are now live again. This directly contradicts their practice for when the <a href="http://www.swtor.com/community/showthread.php?p=2256778#edit2256778">servers go up and down</a>. Clearly, they want to pretend that they don't shut down the forums all the time. The fact is -- they do.</div>Dunsparrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17569353953735021823noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1480610702364891387.post-3430746907973909102012-01-23T06:49:00.002-06:002012-01-23T11:01:08.218-06:00Trion Decides to Ruin PvP - BioWare ApplaudsYou know, I'm pretty choosy when it comes to games. I won't play just anything. It needs to have a certain flavor, or a certain uniqueness that draws me in and makes me want to explore possibilities.<br />
<br />
Rift has that. The soul system in Rift drew me to the game like a moth to flame. The idea of being able to essentially design your own class was so cool that I just had to play. And being able to change your role to fit any situation was constantly challenging and interesting. There is no best spec. There is no best rotation, or best strategy or best class. You must constantly adapt. It's kept me hooked for nearly a year.<br />
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<b>Now Trion plans to ruin it all with one fell patch.</b><br />
<br />
I am not one who is prone to exaggeration. When I said that <a href="http://www.dunsparrow.com/2011/08/rogue-lite-warrior.html">rogues were a joke</a> back in August, they were. Trion eventually got around to agreeing with me. This is just as bad, but now its bad for everyone, and bad for the game.<br />
<br />
With the new PvP Planar Attunement system on the PTS, you now have a new tree called Attunement of War. This tree includes most of the good stuff in the Infiltrator soul. Sound like a good thing? I thought so too, until I realized that you have to choose between putting your PA points into this tree or your other PA trees, like fire and air that actually increase your raid damage.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNbr_I4S6dFL_ofjGBenFSXg2GdtLdZn5Pw3bitj__4DY4t4uy_39CexecmmsecdCQtgHXuI98_NlSCXErzm4b706jXAo8HR3h5DvDdoB37q8TXXd17ecxXbOle-AUVq5FgCJeUZ618dtt/s1600/PvP-Attunement.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="230" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNbr_I4S6dFL_ofjGBenFSXg2GdtLdZn5Pw3bitj__4DY4t4uy_39CexecmmsecdCQtgHXuI98_NlSCXErzm4b706jXAo8HR3h5DvDdoB37q8TXXd17ecxXbOle-AUVq5FgCJeUZ618dtt/s400/PvP-Attunement.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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That's right. Trion is now going to make you choose between PvP and PvE. If you want to be good in PvP, you'll need to dump about 9,000 points into the Attunement of War. How much does that leave for the rest? In my case, not much.<br />
<br />
Gone are the days of leaving a raid and heading to Warfronts or oPvP in Stillmoore or EI. Unless you want to get totally crushed, and I mean horribly massacred. Gone is the versatility and flexibility that make Rift so great.<br />
<br />
You get to either have a massive handicap in PvP or in PvE. Which would you like? What a fun choice this is. I hope I'm wrong about this. I hope that what I'm looking at is just a partial implementation or a mistake. But I'm not hopeful.Dunsparrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17569353953735021823noreply@blogger.com22tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1480610702364891387.post-19815390332004585152012-01-14T21:50:00.001-06:002012-01-15T05:29:58.150-06:00How to do PvP Planar Attunement Right (and Avoid Pitfalls)Changing the PvP tree to Planar Attunement is a worthy -- but not easy -- task. This is something that could easily go horribly wrong if some muckity-muck high in the organization, but out of touch with the game and player-base, takes it in his teeth. So, some dos and don'ts.<br />
<br />
<b><span style="color: lime;">DO</span></b><br />
Create lots of new ranks. Grinding out 8 ranks is tough and progress comes slowly. SWTOR has 65+ PvP ranks where progress comes quickly and benefits are seen constantly. This multi-rank system makes more sense in the context of a PA tree, where many points are needed, and its more rewarding along the way. Too many companies forget that the game is about the journey, not the destination. <br />
<br />
<b><span style="color: red;">DON'T</span></b><br />
Make everyone start over. I ground out Prestige 8, and so have a lot of other hardcore players. We did it to attain an advantage over our fellow players, and worked hard to get here. If you think we're going to start from scratch -- you're wrong.<br />
<br />
<b><span style="color: lime;">DO</span></b><br />
Translate current Prestige ranks into new PA levels. You could give everyone 10% of their total PA for each Prestige Rank (10% for rank 2, 20% for rank 3, etc.). This will keep the ranks in order, but still get P8s playing again.<br />
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<b><span style="color: red;">DON'T</span></b><br />
Remove any "core" abilities from the PvP trees. Rogues still need Anathema, Cleanse Soul and Camouflage, or at least the option to get them. Clerics still need Deathwings, stun shields and heal spreading. Yes, you can add things like minor vengeance/valor increases, damage against players, crit damage, against players, etc. but don't remove the cool PvP moves that we all love to use and hate to be used on us.<br />
<br />
<b><span style="color: lime;">DO</span></b><br />
Add new abilities. At least 1 for each class. Also consider pulling PvP-oriented abilities from other souls, and adding them to the PvP PA. Obvious candidates are Deep Wounds from the Warrior Champion tree, Neddra's Essence from Mage Warlock tree, Fell Blades from the Rogue Nightblade tree, and Slumber from the Cleric Druid tree. I'm sure there are others as well. This will make the PvP PA more interesting and rekindle some interest in PvP.<br />
<br />
<b><span style="color: lime;">DO</span></b><br />
Consider this an opportunity to fix problems that have always existed in PvP but were hard to address in the current system. PvP healing is a nightmare to balance around. Maybe its time give everyone a passive PvP healing debuff through their PvP PA. Something between 30-50% seems about right. If everyone is always heal debuffed in PvP, it will be easier to balance and will make for more fun and interesting gameplay. This could be balanced by allowing vengeance on healers to partially pierce this healing debuff, and make sure this stat is just as important for them as everyone else.<br />
