Monk Tier 15

So I checked out the monk tier 15 at MMO-Champion and I honestly thought that they had managed to put the wrong video with the link and had used the tier 14 video again.

Thror said that it was different so I checked, and indeed it is indeed different. More different than I thought in fact, but the fact that I though they had mistakenly put the wrong video in says something....

I guess the fact that apparently all monks wear flying saucers threw me for a loop. So far not too impressed though, finding it boring, and quite unimaginative for tier armor.

Especially since this is only the monk's second tier it could be somewhat more spectacular. I'm having difficulty finding gear that looks good for my transmog.

All I want for Christmas is...

Except for a nasty cough that is keeping me from sleeping through the night, my cold is mostly gone. Time to focus on the time of the year.

Christmas time! And time to make my wishlist for the upcoming year for World of Warcraft. I have done this before in the past and mused about what I wanted in the game. 

What we've been seeing in Mist of Pandaria has so far been pretty spectacular. And hey, as I see the dailies of Operation Shieldwall develop further I may even feel how Blizzard is learning from mistakes with the dailies of release (holy golden lotus way too many dailies batman!). 

Lets review my list from 2009:

1. Can there please be some cloth gear with crit/mp5 in Icecrown?

I think there was, but it now seems of so little importance, Icecrown was one of the best raid tiers that World of Warcraft has seen in my opinion. Even though it did last quite long. 

2. Can I have 1 gearset that is usable (and effective) in all my specs?

With spirit being hit for a priest they did come fairly close to this. If you're a healer priest as I was back then you can actually fairly easily switch to being shadow and use the same gear for starters. 

3. If number 2 won't work, then can I haz a soulbound items bag?

Yeah...still dreaming about that bag. Void Storage is interesting, but fairly unusable. Stuff ends up in there and never gets pulled back out. 

4. The little wishes count too: if I learn an account bound item, remove it from my bag

This is pretty much how most items are handled now, though I think there are still quite a few improvements that could be made here. 

5. Can we haz real mohawks for nelfs as well, please?

Of course they gave them to gnomes and to male nightelves (well sorta), but there are mohawks, still nothing like the funky troll hairdresses for nightelf females though. Being a panda now I still think most of the female Alliance hair dresses are rather tame. 

6. I would like haste to work on Weakened Soul

They implemented something like this with the disc priest being able to shorten the duration on weakened soul, wish granted I guess?

7. Gimme a challenge!

They did hand out a challenge. It was 'have your raid survive Cataclysm'. I guess we made it out alive, but not unscathed. I see challenges now in Pandaria though. 

8. An auctioning system like Auctioneer offers

Nope, the in game AH has gotten worse instead of better if anything. With the addition of battle.net account bound items I cannot even filter on pets that I already have anymore. This is rather disappointing Blizz. 

Half of them sort of implemented, not a bad score I would say. Time for a new wish list!

1. Mount Battles

I am thoroughly enjoying pet battles, but it leads me to thinking about something I enjoy collecting even more. Mounts. 

Now, I would not very much like mount battles to be the same as pet battles, but I would love to be able to catch mounts in the wild. 

Capture them with a Lasso, battle them into submission, and then go into a period of having to teach them under the saddle. This process could be somewhat harder than catching a pet of course, and I think that you would need a certain taming skill to even start capturing wild mounts, but I'm sure Blizzard could come up with something great here. 

Much like a hunter can tame their pets I want to go out and find my favourite mount skin. And yes, there should be some rare catches as well. 

I think Aotona would make a great mount model for example!

Aotona

2. Less Transmog Restrictions

I have some favourite looks for armor in World of Warcraft. Unfortunately none of those are leather. And of the leather looks I do really like seeing, most of them actually have class restrictions. 

I would love to see my monk in some items, and while I can still understand the armor restrictions for transmog (it would look somewhat silly to see a warrior tanking in black mageweave), I hope that at some point they will remove the class restrictions so that as far as transmog is concerned, leather is leather is leather. 

And if my monks wants to wear tier 8 for rogues, or tier 4 for druids...she can. 

