Lately I have been looking for Ideas for contests and the prizes I should award the winners of those contests. I have decided I definitely want the outcome to benefit the site overall. One of the members of the Cloak-and-Dagger, Rokzilla, posted a video that instructs clearly how to perform Sap, Cheap Shot your opponent while sapped with out breaking the sap and then restealthing. Here is the video:




This raises a couple of questions. First what is the point of this move? Second would anyone let you finish the sequence before trinketing? Third what could you do with this?

Well the obvious purpose of Cheap shotting a target while sapped and restealthing is to stack combo points. If you are using premed and Initiative then you are usually starting with 5 to begin with. But if you don't have premed this is a great poor man's premed.

The second question is would any class let you do this... the quick answer is maybe. Most classes will not trinket your sap because you are doing no damage and they would rather save it for say a kidney shot. Now since you are not damaging them it is in their best interest to save that trinket for later. A more experienced player may realize what you are doing and try and stop you. But it is likely in a 1v1 situation that this can be executed cleanly.

The third point is what will you do with the combo pts. Against a high armor target you can open with Garrote / Rupture / Vanish and allow your dots to tick your targets health away before reapplying sap and opening with cheapshot / kidneyshot sequence. Getting a solid 5 pt Expose Armor off on your target could also be a beneficial way to start the fight. Would it be possible to Sap / Cheapshot / Expose Armor / Restealth /Resap / Cheapshot / Kidneyshot. Only a 3 pts Expose Armor but on a cloth target it might be well worth it.

Just some things to consider. This move is relegated to duels and 1v1 situations but executed properly can definitely stack the deck and combo points in your favor.

Labels: notebook, pvp, sap

Almost as if out of nowhere, Patch 2.4 caught us like a deer in its headlights. Of course we didn't quite go out with the ensuing splatter that should follow, we can expect some bloody animal carcasses to be lying about once the storm calms. So let's go to Ollie Williams now for the Arena forecast, Ollie how's about those druids?

Labels: 2.4, arena, druid, nerf, pvp

Well I wanted to find something to add to my PVP Notebook. Who would have thought that my inspiration would come from a PVE server? The other day I stumbled upon this video.


This is pretty hilarious. Using a disguise to make himself look like a Furbolg and /walking instead of running around the player creates a perfect setup for flagging an unsuspecting player. Once the target engages you are free to attack back of course.

It makes me wonder what other strategies to PVE players have for getting the opposite faction to flag up? How do you engage in world pvp on a server that has it switched off by default? I am looking forward to hearing your methods.

Labels: notebook, pvp

Actually I'm quite guilty of this myself. How many times have you run a 2v2 composition, a 3v3, or a 5v5 and run into another team that made you think to yourself "god what a bunch of lamers, running XXX/YYY/ZZZ, wow that takes skill". You just ran into Priest/Mage/Rogue and you're running Warrior/Rogue/Druid. Well gosh, Pot, meet Kettle. The fact is every team composition out there is "pretty lame", and we can muse on that all we want just to make us feel better about our own compositions, but when it comes right down to it we are guilty of the same thing.

The team compositions are lame, but they work. And this is the means of succeeding in arena. It breaks my heart to say that a lot of team makeups might be more "fun" because they're wierd and all, but many players are out to win. They don't care about playing fair, or playing with honor. Now, I draw your attention to a very dead-on article regarding the "Art of Video Game War" as I like to call it: Playing to Win

If you are not about to read that whole article then let me sum it up for you. You don't get first prize by playing honorably. You don't win a duel by bringing a knife to a shootout. You don't- well you hopefully see where I'm going with this. A lesson to learn is that the most successful arena players win by minimizing their disadvantages and adjusting their advantages to the times. Each season brought about new compositions that became widely popular due to this very fact. PMR was extremely strong in season 2 with it's heavy CC and ability to drop a lot of burst damage very quickly. 2345 dominated the 5v5 bracket until a counter (2346) was found, until another counter (euro, or 5432) was found. This is how the times change. Flavor of the month comp will be a FOTM until the new FOTM takes it over, and everyone will flock to that. This is not necessarily "cheap" or "lame", but top players take advantage of these head starts to win.

Of course all of the above is not to say that everyone who doesn't play a FOTM matrix isn't going to win, after all most of the comps played are, or were FOTM at some point in time. Just because the flavor has moved over to the next jug in the ice cream freezer doesn't mean the old flavor has gone out of style, of course.