<br />
<b><span style="color: lime;">DO</span></b><br />
Make sure people have many options for gaining PvP PA experience. Warfront grinds are inevitable, but lets encourage some world PvP or even strange tasks like invading capital cities or enemy territory. PvP PA experience is a new reward for doing stuff, so give it to us as a reward for doing new and interesting things. If you're worried about exploiting, put a cap on the amount that can be earned per day on the new/experimental things, so we don't have something like the PvP Rift exploits happen again. Learn from your mistakes, dont repeat your mistakes, but also don't be afraid to make new mistakes. New mistakes mean progress, which is something we all want.Dunsparrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17569353953735021823noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1480610702364891387.post-51579399082901824372012-01-13T13:52:00.002-06:002012-01-13T13:56:14.698-06:001.7 on the Horizon - PvP Changes and More1.7 Looks like a big patch for not just rogues, but everyone. Infernal Dawn will soon be entering open testing, the PvP system is getting a complete overhaul, and several rogue souls are getting buffed or tweaked. Most of it, I like. First, what I consider the biggest news, the PvP overhaul. From some Trion talking head:<br />
<br />
<blockquote>
<span style="color: #6fa8dc;"><b>PVP planar attunement & Prestige system revamp and more!</b></span></blockquote>
<blockquote>
<span style="color: #6fa8dc;">Last but definitely not least we have a number PVP improvements coming with this patch focused on improving a player’s PVP leveling experience while still keeping the matches as competitive as possible. New level 50 players who are placed in both ranked and non ranked matches will have their base stats automatically bolstered to a minimum level, allowing them to be more than just a speed bump for a higher level player.</span></blockquote>
<blockquote>
<span style="color: #6fa8dc;">For existing PVP players, Items purchased from the Prestige store will get the same improvements as the rest of the game, making sure that the jump in power between each set of items is more consistent. In addition we are removing the prestige rank requirements from many of the items, which will give players more freedom when choosing to purchase / upgrade PVP equipment. </span></blockquote>
<blockquote>
<span style="color: #6fa8dc;">Speaking of ranks we will be adjusting the Prestige Rank system to have significantly more ranks, players will have their old rank automatically mapped to the new rank. With these new Ranks come new rewards, including costume versions of PVP armor sets, Planar Attunement Points, and more.</span></blockquote>
<blockquote>
<span style="color: #6fa8dc;">Additionally, we will be doing away with our existing PVP Souls. Moving forward we want PVP players to be able to play the soul combination they want to play and not have to worry about sacrificing soul points to obtain PVP bonuses. Instead we have taken many of the popular bonuses & abilities from these soul trees and placed them in a NEW planar attunement tree specifically focused on PVP.</span></blockquote>
<blockquote>
<span style="color: #6fa8dc;">Finally, we are continuing to look into a number of improvements for warfront queue’s and matchmaking which will be released in a future PTS update in the next few weeks. So keep tuned for more information!</span></blockquote>
I've long favored having the PvP trees as always-on instead of the soul that requires you to dump points from elsewhere, even before I heard of Planar Attunement. This new method sounds like just the ticket, if done properly. If not, it will be a mess.<br />
<br />
PvP Attunement means greater versatility for everyone and a wider range of viable specs. It will make PvP a lot more interesting. It also means that getting caught in a PvE spec won't be quite so punishing as it is now.<br />
<br />
Unfortunately, they seem to be too focused on matchmaking and on bolstering low-rank players. I think this is a mistake. While certainly no one likes being a "speed bump" for a Big Bad P8, it is a necessary part of a player's gaming development and its exactly what any game requires to build and maintain a loyal following.<br />
<br />
I haven't discussed the Hero Factor before, and I may do that in a blog post soon, but what Trion is consistently doing in raids and now PvP is attempting to remove the disparity between the Best-of-the-Best and the Average Casual. This is a mistake. It ignores player psychology and falls firmly into the category of giving players what they ask for, instead of what they actually want (but don't know it).<br />
<br />
Seeing the champions that killed Akylios wearing full Relic gear, or getting steamrolled by a team of badasses in full P8 gear has positive effects. It makes you aware of what your class is capable of and it makes you want to <b>be</b> that player, or that team, or that guild. This sends you out into the community to grow and learn as a player. It builds the community and creates a tiered system that players can climb as they wish.<br />
<br />
Players may ask that the system be removed, but in reality, its this very system that makes the game fun. You can't be a hero if you've never had to overcome obstacles. Its not heroic to cruise to an easy victory in a raid or to grind out middling slogs in warfronts.<br />
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I hope Trion focuses more on the mechanics that make the game fun and less on making everyone the same.Dunsparrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17569353953735021823noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1480610702364891387.post-25897330339708353942011-12-29T12:09:00.000-06:002011-12-29T12:09:57.427-06:00RIFT 90-Day Time Card for $18<a href="http://uk.gamesplanet.com/buy-download-pc-games/Rift:-90-Day-Game-Time-Card-2785-37.html">http://uk.gamesplanet.com/buy-download-pc-games/Rift:-90-Day-Game-Time-Card-2785-37.html</a><br />
<br />
Someone in my guild bought this and said it worked fine. It took about 24 hours for delivery. You have to buy it from the UK so you're paying in pounds sterling, but at the <a href="https://www.google.com/finance?q=CURRENCY%3AUSDGBP&hl=en">current exchange rate</a>, its about $18. Not bad for 90-days. I just bought this myself.<br />
<br />