I love the colors of this set, Conqueror's Terrorblade. (Rogue)

Flying Saucer

3. Monk Tier without a Flying Saucer

Don't get me wrong, I do think that the flying saucer hats look good with monks, but I hope that the designers will not give every monk tier set a shado-pan hat in the future. 

Surely there is something cool to do with the crane, the tiger, the ox, or the wind serpent, no?

4. Choice of Rolling in LFR

Currently LFR seems to have waaaay too few healers. Logical as well, because most of the healers who heal fulltime have a raid of their own in which they get gear that is better than the LFR gear. So for LFR they queue as dps to work on their offset. 

But this does leave LFR without healers, and tanks and dps with a much longer queue. If I could join as a healer, but roll as a dps I would be rather happy. 

Also, I think that LFR gear should always drop. No matter the how maniest time you're in that LFR that week. When I currently queue up as a healer to help out guildies with a faster queue all I get for it is a meager sum of valor points, which I could get faster through dungeons or scenarios. I queue anyways to help them get into LFR, and I do my best to heal the raid, but this could be rewarded a bit better than it is currently. 

5. Item Storage like in Guild Wars

In Guild Wars you can click on a button on your bags and it send the item to your crafting storage. Once there it has a full overview of every craft item in the game, and has the items you do not have faded out. I love, love, absolutely adore this system. 

It would go such a long way in saving space in your bags, organizing your inventory, and actually having enough slots for those type of items. It would definitely have consequences for how items are handled. Stacks would no longer have to go to 20 or 100, no in the bank it could simply be a picture with a number. 

I'm sure that this is not something that is easily implemented, since World of Warcraft is of course dealing with bagage from 8 years of WoW, and a database design which would need quite a bit of changing. Not to mention all the consequences it can have for the economy. 

But I would love to have something like this implemented in World of Warcraft. 

6. Have Group Will Travel

I want it back, please? Or something like it at least. 

I don't even mind not having it for raid as much since you can just use the summoning stone and you're normally in the same place for quite a bit of time after. 

But where I really miss it is when I go out together with Thror to do Molten Core, or something like it. You cannot use the stone with just one, and it would be so nice to just summon the friend you're playing with at that moment. 

For older content it is nice anyways. My monk doesn't have all the nifty travel shortcuts that my priest had (working on it!), but it means that I generally make the other person wait while I take the long road. 

7. An ingame Cavalier Pet

Lady, our tri-color cavalier. 

I have two Cavalier King Charles Spaniels, a ruby and a tri-colour, and I think they would make for adorable pets. They could even have a pet special and go barking when they see other dogs (mine do at least). It would make my day if I would see the Cavalier in the game. 

What would be even better is if they're available in 4 colors, as they are for real. Ruby, tri-colour, blennheim, and black and tan. 

But hey, probably every pet owner thinks that their pet is the most adorable and should have an in game model, so this may be a tiny bit unrealistic :)

tri-colour, blennheim, black and tan, ruby

Holy Mistweaver Monk Nerfs Batman!

Monk Mistweaver

• All healing spells which cost mana have had their mana cost increased by 10%.
• The healing provided by the Healing Sphere base spell has been increased by 20%.
• The chance to generate 1 Chi while channeling Soothing Mist and Crackling Jade Lightning has increased to 35%, up from 25%.
• The Power Strikes talent now grants the Power Strikes effect every 22 20 seconds, which causes the Monk's next attack to generate 1 additional Chi.
• Enveloping Mist is now available at level 16, down from level 34.
• The healing provided by Chi Burst, Chi Wave, and Zen Sphere has been reduced by 25%.
• You now have a chance equal to your crit chance to generate double the amount of Mana Tea Charge.
• Renewing Mist now travels to 2 additional targets (was 3 targets).
• The mana cost of Soothing Mist has been reduced by 33%.
• Haste for Mistweavers is now 50% more effective through Stance of the Wise Serpent.

Mana costs increase, healing effectiveness reduced, useless stat buffed, and please go back to your usual boring base spell. Did I miss anything?

Oh yah, the healing talents BAM nerf. And wait, to pretend that we compensate for all this we'll buff mana tea. Lets just forget that fights do not offer constant opportunity to use this, shall we?