Just remember next time you step into arena, if you see a FOTM team comp, go ahead and call them lame for running it. If nothing else, they are probably mumbling on the other side of the field, the same thing about your team.

Labels: arena, pvp, rant

Focus is a feature that has been implemented for quite some time. When I got back to wow though I still had not worked with it much and didn't think much of it. It Arena or any other type of coordinated PVP (and even PVE) its amazing. I am going to try and break this down for the Rogues that have not tried this.

Focus sets a secondary sticky target. You can change your primary target all you want but your focus target will be the same until you decide to change it. Even after it has died. To set a focus target just target something and type /focus

If you have a unit frame for focus target you should see something appear. If you have everything in pitbull unit frames enabled you probably saw half a dozen bars appear. Just in case you ever wanted to know... Your focus target's target' target's target's target's is always Kevin Bacon.

Now that you have your focus set you can start writing focus into your macros. This is where I was orginally turned off to focus. I couldn't imagine a situation where I would want my blind button to only blind my focus and adding additional buttons did not appeal to me.

/cast [target=focus,exists,harm,nodead][harm,nodead] Blind

This macro will cast Blind on the focus target if it has been set to an enemy that is not already dead or it will simply blind your target if it is an enemy that is not dead.

/castsequence [target=focus,exists,harm,nodead] Sap, Blind

I beleive this macro will allow you to Sap and then Blind your focus. The only problem is that you wont be able to blind unless the sap was successful. So probably not something I would use. But you can see the benefit... one button that you press whenever its your turn to cc the focus target. Combine that with a warlock's cc abilities also set in a focus macro like that and you have a very nasty ability to keep one target cc'd while you dump your dps on your primary target.

/castsequence [target=focus,exists,harm,nodead] ShadowStep, Kick

If you have extra space on your keyboard or have a Nostromo you could set this macro up to Shadowstep to your focus and kick them. The only macro I have tested on this page in live is the first one. The last two are theory that should work based on macro syntax.

Macros adapted from WoW Wiki.
http://www.wowwiki.com/Useful_macros/Rogue

Labels: focus, macro, notebook, pvp

I am going to try to document the addons that I use on a regular basis, explain how I use them and create a new section / tab just for addons. I think I am going to hold off on the rants for now. My next one will declare me the new savior of the Rogue Community and that your all doing it wrong.

I have recently jumped back into the arena. I must say it is alot more competitive then I remember a year ago. You have people geared in full venge / vindicator that start teams or team hop for gold. PLing newer players like me above 1850. This means that when you play you are frequently running into very well geared, organized arena masters.

I have always been a fan of arena live frames back in the day so when I found out about Proximo and got it right away. I must say this has some really cool features.



- Allows you to set your right and left click to a variety of functions like /target /focus or a custom macro of your own. So that if you where a priest you could make right click target and dispell that player. Very handy.

- It does the ussual Syncing showing you and your teammates what your up against Shows cast bars / manabars

- Some feature for main assisting that I have not played much with.

If you pull up the options theres plenty to play around with as well. The only beef I have with this mod is that it was not easy to move around my screen. I had to put it into a test mode so that it showed up outside of an arena, then alt left click and drag. Needless to say it sat in the top middle of my screen for at least a day.

Labels: addons, arena, pvp

How many Rogue's out there are keyboard turners? mouse clickers? Put your hands down it doesn't matter... this week. I want to illustrate the benefits of tab targeting. Regardless of your ssytem of mobility with in the world... of warcraft tab targeting is something you need to consider working with. It has uses in PVP as well as PVE aspects of the game. In PVE it makes it extremely easy to cycle through a series of NPC's that are stacked on top of each other.

But I don't really care about the PVE aspect atm. I want to talk about PVP. As a competent Rogue playing in the arenas or even the world pvp scene you need to be able to switch targets quickly and switch back. Often times I will open up on the CC target with Sap Tab Target to the primary DPS target and cheapshot, build combo points and then tab target back to the CC target and Blind before passing CC off to my teamate. Sometimes its a matter of seconds before they break the sap and I have to target back and blind.

The only way to do this reliably each time is with tab targeting. Clicking your target you will miss click in the heat of battle and blind your DPS target wasting your cooldown. Sometimes I knowingly waste my combo points in PvP by tab targeting away from my primary and gouging the secondary. Just to give me a couple of seconds to drop another mutilate on primary.