I'm making no warranties or claims about the validity or trustworthiness of this offer, by the way. Just passing along something that was passed to me.Dunsparrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17569353953735021823noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1480610702364891387.post-1055075042843328562011-12-19T14:57:00.002-06:002011-12-19T14:57:37.820-06:00Infinity Shot<a href="http://forums.riftgame.com/rift-general-discussions/classes-telara/rogue-discussion/287169-idea-new-mm-buff.html#post3476349">http://forums.riftgame.com/rift-general-discussions/classes-telara/rogue-discussion/287169-idea-new-mm-buff.html#post3476349</a>
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<br />
Fun on the forums.Dunsparrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17569353953735021823noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1480610702364891387.post-65175039646028888002011-12-15T10:48:00.002-06:002012-01-13T15:46:16.015-06:00Return of Assassin PvPSo any good dominator can trash ye olde NB/RS spec. But can they beat Sin? Turns out nope. This spec isn't quite as versatile as NB/RS but it has the advantage of being strong in the current mage-heavy metagame.<br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b>BlinkBlood</b></span><br />
<a href="http://rift.zam.com/en/stc.html?t=0MpMi.V0xuzR.0AkfxobodbR.V0toho">32 Sin / 18 RS / 16 NB</a><br />
<br />
The main advantage to this spec is that its not really expected. With permastealth and vanish, you'll have the opener when you want it, and between Fell Blades and Leeching Poison, you get a good amount of healing. I've been experimenting using this with the Hammerknell 2-pc Assassin crystal instead of the PvP crystal and it does seem very powerful in some situations.<br />
<br />
This spec is really a 1v1 spec and should be used for world PvP and in Warfronts like Whitefall and Codex where 1v1 and small group situations are more common. Its a lot less useful in Libarary or Scion.<br />
<br />
Here's the builder macro I use:<br />
<br />
#show Puncture<br />
cast Backstab<br />
cast Puncture<br />
cast Dusk Strike<br />
cast Twilight Force<br />
cast Primal Strike<br />
cast Fiery Spike<br />
<br />
For finishers, keep Impale up and use Final Blow the rest of the time. Don't forget about Foul Play.<br />
<br />
On a caster, usually I open with Jagged Strike, do an immediate Shadow Assault, then Foul Play, Impale, Backstab, Puncture, before they are even able to get out of Foul Play or CC me. Then I'll Shadow Stalk out of their CC and finish them with a Final Blow or use an offensive Slip Away to re-open with Assassinate to finish.<br />
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I'm still not a huge fan of the Assassin soul, but who wants to play FOTM specs all the time? A little variety never hurt anyone.Dunsparrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17569353953735021823noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1480610702364891387.post-73015661852884194302011-12-14T19:37:00.001-06:002011-12-15T00:18:24.033-06:00Trolling SWTOR<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://oi39.tinypic.com/24e6m2g.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="223" src="http://oi39.tinypic.com/24e6m2g.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
I made this post on the SWTOR forums:<br />
<blockquote>
<b>*CONFIRMED* Guaranteed Trick for Early Access </b></blockquote>
<blockquote>
I'm not sure if this will work for everyone else but it did work for me.</blockquote>
<blockquote>
Negative Ghostrider is currenty recruiting a Tank/DPS warrior for Hammerknell Fortress. Normally, we have a 2 week recruitment process, but because we have an immediate need, we can guarantee early access to our raids, beginning this week.</blockquote>
<blockquote>
We could also use a rogue. </blockquote>
<blockquote>
For more details please check my blog: http://dunsparrow.com</blockquote>
The thread got 10 replies and was deleted within 45 second. This site got 16 referrals from those forums in that time. If you don't know why I'm amused, its because they are only letting a few people into SWTOR at a time, so the vast majority of pre-orders can't play now, but they can rage on the forums. Its pretty funny, unless you care a lot about the game.<br />
<br />
Troll on, bros.Dunsparrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17569353953735021823noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1480610702364891387.post-28705813988557799722011-11-29T10:12:00.001-06:002011-11-29T10:34:52.312-06:00Damnit, Now I'm Going to Have to Go BlinkbladeFrom <a href="http://forums.riftgame.com/rift-general-discussions/classes-telara/rogue-discussion/282561-new-riftstalker-ability-planar-reversal.html">Ailion</a>, the Rogue lead.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: cyan;">In 1.6.1, I will be adding a new ability, Planar Reversal, which will be unlocked when 14 soul points are invested into the RS soul.<br /><br />This is a non purgable toggle ability and causes you to Plane Shift behind the target when using Shadow Stalk, Shadow Assault or Shadow Blitz.<br /><br />Shadow Stalk, Shadow Assault and Shadow Blitz now causes you to Plane Shift towards the target by default, regardless of whether you are in Stalker Phase or Guardian Phase.<br /><br />With this change, Rogues can now use targeted Plane Shift abilities without being forced into a detrimental situation.</span></blockquote>
<div>
And here I was, so happy not being forced to use some stupid blink'tard spec.</div>Dunsparrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17569353953735021823noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1480610702364891387.post-74533099824518038842011-11-27T11:42:00.001-06:002011-11-27T12:00:02.272-06:00Raiding NightbladeNightblade is back in PvE with the latest patch. Its been discussed a lot on the forums, but in case you missed it:<br />
<br />
<b>Raid Nightblade</b><br />
<a href="http://rift.zam.com/en/stc.html?t=0MiMp.iItRhqgRss.0Vkcx0b">49 NB / 17 Sin</a><br />
<br />
The macros and rotation are all pretty standard, but there are a few things worth mentioning. Even with Fervor, you'll be energy starved if you're spamming Expose Weakness on CD, since its off the GCD. This means you should use a tablet with this spec. <i>Any </i>tablet will work, since they all give the same amount of energy regen. You don't need Elder (although Elder gives more strength). If you don't have a tablet, then Expose doesn't really increase your DPS much at all.<br />
<br />
<u>Macros</u><br />
<br />
ST Macro 1<br />
<br />
