(WoW) The Devil You Know
Got to go through the Culling of Stratholme a few times this weekend. I have to say the mechanics involved seem to suit my paladin better than my priest. Also some less-than-perfectly-successful other runs. A little observation as a tank:
- Among other tasks, tanks control mob positioning. In boss fights that require movement, this puts extra weight on us. That's not bad, but unfortunately it often takes a few times to see what's happening, parse it, and get down the appropriate maneuvering. Reading strategy helps, but a lot of things you really have to see to understand.
I am a paladin, a dedicated member of the Knights of the Silver Hand. As a member of the Order, I serve my compatriots in the guild, I serve my King, and above all I serve the Light. It is my very purpose to stand before those innocent and cared for, a shield to protect and hammer to strike at the darkness that would threaten them. I tread the path laid out by Uther Lightbringer, perhaps the most famous and revered of the Order. I have a great respect for Tirion Fordring, who has shown himself to be honorable and true in spite of the exile he once endured. The Order is full of the righteous and steadfast, but we are not infallable. One need only look to Lordaeron's fallen son, Arthas Menethil, to see that. He now carries the title of Lich King, ruling the undead Scourge with the blood of his father and Uther on his hands.
So it seemed very odd that the Bronze Dragonflight, guardians of time, would call upon us to travel back in time to defend him and see to the success of one of his earlier atrocities. My guildmaster had reservations as well, feelings he was only to ready to express. Would it not be better to strike down the Prince, to prevent what his would become? Kyndranigar is privy to far more understanding of such things through his arcane studies than I. And yet, representatives of Kirin Tor asked us to aid the Dragonflight as well. What do they know that we do not?
I have dwelled on this some since seeing Stratholme on that fateful day. Prince Arthas was clearly in the grip of a desperate obsession, declaring the Order disbanded and sending Uther, his mentor, away for refusing to help. I confess a temptation to leave as well at the time, but duty bid me to stay.
I wonder.. We have seen glimpses of what transpired, but only glimpses. Though Arthas was willing to kill the living to prevent undeath, those citizens I saw in Stratholme were turning before my eyes. I cannot condone his willingness to kill, but nor can I say with certainty more reservation on his part would have done the world good. The city would have turned - some twenty-five thousand citizens become Scourge. That may not have changed the ultimate outcome of the Third War on Lordaeron, but it very likely would have changed details. So many undead so suddenly might have pressed on as far as Menethil Bay or Loch Modan.
But what of Arthas himself? At Stratholme, Mal'Ganis baited him to follow unto Northrend, where he would be led to the cursed blade Frostmourne. He had clearly already forsaken the paladins' respect for life, but without the sword, he may not have become the Lich King. And without him, perhaps he Scourge could actually have been defeated sooner. Or would they have simply found another to rally behind? I'm not certain even the Bronze Dragonflight knows for sure, but killing him then seems as morally questionable as his decision to strike down the infected regardless of their health.
It is possible that changing those events would have tipped the scales in Kalimdor, as well - for one can rarely guess how far-reaching such pivotal moments might be. Had things worked out just a little differently at the Mount Hyjal, the entire world may well have fallen to the Burning Legion. But is it right to protect one becoming a monster in order to avoid what might have been?
I fear such things are beyond me. There are too many questions, too many unknowns. Similarly, protecting the opening of the Dark Portal seems a dubious task, and yet we did that as well. I can only say that I feel better with history remaining such. If such major events changed, who can say what the world might be? Thusfar, I trust the Bronze Dragonflight, even if their motivation is simply to keep history to what it was. I pray they are worthy of that trust.
And as for the Lich King? There will be a reckoning, no doubt. That, I foresee in our future rather than our past.
- Sergeant Sashayla, Order of the Silver Hand
- Among other tasks, tanks control mob positioning. In boss fights that require movement, this puts extra weight on us. That's not bad, but unfortunately it often takes a few times to see what's happening, parse it, and get down the appropriate maneuvering. Reading strategy helps, but a lot of things you really have to see to understand.
I am a paladin, a dedicated member of the Knights of the Silver Hand. As a member of the Order, I serve my compatriots in the guild, I serve my King, and above all I serve the Light. It is my very purpose to stand before those innocent and cared for, a shield to protect and hammer to strike at the darkness that would threaten them. I tread the path laid out by Uther Lightbringer, perhaps the most famous and revered of the Order. I have a great respect for Tirion Fordring, who has shown himself to be honorable and true in spite of the exile he once endured. The Order is full of the righteous and steadfast, but we are not infallable. One need only look to Lordaeron's fallen son, Arthas Menethil, to see that. He now carries the title of Lich King, ruling the undead Scourge with the blood of his father and Uther on his hands.
So it seemed very odd that the Bronze Dragonflight, guardians of time, would call upon us to travel back in time to defend him and see to the success of one of his earlier atrocities. My guildmaster had reservations as well, feelings he was only to ready to express. Would it not be better to strike down the Prince, to prevent what his would become? Kyndranigar is privy to far more understanding of such things through his arcane studies than I. And yet, representatives of Kirin Tor asked us to aid the Dragonflight as well. What do they know that we do not?