The first time you try tab targeting if you have never before, you will find it takes a certain amount of practice to keep you from tab targeting past the target you want. This isn't a huge concern if there is only 2 but doing so in Alterac Valley with 20 other enemies near you will require you to click your target or force you through an agonizing tab target circle.

Of course I say tab targeting because thats the default key. You can bind to any key that fits the way you play. I personally have Tab bound to a mouse button on the side of my MX1000 mouse. A fun excersize is to fly on your mount, preferably elite and low to the ground and tab target. Hit stealth right as you fly up to an enemy and hit cheapshot before you land. I dont think there is anything more satisfying. :-)

Labels: notebook, pvp, rogue

I'd like to thank Cerias Shadows for giving me this opportunity to guest write an article on the Roguespot blog, which incidentally hosts the best damn rogue forum ever.

My name is Psyae, and I've been writing rogue and WoW related stuff since about August of 2005, been playing WoW since the stress test and beta. You can find out more about me at psyae.com, and read more of my writing there.

What Makes a Better PvP Player?
(also applies to PvE)

You've all been there. Despite all the ganking you've done, there's still always someone, or a group of someones, who is always able to take you down. Perhaps during a particularly gruesome pvp episode, you've slammed your keyboard and yelled, "I hate this game!" Perhaps you've thought about quitting (not really seriously, but it does get frustrating). Perhaps you've heard rumors from others in your guild or circle of friends that you just aren't that good at playing WoW, maybe you should go play The Sims or something.

Well, it could very well be that you suck. It could very well be that you ought to stop playing WoW.

Or, more likely, you ought to learn the tricks of the trade in order to boost your ability to play. I'm here to tell you how.

Odds

Let's take, for example, two human AI rogues, built exactly the same way, same level, same stats, same gear. Everything is exactly the same. Now have the computer make them duel. Who will win? Is it 50/50? Yes. Why? The laws of statistics tell you it's 50/50. It has to be. It's literally random because both opponents will have exactly the same code to draw from and have exactly the same chance of winning each fight.

But. What really happens? Who knows. Rogue A might win 9 out of 10 times. Anyone know what the odds are that the rogue will win the next match? If you answered 50/50, you're right. Just because one has consistently won doesn't mean the odds change. The chance stays the same.

But that's a computer. Now take those same exact human rogues and let two real live people play them. Oboy! The factors involved now are insanely complicated and absolutely impossible to fully determine. But I'm going to cover the most prominent and adjustable factors, so that you can use them as guidelines for how to improve your odds.

Improving Odds

First, and unfortunately one of the most fundamental factors since the advent of computer-based pvp, is which player has a slower connection (i.e., more latency). This factor is compounded by a number of things: cpu speed, computer memory, hard drive speed, hard drive I/O, graphics card, video settings, sound card/settings (better believe it, I've won matches and defended flags by using sound! (sit in the WSG flag room and listen... you can actually HEAR enemies dismount upstairs coming from the ramp to the middle section)), ethernet card, router, modem, Internet connection, ISP speed/reliability, distance from WoW hub server, number of other players accessing that hub server, and many more subtle factors. You might think, aw, that's BS! But I've been playing pvp for years and years, starting with serial connections between pcs, 300 baud dial-up modems, and beyond, and I'll tell you, the difference between a 100 and 400 latency is the difference between 1st and 4th place in the Olympics (depending on what game you're playing, of course).

Second: Equipment. Not in-game, but real gear. Player using a N52? A cordless mouse (which adds its own latency), a low or high-tech keyboard? A fuzzy monitor, or top of the line? How is the person's desk set up? Laptop while sitting up in bed? PVP combat control room desk setup? Something in between? Each of these characteristics comes into play during combat, and is often ignored and overlooked by many players. How many times have you tried to turn 180 degrees, and your mouse hits your keyboard, and you instinctively lift it up, reset it, and move it again? That, friends, takes time and effort. Each of these factors has an impact on your ability to stay in control in pvp.