#show Puncture<br />
cast Puncture<br />
cast Dusk Strike<br />
cast Twilight Force<br />
cast Primal Strike<br />
cast Fiery Chains<br />
cast Fiery Spike<br />
cast Expose Weakness<br />
<br />
<br />
ST Macro 2 (use with 4 CPs)<br />
<br />
#show Twilight Force<br />
cast Twilight Force<br />
cast Primal Strike<br />
cast Fiery Chains<br />
cast Fiery Spike<br />
cast Expose Weakness<br />
<br />
Macro 3<br />
<br />
#show Scourge of Darkness<br />
cast Scourge of Darkness<br />
cast Dusk to Dawn<br />
<br />
Synching up your SoD and DtD is very important for boosting DPS and thats the point of this macro. You want to cast Scourge on the rotation when your Nightrage falls off, and then go right into DtD to re-apply Nightrage. This way you'll never have that sad rotation where you have to use a Blazing Strike without Nightrage up.<br />
<br />
<u>Comments</u><br />
<br />
Its still a very awkward spec to use in raids because of how stupid it is for a melee class to have to use a channeled ability to get a necessary buff. It would be much better for Nightrage to proc on Scourge of Darkness and last 35 seconds, or from Twilight Force / Dusk Strike and last 10 seconds. Whatever. The point is that Dusk to Dawn is a stupid ability for rogues to need to use in raids, and its not something that Warriors or any other Rogue spec is saddled with.<br />
<br />
Still, the spec is probably our highest DPS at the moment (still putting us firmly behind equally geared/skilled Mages and Warriors). Rogues need a buff, but this is our best current option.Dunsparrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17569353953735021823noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1480610702364891387.post-78889248198912074942011-11-18T12:38:00.001-06:002011-11-18T12:59:52.004-06:00Lightning Ragnarok Shining Majesty - The Return of the King<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaBjzVfH6jMESm9uADt2TJ0idhBiNxaDVcVCsXN_6dHtcm05VHNVCAjBmOwCe1B4a22qcDT-pYTooHltGzIj4EwJVL62IhcO37RxhLQViaNqhKODXvAd9jMQZg7LHeTc5bu5oh3Q7sRIUK/s1600/Angel-of-Light-4d30971ca65ec_hires.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaBjzVfH6jMESm9uADt2TJ0idhBiNxaDVcVCsXN_6dHtcm05VHNVCAjBmOwCe1B4a22qcDT-pYTooHltGzIj4EwJVL62IhcO37RxhLQViaNqhKODXvAd9jMQZg7LHeTc5bu5oh3Q7sRIUK/s320/Angel-of-Light-4d30971ca65ec_hires.jpg" width="311" /></a></div>
Yes, this spec still works in 1.6 and is more important than ever for surviving alone on Ember Isle, and many other things.<br />
<br />
<b>Lightning Ragnarok Shining Majesty</b><br />
<a href="http://rift.zam.com/en/stc.html?t=0MVpM.g0duu0M.VckhuR0zz.0VRcxMbm">20 BD / 22 RS / 24 Sin</a><br />
This build's strength lies in its versatility. Here is what I use the spec for currently:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>Soloing Major Rifts</li>
<li>Soloing Ember Isle</li>
<li>Handling tomes on Matron Zamira encounter in HK (so I don't have to bring a separate Sin/NB spec)</li>
<li>Tanking encounters for which I'm overgeared</li>
<li>World PvP (unless it gets serious)</li>
</ul>
<br />
Macro<br />
<br />
<br />
#show Precision Strike<br />
cast Precision Strike<br />
cast Phantom Blow<br />
cast Puncture<br />
cast Quick Strike<br />
cast Keen Strike<br />
cast Flash of Steel<br />
cast Expose Weakness<br />
cast Reprisal<br />
<br />
If you're on something tough, make sure to use Guardian Phase. It reduces the damage you take but the Leaching Poison healing remains constant, so you gain survivability and still deal damage constantly with Planar Vortex. Don't skip the point in Shadow Mastery. This alone is about 10% physical damage reduction.<br />Dunsparrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17569353953735021823noreply@blogger.com21tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1480610702364891387.post-38651579142997391742011-11-16T18:04:00.000-06:002011-11-17T02:07:22.875-06:00Nightstalker 1.6Trion thought they nerfed Nightstalker in 1.6. They thought wrong. The new Nightstalker has more survivability than ever, and only slightly reduced damage. Feel the power.<br />
<br />
Nightstalker 1.6<br />
<a href="http://rift.zam.com/en/stc.html?t=0Mipb.VhtRGoToss.VckIuRokoz">38 Nightblade / 28 Riftstalker / 0 Infilitrator</a><br />
<br />
This build has it all. Defensive cooldowns, offensive cooldowns. CC breaks. Solid offensive power, Fell Blades. Nom nom. From 1.5 version, you gain about 10% physical mitigation from the new Shadow Armor, Rift Prison and some other stuff. Its highly versatile. The talents on Zam don't exactly match live, but the points are in the right place.<br />
<br />
<b>Macro</b><br />
<br />
#show Dusk Strike<br />
cast Dusk Strike<br />
cast Twilight Force<br />
cast Phantom Blow<br />
cast Fiery Chains<br />
cast Primal Strike<br />
cast Fiery Spike<br />
<br />
Play it basically the same as originally Nightstalker. You have slightly less offensive punch, because of the changes to cooldowns, but your defenses are rock solid and mobility is even better than 1.5. Enjoy.Dunsparrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17569353953735021823noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1480610702364891387.post-69981468044887206412011-11-16T14:56:00.001-06:002011-11-16T14:59:40.732-06:00Hope you went Air AttunementIn case you didn't notice, Tier 2 Air planar attunement lets you use a weapon buff for +30 dex to one-hander. Pretty nice for ranged. If you were smart and saved your points, congrats. I didn't. Here's the GM response to my request to have my points reset.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #f1c232;">--------------------------------------------------------------------<br />On November 16, 2011 14:39:23 [Customer Service] wrote:<br />--------------------------------------------------------------------<br />Hello Dunsparrow! Thank you for contacting us regarding Planar Attunement! Please note that the period during which we offered limited Attunement resets has concluded. This feature is designed to offer permanent, unique character advancement past level 50: your paths to Planar Attunement—and the benefits you unlock along the way—are shaped by the irreversible choices you make and the Planes with which you choose to align. However, we continue to read your feedback about the issue and take your suggestions into consideration when discussing the future of endgame advancement! Please don’t hesitate to let us know if you have any further questions or recommendations. Thanks again for your continued support of Trion Worlds and for playing RIFT. Your reference number for this question is *redacted*. Sincerely, GM Lasaira Game Master Trion Worlds Inc.</span></blockquote>