Yes, I might agree that monks need fine tuning because they are powerful at the moment. Do I believe that it needs this much? nope. Blizzard is doing what they're usually doing and swinging the pendulum way far to the other side. 

I hope Blizzard reconsiders and doesn't nerf the mistweaver from every single side possible. Because the next patch is a while again after this one, and I would hate to have to park the mistweaver until then. 

Just to be sure I guess I'll start working on the priest, since Blizzard has been swinging the pendulum their way, they might just be the next best thing for heals. 

Current WoW Feeling:

Shy's MistWeaver Monk Stat Priority

I was reading the mistweaver guide at wowinsider and I came to the conclusion that I should review the stat priority I posted a few posts ago.

So for my Mistweaver I will be going with:

Spirit up the wazoo > 8.32% haste > Mastery > Crit > Int

• Spirit because I have always been, and probably will always be, a thirsty healer. 
• 8.32% haste because the 5% haste buff is not always available, and haste is always useful, though not as useful beyond the extra tick
• Mastery because I do have a good raid team normally, and they will stand in little green orbs
• Crit because double healing numbers are nomnomNOM
• Then int because...well, bigger heals are nice and all, but a primary stat is way more expensive than a secondary stat and it doesn't do anything for my manapool anymore anyways. 

The other thing I realized when reading this guide is that I should jab more, jab all the time and constantly. It gives the nummy chi's to spend on heals without having to spend mana. 

I also have to set up some weakauras:

• One that shows me when my Serpent's Zeal buff is about to run out. 
• One that reminds me to cast Renewing Mist on cooldown (I didn't have to deal with that sort of stuff as a priest)
• One that tracks when I need to explode my Zen Sphere because, unlike the writer of the wowinsider guide, I do like this talent. I find this really really pleasant in stacked up groups, I cast it on a rogue in the melee and make it explode when it's close to expiration, while I keep my renewing mist travelling around in the ranged with the glyph for example. And I love being able to set it up before hand. 
• One that alerts me that Grapple Weapon is available again, if it goes off it increases healing after all

Things I should explore and play with:

• Xuen - I love the tiger in the dps spec, such a gorgeous pet to have around. So I really will have to try out how well it does for a healer. 
• Glyph of Surging Mist - I've been avoiding this glyph so far, but it seems that none of the major glyphs is really something I want in my playstyle so maybe this is an option. 

Current WoW Feeling:

Monk Tips&Tricks

Since I got my ranting out in this post here, I figured I would share a tidbit of positive as well.

My monk is currently MistWeaver main and WindWalker offspec. With my groups I have been running many heroics already, and I have found one talent to save my group several times already.

This ability buys you 5 whole seconds of no tank damage. And it works on not ALL enemies within 5 yards.

Accidental pull? Sweep! 5 seconds for the tank to pick stuff up, 5 seconds for you to pick up the heals.

Lots of adds in a fight? Sweep!

Need to buy your fellow healers some time? Sweep!

Brilliant talent, if you haven't tried it yourself yet, go do so :)

Monk Mastery & Blogs

I found some monk blogs that I thought were interesting. Most of them have excellent guides, so I'll not bore you with writing my own version of that.

What I will do is give my opinion on some of the things expressed in these guides. If you want to follow these blogs, they are listed on the left here, in the 'blogs I read' section. The 10 blogs with the most recent posts are shown in that list, though I do have more blogs in there.

From most of these guides on MistWeavers I read that they almost all find mastery a bad stat. Which is how they get to placing this stat all the way at the back in their stat priorities.

I have been thinking, and experimenting, with this a little, and I wonder if the mastery is really that bad.

Of course, I have seen the little green orbs appear everywhere but under the right targets as well. And of course, I haven't done any raiding yet. However, if I use experiences from the past (and I do have quite a bit of that ;)) I think this mastery might be quite a bit better than what people are thinking so far.

In fact, I think I might be nicely stubborn and go for a different stat order than what is recommended in most guides.

Spirit > haste until 1350 > mastery > int > crit

I will use 'Glyph of Enduring Healing Sphere' with this as well even. The most useless glyph, as others will say.

Let me share my reasons for this stubborness...