Third: Physiology. Needless to say (but apparently needed here), assuming both players have the exact same technology, there's a chance one of them taps the right sequence of keys just a bit faster or more correctly than the other. One will get that timing just right, while the other is off. Sure, with a couple of decent players, they may trade off on who gets that gouge in first, when both go for it simultaneously. What makes the better pvper? Consistency. What else? Ability to stay in control of the I/O (keyboard, mouse, etc.) while under stress: you get sweaty hands? constantly hit the wrong key? use a lot of point and click on your hotbars instead of setting up macros? Another physical factor is more basic: have you had enough sleep? Studies show that sleepy drivers are more dangerous than drunk ones, and cause just as many highway accidents. What's that tell you about your in-game reaction time based on sleep deprivation? Nutrition? Other health habits? Although there are raver kids out there, high on Jolt, beating the crap out of everyone in pvp, it's all part of the factor.

Fourth: Mental state. Had a stressful day at work? With the kids? With anything? Having your subconscious nag at you while trying to pvp can be a killer.

Fifth: Knowledge. Are you playing a game for the first time? Playing a class for the first time? Just reset your talent points? Just changed all your gear? Just advanced into a new level bracket? How much do you know about your opponent? Did you know that orcs are resistant to stuns? Do you know what all of your enemies' pvp trinkets do? Did you know that different classes get different types of pvp trinkets? Include in this factor "perception." Have you counted to yourself the number of seconds since that priest cast psychic scream? If not, how will you know when he'll be able to do it again? Better pvpers culminate a collection of knowledge about the game, characters, and gear, and their own observations of the actions of opponents while playing.

Sixth: Experience. If all you ever played before WoW was Starcraft, you might be great at setting up overall strategies and executing them, but you might not be so great at being able to turn constantly to face a slippery rogue, intent on getting a backstab in. By my count, I've had about 21 years of pvp experience, which includes all forms of pvp: DnD and other tabletop games, computerized jet fighter combat games, real life combat simulation games (such as lasertag, paintball, and SCA), all varieties of modern pvp games (quake, quake TF, unreal, cs, uo, swg, coh, etc.), and ten years of Marine Corps training and experience. I'm not saying I'm the best pvper out there. I get my butt kicked all the time. But I'm the type who can tell you exactly why I got my butt kicked. Exactly what I did wrong each time, and I often return the favor the next time around, having learned from my mistakes.

Seventh: Luck. Only the unlucky hate luck. I can't stand it. Luck is what makes one AI vs AI win 9 times out of 10, even though there's a 50/50 chance every round. Luck is what makes your gouge miss three times in a row. Luck is what gets you killed in two hits, or saves your life at the last possible second. Luck is something that cannot be calculated or relied upon. Just hope you're lucky.

Eighth: Percentiles. Some might throw this in with "luck." It doesn't belong there, because luck, by definition, cannot be improved. What can be improved is chance. We started off with the basic template of AI vs AI having the exact same stats. But what if one got a +1% to dodge item instead? Does that automatically make him win each round? Not by far. But does it change the 50/50 chance? YES. It does. By definition, it must. It might be by less than 1%, considering all the factors involved, but it's an advantage that cannot be overlooked. "Good" pvpers (or at least the wary ones) will research and implement as much as possible gear that increases those odds in that person's favor. The mere fact that someone happened to have acquired some of that gear and equipped it does not mean that player is a "good" pvper. Not by far. Gear, in itself, does not make anyone a "good" pvper. It merely gives that person a better chance that something will happen in that person's favor. This includes having stocks of potions, scrolls, and other buffs.

Ninth: Build. This came close to falling under knowledge, but I felt it needed its own category. The more you've played a particular class, and the more you've studied it, the more you will know about what talent builds are effective for you. You probably won't really find one that's best until you've reached level 60/70, which is why most talent guides out there are based on that level, but there are plenty of resources out there with vast amounts of information and statistics about each talent and each build. Some will say to start out with a cookie-cutter build, and go from there. Others will say just put points in what you use anyway. There's no real answer except that the best pvpers really know how not to waste these precious points on stuff they don't need or won't use. And, they use these skills all the time, with the determination to win each fight.

Tenth: Nature. You're not going to like this one, but it can't be helped. Although I'm a firm believer that everyone can become better at pvp, I'm also quite confident that not everyone can be the best at pvp. Whether or not you interpret either to mean "good" at pvp is up to you, but in every human pursuit, there are always people who are better and people who are not so better. In other words, if you've maxed out 1-9 above, and you're still not kicking pvp butt, then you might just be at your max. At least in the game you're playing. I know some people who rule in one game, and get beat miserably in another, even though the games are very similar.