Really, a permanent choice based on incomplete information, because Trion chose to add abilities after we chose where to put our points? Great logic.Dunsparrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17569353953735021823noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1480610702364891387.post-72884677396852521372011-11-01T14:29:00.000-05:002011-11-01T14:29:02.942-05:00Unnecessary Rogue Nerfs IncI saw this one coming. Trion is looking to <a href="http://forums.riftgame.com/public-test-shard/270727-riftstalker-nightblade-pvp-build-broken-pvp-13.html#post3318482">nerf Rogues in PvP</a> and lower our damage in PvE by nerfing the MM crystal to <a href="http://forums.riftgame.com/public-test-shard/274348-mm-nerf-newest-pts-seriously.html">30% bonus damage on electrified munitions</a>.<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #6fa8dc;">We are aware that certain Nightblade related specs are creating issues in PvP. We are looking to address the issues that we perceive.</span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #6fa8dc;">I'm not going to discuss the issues in this thread - I'm just popping in to let you know we are looking at things.</span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #6fa8dc;">~Daglar</span></blockquote>
<br />
No, its not because rogues are overpowered, its because idiots from other classes don't know what to do with themselves when rogues are competitive DPS in PvE, and aren't free kills in PvP. So, they head to the forums and whine.<br />
<br />
Prior to 1.5, healers could -- quite literally -- ignore rogues, keep themselves alive and heal their team. Rogues were a non-factor in PvP. Even as the old 51 MM, Improved Hit and Run only gave Rogues brief periods of time to do competitive damage. They still were no threat to high-rank healers or warriors.<br />
<br />
Obviously, any change to rogues that takes them into the realm of playability is going to present some growing pains. <b>Of course </b>that P8 rogue is going to kill the P6 cleric who previously ignored him. It's obvious. The cleric is not used to rogues being a threat, and the rogue has been fighting an uphill battle for 3 months in PvP. It's like someone finally took the weights off the bat.<br />
<br />
When that happens, some players run to the forums to cry, and some dig in and work on improving. If Trion listens to the whiners, who are complaining with obviously incomplete information about mechanics that they obviously don't understand, then nothing good will ever be accomplished.<br />
<br />
Maybe the next time that cleric runs into the rogue, he'll be a damn sight more careful. He might even have to start using abilities and cooldowns he didn't use before or he might have to focus heals on himself instead of letting hots do all the work.<br />
<br />
Eventually, each class will come up with new strategies to adapt to the new gamescape. I've already seen it happen with equal-rank members of every class. I've beat them, they've adapted, they've beat me, I've adapted, etc. That's why we play.<br />
<br />
It's not <i>supposed </i>to be easy for you to trash an equally skilled and geared player from another class. If it is, <b>that </b>is a problem. Rogues were in that untenable position in 1.5. Now we're not. Its imperative that Trion gives everyone time to adjust, and not make knee-jerk changes to put rogues right back in the crapper.Dunsparrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17569353953735021823noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1480610702364891387.post-5513797000551505182011-10-25T10:59:00.000-05:002011-10-25T10:59:10.763-05:00I'm BackGot back from vacation and there's a lot of new changes on the PTS. For Rogues, these are tanking changes, but other classes are getting some DPS tweaks as well and mages are getting worked over quite a bit. Let's start with what will effect DPS the most, and that is the new lesser essences on PTS that will cost <b>150 Inscribed Sourcestones each</b>, or 900 for 6. Yikes.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://img23.imageshack.us/img23/3954/16lessers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="234" src="http://img23.imageshack.us/img23/3954/16lessers.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Some of these are pretty amazing, and there are basically 5 AP-based lessers that massacre anything in the game right now. This works great for Marksman, because you can keep your Ranger greater for 100 AP on Shadow Fire, which is still going to be awesome.<br />
<br />
If you're putting together a water resist core for Inquisitor/Darktide or a PvP core, then these will be able to help you as well, but there is a hell of a lot of Inscribed needed for it. Hopefully the new Tier 2 Raid Rifts in 1.6 will offer more inscribed, and a greater challenge as well.Dunsparrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17569353953735021823noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1480610702364891387.post-24349893176779618332011-10-08T02:20:00.003-05:002011-10-08T02:21:15.625-05:00The Best Spec in the WorldIn my travels across Telara and the interwebs, I have discovered many powerful secrets. Some I must keep to myself, but I at last feel free to reveal a great boon to rogues: a new spec that I have humbly dubbed...<br />
<br />
<strong><span style="font-size: large;">Lightning Ragnarok Shining Majesty</span></strong><br />
<a href="http://rift.zam.com/en/stc.html?t=0MVMp.g0dukkM.0VRcxMbm.VckuhR0zz">22 RS / 24 Sin / 20 BD</a><br />
<br />
The best part about this spec is everything. With it, I can clear all 3 Chronicles in 20 minutes (most of that waiting for boring RP sequences to finish). With it, I can solo level 50 elite Rifts. With it, I can farm planar attunement levels without ever drinking, stopping (except for scheduled breaks for food and romance), or otherwise doing things that lesser beings consider necessary to their gaming. Rift Scavenger takes care of my healing and Twin Strike takes care of the bad guys not being dead.<br />
<br />
I have successfully tanked Tier 1 (and some T2) instances while being the #1 DPS in every fight, even in Guardian Phase. Rift Barrier sends damage back at my attackers, while Planar Vortex aggros and kills everything that is foolish enough to attack me instead of drinking cyanide. Yes, I wear super-amazing P8 and some Hammerknell tanking gear and your results may vary. Sorry if I'm too awesome for your "accurate testing." Whatever.<br />