- My raid has had quite a few years of training in clicking the lightwell. I have been a priest for a looong time, and they've heard 'click the lightwell!' so often that my lightwells were generally used up entirely.

- Yes, the orbs spawn in locations where you might not need them immediately, but with the glyph they stay around for 5 minutes, 2 minutes base, and 3 minutes extra from the glyph.

- Fights always have a lot of movement in them and that means that while moving people will get healed by all those pretty orbs.

- These orbs are free! They do not cost any extra mana, or any effort to create. They happen as part of your normal healing. I have always loved trinkets that gave free healing on equip, this sounds even prettier.

Now of course I have to find out in practice if I am rightfully stubborn, or if I am completely wrong. I will keep you updated on which one it turns out to be.

Windwalker Monk Dps Guide & Talent Tutorial

I found this video online that shows in a very pleasant way how WindWalkers work.

The Ultimate Windwalker Monk Dps Guide & Talent Tutorial Ft. Eatmopie

Monk Stat Priority

Been reading up some on Elitist Jerks about the MistWeaver, which will be my main spec. (careful the information there can be a bit older)

Conclusion:

Spirit > Haste 1350 > Int > Crit/Mastery

- Stack spirit up the wazoo especially in the beginning. It is the only stat that affects regen.
(and I am the master in being OOMM Out of Mana Monk(ey))

- Magical number for haste is 1350, anything above does not really add anything

- Int when you can get it

- Crit/Mastery, Do you want big heals or free orbs everywhere?

I have heard other people say they find the monk mastery soso, but I sort of like it. I have always liked the trinkets that would heal other people randomly and the orbs do so as well. So I might just become a mastery addict.

Monkey Business

With Pandaland coming I took a look at my poor forgotten blog. I have figured out why I don't write as often....work is too busy and I'm shittired when I come home.

What have I been doing?

Well, I played Diablo of course, like quite a few world of warcraft players who were sort of done with Cataclysm and took the yearly subscription. I have a level 60 demon hunter, with even a paragon level! 

I have to say that I really really liked this game. Even though many people have expressed their disappointment about it. I think that these people were expecting an MMO and what they got was, while brilliant, just not an MMO. 

Other than that I play Guild Wars II. Beautiful game. And the prettiest is that it is free to play so I don't have to feel guilty if I don't feel like logging in. My necro will like me anyways :)

But on to WoW. Sorta says in the title, right. Shy at WoW...not Shy at other games. 

To all my faithful priestly followers, sorry. 

From Tuesday on Shy will be a monk. 

There...now the world knows. I will switch my main to a monk. 

Of course my raid group knew for a while already that I was tired of the priest, and when I played a priest in the beta..it was sort of the confirmation of what I already knew. Variety is the spice of life...

My main spec will be MistWeaver (hey, gotta get my healing kick somewhere, right?) and offspec...eh, been going back and forth. I'll probably be a bit of both. 

I'll have to try better to come with pretty monk pictures, since there's only very few out there at the moment. But hey, google image searches take less time than writing blog posts so maybe I can find time for that at work. 

So expect to be prodded and poked with monk stuff every now and then. And maybe you might even find some theorycrafting here.

In fact, for all your future monks out there who would like to get your addons in order.

Try these three nifty monk addons:

MistWeaver

A full addon for the MistWeaver monk. Has unit frames, has all the utilities you would ever need, and has a handy dandy renewing mists bar. 

I've been fiddling around with it on the beta and it really is a pretty nifty addon. 

Check it out on the beta, and make sure you have it once Mists goes live. 

MonkTimers

An addon that is based on a shaman addon TotemTimers (I think, since it still has tabs for resto, enhance, and elemental in there). 

This addon will watch your cooldowns and also adds a chi-counter. 

NugComboBar

I dragged this handy little addon over the chi-counter of the MonkTimers. It is prettier, it has a better visual. And it's shiiiiiny. 

Oh, and quite a few of you might know it from your other classes already. This also supports shadow priests, warlocks, pallies, rogues...etc.

With that I will leave you for today since it's late and I need to get up at 6 am tomorrow for my final raid in Cataclysm :)