[note: the concept of "common sense" is essentially embedded in a number of the listed factors]

This doesn't mean you should hang up your swords and daggers, though. The nice thing about WoW, as well as most MMORP games is that much combat relies on teamwork. If you've noticed, most of what I've said so far seems centered around the individual. It is. It's mostly a "how can I improve my individual pvp ability?" guide. However, there's an additional set of factors that apply to group pvp combat. Even if you're totally lousy at individual pvp, you could be one of the best team supporters ever.

Team pvp factors should start with the 1-10 above. To be a good teammate, you should know your class as much as possible. Perhaps you're not a "natural," but if you know your class and you know your teammates' classes, you're much better off.

Improving Team Play

1 - always pick a leader early on, and then follow that leader's strategy as a group

(good luck doing that in pickup group battlegrounds)

2 - intra-team support is extremely important, and should be a priority when arranging a raid group

3 - consider the ultimate objective in determining strategy: it's likely "getting honor", and quick wins are significantly more honor profitable than farming honor kills in a slow game, or basing your strategy on a slow defensive position

4 - have a plan (and a backup plan), but always be flexible

5 - encourage detailed field reports. Field reports (e.g., 2 inc LM) are exactly what the leader needs to make important decisions and to prepare defenders. If the majority of the raid group is reporting, the law of averages added to the volume of reports will grant the leader fairly accurate and up-to-date information.

6 - Discourage chatter and negativity. Some cheering and comments are fine, but "we'll never win!" or "the leader sucks!" or such negativity warrants quick removal or a good talking-to. Don't confuse this with reporting. "OMG, there are like 10 horde/alliance at LM, and they pwnd us!" That's potentially more informative than negative, and most let it slide unless it turns into a rant.

7 - Follow the "Leader", not the leaders. You'll have a plan, a leader, and set up teams, and will be riding to your destinations when someone will ALWAYS say (mostly in a PUG), "Hey, BS only has 2 defenders! Let's go there!" Or something. Sometimes worse. Often this person goes there anyway. Despite the potential target, if it's not the target under the plan, this is a distraction that has caused the downfall of many groups. It's the responsibility of the leader and players dedicated to winning to follow the plan. The leader should inform the group to continue as planned, but to take the new information into account. Perhaps if another target is overwhelmed, it might be good to try to take a softer target. However, that's not the place of non-leaders to decide.

8 - As a member of the group, place the highest priority on the goal, not on your personal agenda. In WSG, when I'm escorting a flag carrier, most of the time I don't stop to finish off a pursuing enemy because I am trying to apply crippling poison to ALL the pursuing enemies. If I stopped, I could get a few HK in, but it wouldn't protect the flag carrier. Apply this just about everywhere. In AB and AV, it's much more important to interrupt multiple potential flag cappers than it is to kill an individual flag capper. Chances are, you'll die doing so, but if it gives your teammates time to come to the rescue, you've done your job. (In short, don't be greedy). [of course, this all depends on your overall strategy and individual tactics, but the ultimate objective should take priority over personal objectives]

9 - Be a good individual pvper, based on the other factors. If, for instance, three horde cannot defeat two alliance of the same level (and approximately the same gear), with no interruptions, the horde haven't been doing their homework. I've seen it happen both ways, and much worse. I've seen two horde beat five alliance. The level differences weren't that great, but the alliance were falling too easily, obviously based on pvp inexperience. You don't have to be #1 scorer to be good at pvp, but you should strive to be better.

10 - Have fun. In any pvp situation, if you're playing while frustrated or angry, or stressed, or depressed, or anything, then why are you playing? It's certainly not going to help your ability, and undoubtedly you'll shout out something you'll later regret, and get people mad at you. Your pvp rank is never worth such extremes. Sure, you'll get mad because someone should have done something you think they should have, or you screwed up. Hey, it happens. Most likely, you'll quickly get over it. But if you find yourself not getting over it. Apologize to the team, and take a break after the next game. Go for a walk, relax, watch a movie or read a book to get your mind off playing. You'll find that when you later return to the game, you'll feel much better about it, and can contribute to the team more effectively, as well as optimistically.


Hopefully, you'll have gained something from my lists, if not a comparison to what you've already been doing. It's not perfect or 100% complete, but my objective is that if it helps even a few players, it's worth it.

Please feel free to visit my blog at psyae.com, where I torture my visitors with volumes of tedious rogue and WoW-related stuff.

-Psyae

Labels: pvp, wow