<br />
When some git decides they think they can gank you in the midst of killing the patrolling commander packs in Stillmoor, they find out that they are simply caught in the whirling dervish of teleporting carnage that your blades deliver. Because it lacks a healing debuff, you are susceptible to high rank chloro/lock type mages or hybrid clerics. Don't cry to me about this. It's not even a dedicated PvP spec. Just avoid them. <br />
<br />
Macros<br />
<br />
Name: I-WIN<br />
#show Dunsparrow's Avatar<br />
cast Precision Strike<br />
cast Puncture<br />
cast Quick Strike<br />
cast Keen Strike<br />
cast Reprisal<br />
<br />
#show Shadow Blitz<br />
cast Shadow Blitz<br />
cast Shadow Assault<br />
cast Shadow Stalk<br />
<br />
However, you really won't be using these much. Mostly you just teleport into a pack of mobs (bigger the better) in Stalker Phase and massacre them with Twin Strike, using combo points to self heal and regen energy. Trion will probably nerf this because they are big jerks and hate rogues. Warriors can do 3000 DPS on Murdantix. How about you nerf them instead?<br />
<br />
BRB soloing Regulos.Dunsparrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17569353953735021823noreply@blogger.com28tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1480610702364891387.post-89346523943145116222011-10-04T10:08:00.000-05:002011-10-04T10:08:38.019-05:00It's the Little ThingsI'm doing some good damage in raids with 51mm/15rang but I don't see the reason for the AOE nerf with Electrified/Silver Tip Munitions. These munitions deal good damage, but by no means was 51 MM the top AOE DPS spec. Cabs, Stormcallers, etc. still crush Rogue AOE damage.<br />
<br />
Also, its not even possible for them to nerf Rending Munitions the same way, so they are only nerfing the munitions that scale with points in MM. I don't really get it. Also, it was clumsily implemented, with the munition only proc'ing on the target closest to you, instead of your main target, so you can't even keep stacks on your main target when AOEing. Annoying.Dunsparrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17569353953735021823noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1480610702364891387.post-84873362078485132982011-10-01T06:00:00.002-05:002011-10-01T06:05:07.325-05:00Cut and Shoot - PvP SpecI've found that my theorized top MM spec (51 MM and 15 Inf) didn't pan out nearly as well as I hoped. Nightstalker is doing awesome though. The problem with it is that on BG and PS, you really need a ranged DPS spec and try as I might, I can't find a bursty-enough Gunblade spec for the new patch, although some variants are decent.<br />
<br />
Reluctantly I gave up NB for Sin and I'm relatively pleased at the results.<br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b>Cut and Shoot</b></span><br />
<a href="http://rift.zam.com/en/stc.html?t=0MfMV.E0tRqzAudR.0AMbt0boz">44 MM / 22 Sin / 0 x</a><br />
This utilized MM ranged abilities with Assassin openers. You can do enormous damage on a single target with your openers and it has a good amount of utility. You should be running Vamp and Elec munitions and Baneful Touch works great with Elec. I find rending a bit lacking.<br />
<br />
<u>Macros</u><br />
<br />
Finisher 1<br />
cast Expose Weakness<br />
cast Rapid Fire Shot<br />
cast Deadeye Shot<br />
cast Hasted Shot<br />
<br />
Finisher 2<br />
cast Expose Weakness<br />
cast Bull's Eye<br />
cast Deadeye Shot<br />
<br />
<u>Gameplay</u><br />
<br />
This spec has a ton of viability now. With Baneful, your munitions damage is very nice, and then adding in Cut and Run really de-emphasizes the need for Infiltrator. If you want you can run 0 Inf for a 2nd Break Free, but I prefer Side Steps or Shadow Shift, making this the first PvP spec I've ever run that doesn't have Infiltrator. You also have Foul Play if a warrior or 51sin-type closes to melee on you and if they break it, you can immediately hit them with Static Shot which is on a different DR.<br />
<br />
I tend to open on tough targets in melee if I can, to get the Cloak and Dagger bonus. Ideally, things go thusly:<br />
<br />
EW > Assassinate > Barbed > Swift x2 > RFS<br />
<br />
This combo will kill the crap out of anyone 2+ ranks below you. If its a mage, I might use Paralyzing Strike instead. A good burst rotation:<br />
<br />
Having 5 CPs > Finisher 2 Macro > Strafe > RFS<br />
<br />
This combo frequently clears 7k damage for me with a string of crits. It does very well in the open field as well because of the crit bonuses in assassin and it isn't bogged down with stacking debuffs that 51 mm/15 inf suffers from. The problem with Silver Tip in PvP is that by the time you get the bonus up, its often time to change targets. This one frees you to choose targets of opportunity and that flexibility is very nice.Dunsparrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17569353953735021823noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1480610702364891387.post-6544280983232278002011-09-28T08:00:00.001-05:002011-09-28T08:03:05.768-05:00D-Day1.5 is here. I have a brief wrap up of what you can expect, what you should do and what works and doesn't in PvE and PvP. First, the obvious:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaISRpZZcWMNaEe-y8DFceQRM-EFxZQAiYw8WpnZRWD3pie6b99Q37lq6Zyc_R4IAnUP-v-hOdhHEz677-wIm71YathapI29_mv6MRONPctcQugm0bxgeTCpdgJptO8b-AOkNXtGPLUKuw/s1600/attunement.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="235" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaISRpZZcWMNaEe-y8DFceQRM-EFxZQAiYw8WpnZRWD3pie6b99Q37lq6Zyc_R4IAnUP-v-hOdhHEz677-wIm71YathapI29_mv6MRONPctcQugm0bxgeTCpdgJptO8b-AOkNXtGPLUKuw/s400/attunement.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<b>Planar Attunement</b><br />
<br />
AKA "So you thought you were done leveling" this basically requires you to earn tons of experience to get marginal upgrades that are nonetheless necessary for min/maxers. I'm not thrilled with the system and before you ask, no one has seen the 2nd/3rd tiers. There are 6 elements and you have to max the first tier in an element before you can unlock the 2nd tier. My guess is the 2nd tier isn't even implemented yet. Its a very long grind.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1Wpw7Ri1ey5BH2tWOsjLUSo2OR6KmoM76naXutHMNMH6qkVFOy4_30xvqp-XCtyfMvo-0txAkCDdI-QUxvrt9M6DMCms5pFCpeCfk94bsMG-z_FUL3uqh9nLpbcq6is_ojeAlteGGmwbb/s1600/chronicle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="128" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1Wpw7Ri1ey5BH2tWOsjLUSo2OR6KmoM76naXutHMNMH6qkVFOy4_30xvqp-XCtyfMvo-0txAkCDdI-QUxvrt9M6DMCms5pFCpeCfk94bsMG-z_FUL3uqh9nLpbcq6is_ojeAlteGGmwbb/s320/chronicle.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<b>Chronicles</b><br />
<br />
You got that chronic-what? -cles of hammerknell! Hooray for 2 player instances. They're easy and although I hated the idea of them, they're actually pretty entertaining and give Attunement points, yeah! Good for running with a noob friend that you just forced to level to 50. Gogo casual content.<br />
<br />
<b>Sourcestones</b><br />
<br />
All your Crystal Sourcestones were just converted to Inscribed. Grats. Prices were tweaked and so were rewards for Rift dailies. Experts give 6 inscribed, Raids give 10 and there's a new weekly for 25. Costs were increased as well and you can now buy gear and synergy crystals with Inscribed (60 each) which work with your Raid 1 gear.<br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;">PvE Specs</span><br />
<br />
Whet your whistle, your DPS just went up. Here are the parses I made. All parses were 5 min with fervor and the same gear (no greater essences or synergy crystals) unless otherwise noted. No other buffs or stones, etc. Bear in mind that some talents have changed, but the points are in the correct location. Just waitin on Zam to update. Thanks to Geriatrix and Bloatality for theorycrafting and Woetoyou for bardbotting it up after he went to bed.<br />
<br />
<b>Deep Nightblade - 1550 DPS</b><br />
<a href="http://rift.zam.com/en/stc.html?t=0MiMf.VhtzhqT0ss.0VRcx0b.x0x">38 NB / 18 Sin / 10 MM</a><br />
This is a relatively fun spec, and the synergy crystal is pretty good for it. Run the macro and Scourge every CD. Make sure to use Dusk to Dawn right after a finisher. You need the time to regen energy while it channels.<br />
<br />
<br />
cast Dusk Strike<br />
cast Puncture<br />
cast Twilight Force<br />
cast Primal Strike<br />
cast Fiery Spike<br />
<br />
<b>Full Marksman - 1650 DPS</b><br />
<a href="http://rift.zam.com/en/stc.html?t=0MfNp.EGtRqdAudR.VRR0u">51 MM / 15 Rang / 0 whatever</a><br />
Finally, a viable ranged spec. The Shadow Fire greater essence (100 AP) is amazing for this and so is the synergy crystal. This is more than likely what I will be raiding as. The reason for no Head Shot is you basically have to choose between 2/2 Head Shot and 3/3 Exposure, and if you don't max Exposure, you will overwrite the warrior's armor debuff with your inferior one. With 3/3 yours is better. This also simplifies the rotation, as you no longer have to mess with Head Shots for the 5% damage. Use Bull's Eye with Deadeye Shot.<br />
<br />
<br />
cast Empowered Shot<br />
cast Shadow Fire<br />
cast Crippling Shot<br />
cast Piercing Shot<br />
cast Quick Shot<br />
<br />
cast Rapid Fire Shot<br />
cast Deadeye Shot<br />
<br />
<b>Blinkblade - 1650 DPS</b><br />
<a href="http://rift.zam.com/en/stc.html?t=0MVMp.Vf0N0s.0VRcxkbV.VchchR">25 Sin / 21 BD / 20 RS</a><br />
This is a fairly complex spec and with skill, patience and practice it may be tops. However its simply too complex to run successfully in raids, especially since I am raid leader. It likely won't be used on much progression by anyone but will top meters on Murdantix, so people will claim its good. If you're interested, check out the <a href="http://forums.riftgame.com/rift-general-discussions/classes-telara/rogue-discussion/257792-igneouss-blinkblade-spec-test-shard-part-ii.html">thread by the spec's creator</a>.<br />
<br />
<b>Dundancer - 1600 DPS</b><br />
<a href="http://rift.zam.com/en/stc.html?t=0MTMV.VcMcyb0o0o.0VMcxcb.Vf0I0s">26 Sab / 20 BD / 20 Sin</a><br />
If you fear change, fear not. Dundancer still rocks the house and is solidly competitive. You need to make a few changes though, to grab improved blast charge. You'll also need another macro or two, since Expose Weakness is now off the GCD. Otherwise, your rotation and skills are largely unchanged. Swap in Shrapnel for AOE (and prepare to be disappointed).<br />
<br />
cast Blast Charge<br />
cast Expose Weakness<br />
start attack<br />
<br />
cast Precision Strike<br />
cast Keen Strike<br />
cast Expose Weakness<br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;">PvP Specs</span><br />
<br />
Marksman may not prove viable in its new form, but that's not stopping me from rockin' out. We'll see how NB does too. Gunblade variants could be promising as well. Followup posts are a certainty.<br />
<br />
<b>Full Marksman</b><br />
<a href="http://rift.zam.com/en/stc.html?t=0MfbV.EGtRqdAudR.xx0M0c">51 MM / 15 Inf / 0 whatever</a><br />
The spec hasn't changed, but the play style has. Gone is Improved Hit and Run. We'll see how bursty the spec can be without the go-to burst ability. Damage is up overall and Silver Tip Munitions go nicely with Focused Intent. New strafe aint bad either. *Not responsible for deaths by warrior when mashing Hit and Run fails to produce results.*<br />
<br />
<b>Nightstalker</b><br />
<a href="http://rift.zam.com/en/stc.html?t=0Mibp.VItkGoross.xx.VckMhR">38 NB / 18 RS / 10 Inf</a><br />
Nightblade is back. I think this spec will kick ass, but I haven't been able to test it. I also think every damn person in the universe is going to have RS in their builds. Joy.<br />
<br />
cast Dusk Strike<br />
cast Twilight Force<br />
cast Primal Strike<br />
cast Fiery Spike<br />
<br />
<b>Teleporting Sniper</b><br />
<a href="http://rift.zam.com/en/stc.html?t=0Mfbp.q0tRqzAudo.xx.VcbMhR">38 MM / 18 RS / 10 Inf</a><br />
I almost wish I was joking. This build could annoy the crap out of people, and has better survivability than 51 MM. Not sure if the burst will be there, but you have a lot of tools at your disposal. Didn't I see this in the Rogue preview for Rift like 5 months ago?Dunsparrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17569353953735021823noreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1480610702364891387.post-75782365382965291832011-09-26T07:14:00.000-05:002011-09-26T07:14:25.092-05:00Dunsparrow Podcast is Coming<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/tmhoMpTfdk4?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
Here's a little preview, for your amusement. I'll probably be doing the podcast weekly and I would like to spend at least part of the time answering your questions or responding to your comments. Leave em here if you like or tune in to the podcast. Times and dates will be announced soon!Dunsparrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17569353953735021823noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1480610702364891387.post-90704906394825476062011-09-23T01:58:00.002-05:002011-09-23T01:58:39.815-05:00Insightful Post By DevelopersThe Devs did a really thorough content dump that you should take a look at if you have time. A lot of is just documenting stuff that's already been reported by players, but at the bottom, they list a lot of the rogue specs that they used for testing, and they made a huge list of specs that they believe are competitive with Sabdancer.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://forums.riftgame.com/public-test-shard/259312-1-5-rogue-follow-up.html">The Full Post by Elrar</a><br />
<br />
The interesting part (dev testing specs) is at the bottom, but some of the specs are honestly pretty ludicrous and would never be competitive with any top-tier spec. However, I think the post is very informative to the devs line of thinking, and there are some specs I had not thought of, but are at least worth looking at. Here are some takeaways:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li><b>The devs key in on 51 point specs.</b> If you notice, every souls they tested and said was competitive with Sabdancer had 51 points in at least one variation. They clearly balance around 51 point specs, and if anything significantly beats it, they look to nerf it.</li>
<li><b>The devs prefer to change damage modifiers, not mechanics.</b> If you look at what led to the rise (and fall) of the blinkblade, it was completely due to changing damage modifiers. They solved energy starvation by increasing rogue energy regeneration across the board. They "solved" the low damage of 51 BD by increasing the BD strike damage. On the other hand, they did change mechanics in MM, but once the first pass was done, everything else was just tweaking and juggling.</li>
<li><b>The devs don't understand what makes Warriors so far superior to rogues in PvP.</b> Like it or not, these classes are comparable, because they have largely the same function. Warrior damage, health and mitigation is so far above rogues, and so much less dependent on cooldowns and gear, that the dichotomy is almost humorous. Yet the patch does really nothing to address it. The lackluster Infiltrator soul is untouched and while warriors can't unload as many off-global abilities as before, their damage and mitigation are still tremendous.</li>
</ul>
<br />
Rogues will certainly be in better shape when 1.5 hits this Wednesday than they are now, but by no means will we be on even footing with Warriors in PvE or PvP. I'm okay with that, because it will make success all the sweeter when its not handed to me, but I'm concerned that Trion will see it as "mission accomplished." The job ain't over.Dunsparrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17569353953735021823noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1480610702364891387.post-77194400712839651742011-09-21T04:25:00.001-05:002011-09-21T04:27:27.928-05:001.5 Specs to Watch ForWith the changes to souls still in flux and more probably still to come, a few specs are beginning to emerge.<br />
<br />
<b>Blinkblade</b><br />
<a href="http://rift.zam.com/en/stc.html?t=0MVMp.Vf0N0s.0VRcxkbV.VfochR">25 Sin / 21 BD / 20 Rift</a><br />
This is one getting <a href="http://forums.riftgame.com/rift-general-discussions/classes-telara/rogue-discussion/255609-igneouss-blinkblade-spec-test-shard.html">a lot of attention</a> and it is definitely going to be one of the strongest contenders for top DPS. The talents are changing with the patch, but these are where the points will go.<br />
<br />
This spec is strong because it takes advantage of the buffs to Stalker Phase in RS to rotate teleports and keep 25% additional damage and 15% additional crit active 100% of the time. The spec is a mess and the teleports don't fit well in any rotation, but you can't argue with results. Unfortunately, this is probably the top melee spec.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4PuMhONhubhAd_RMutBq6fql_dgc5ZyyHET8Dvdk4Srek8OW6TSXLKS0ZWCFEGq2RdxWqHWwtVKI5-3Osut01QSve_BM9WsHqVzcgrlM2040trPYL-GF2WceHEHKTsMb67LvUnDq9DYvr/s1600/mm-crystal.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4PuMhONhubhAd_RMutBq6fql_dgc5ZyyHET8Dvdk4Srek8OW6TSXLKS0ZWCFEGq2RdxWqHWwtVKI5-3Osut01QSve_BM9WsHqVzcgrlM2040trPYL-GF2WceHEHKTsMb67LvUnDq9DYvr/s1600/mm-crystal.jpg" /></a><b>Deep Marksman</b><br />
<a href="http://rift.zam.com/en/stc.html?t=0MfNp.EGtRqdAudR.VMRbd">51 MM / 15 Rng</a><br />
Variant <a href="http://rift.zam.com/en/stc.html?t=0MfNp.E0xoVzAudo.VMRfdckck">38 MM / 28 Rng</a><br />
Marksman is getting a whole lot of love. With the new Silver Tip Munitions (15% extra damage), and less reliance on burst cooldowns, this spec is going to provide some extremely competitive ranged damage.<br />
<br />
Also check out the new 4-pc synergy crystal (HK crystal has the same bonus as 2-pc)<br />
<br />
<b>Nightstalker</b><br />
<a href="http://rift.zam.com/en/stc.html?t=0Mibp.VhtzMqToss.xx.VcbcbR">38 NB / 18 RS / 10 Inf</a><br />
Variant: <a href="http://rift.zam.com/en/stc.html?t=0Mibp.ihtzGqTkss..VchchRoo">44 NB / 22 RS / 0 Inf</a><br />
For PvP, I'm working on some variant of NB and RS. It may or may not be what you see above, and it will likely take some warfronts to sift out what works and what doesn't. I don't think the 4th port is necessary in PvP like it is in raids.<br />
<br />
This spec will have incredible mobility and damage output, plus the reflective shield in RS. I expect it to shred a lot of things.<br />
<br />
More to come as D-Day approaches.Dunsparrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17569353953735021823noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1480610702364891387.post-81926221674338438602011-09-19T18:45:00.001-05:002011-09-21T04:25:51.035-05:00Ride the Raptor<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXe1LgUIL2LQ32EiFcZS-thX30LW06-ei0jsRnrw2roCqHzNx-OVPSm0gw6tQpp3DTCWSBYi1j89s33n_sZa6OQgpJnos51f6m1qxoCssHnt7FQbFeGPuXq8j2lacqHBRQHhECsGMfcVka/s1600/raptor.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="262" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXe1LgUIL2LQ32EiFcZS-thX30LW06-ei0jsRnrw2roCqHzNx-OVPSm0gw6tQpp3DTCWSBYi1j89s33n_sZa6OQgpJnos51f6m1qxoCssHnt7FQbFeGPuXq8j2lacqHBRQHhECsGMfcVka/s400/raptor.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
New mount in 1.5 and the way to get it. No damn Mossy Tartagon this time.Dunsparrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17569353953735021823noreply@blogger.com0