I have dwelled on this some since seeing Stratholme on that fateful day. Prince Arthas was clearly in the grip of a desperate obsession, declaring the Order disbanded and sending Uther, his mentor, away for refusing to help. I confess a temptation to leave as well at the time, but duty bid me to stay.
I wonder.. We have seen glimpses of what transpired, but only glimpses. Though Arthas was willing to kill the living to prevent undeath, those citizens I saw in Stratholme were turning before my eyes. I cannot condone his willingness to kill, but nor can I say with certainty more reservation on his part would have done the world good. The city would have turned - some twenty-five thousand citizens become Scourge. That may not have changed the ultimate outcome of the Third War on Lordaeron, but it very likely would have changed details. So many undead so suddenly might have pressed on as far as Menethil Bay or Loch Modan.
But what of Arthas himself? At Stratholme, Mal'Ganis baited him to follow unto Northrend, where he would be led to the cursed blade Frostmourne. He had clearly already forsaken the paladins' respect for life, but without the sword, he may not have become the Lich King. And without him, perhaps he Scourge could actually have been defeated sooner. Or would they have simply found another to rally behind? I'm not certain even the Bronze Dragonflight knows for sure, but killing him then seems as morally questionable as his decision to strike down the infected regardless of their health.
It is possible that changing those events would have tipped the scales in Kalimdor, as well - for one can rarely guess how far-reaching such pivotal moments might be. Had things worked out just a little differently at the Mount Hyjal, the entire world may well have fallen to the Burning Legion. But is it right to protect one becoming a monster in order to avoid what might have been?
I fear such things are beyond me. There are too many questions, too many unknowns. Similarly, protecting the opening of the Dark Portal seems a dubious task, and yet we did that as well. I can only say that I feel better with history remaining such. If such major events changed, who can say what the world might be? Thusfar, I trust the Bronze Dragonflight, even if their motivation is simply to keep history to what it was. I pray they are worthy of that trust.
And as for the Lich King? There will be a reckoning, no doubt. That, I foresee in our future rather than our past.
- Sergeant Sashayla, Order of the Silver Hand
Stratholme in the past remains as much a clusterfuck as Strath in the present, complete with massive packs of enemies needing to be herded up and controlled properly, a difficult task for any of the tanking types. I'll say this, of the four options, Paladin and Death Knight have the easiest job of it, consecrate and Death and Decay respectively are nice AoE's reliant on very little resources and linger. Warriors have to Thunderclap and Shockwave a couple of times I imagine, due to the 1-hit AoE'ness of them. Bears? Well. They can Swipe, right? Heh. Blizz doesn't seem to know just what to do with druid tanks at the moment besides have them soak up enormous amounts of damage. As for your letter/journal: Know that I, Kyndranigar do write these words, In matters involving the vampiric Nathrezim, or "dreadlord", brand of demons, trickery and deception are among their greatest asset. Arthas was goaded into action, unsavory and dire though it was, by Mal'Ganis. Those lost at Stratholme and indeed, all of greater Lordaeron were victims not just of a young prince's brash choices, but the foul Plague concocted by Archimonde to spread across the human settlements. There are texts, accorded from the literature within the violet halls of Dalaran, of a visit upon King Terenes Menethil and his council by the Guardian-turned-prophet, Medivh. He warned them of the coming plague, and was sent out in exile by greedy diplomats and near-sighted ambassadors unwilling to believe their security so easily compromised by so insidious a force. The wounds of the Second War still ached fresh. while I speak openly of my disgust with the young paladin who cast aside his vows, his people and even his rumored love, I cannot easily say he did so without conciousness or heavy debate. Would I, in his shoes, do similar? In the matters of the Bronze Dragonflight, one can never be certain just what their terrible and ancient minds consider important when viewing things through the lens of any mortal. The timestream must remain in tact, despite history being barbaric and ugly. Mortals have the power of choice, but not included in those choices is to undo what has already been done. At least, to some degree. the dragon known as Chromie, who is present at Wyrmrest as well as within the caverns also appears within the ruins of Andorhal and even allowed me the opportunity to protect the last member of the Redpath family from complete tragedy, while unable to go back to his daughter and wife, their souls can know peace, as I bore witness, by the machinations of the Bronze Dragonflight, the events of Darrowshire. Likewise, Chromie allows individuals an opportunity to strike against the heart of the Scourge within Andorhal, giving out beneficial trinkets to lash out against Araj the Summoner. Perhaps the dragonflight are an apology. An apology and a warning. While history is behind us, we must never allow the atrocities committed to be repeated, and each Dark Portal, Culling of Stratholme and Desecration of the Sunwell a testament to the failures of our kind. Let us carry on with wisdom as well as strength, with strategy as well as arms, and united, instead of independent against the true enemies of our survival, from the Lich King upon high in Northrend, to the rumored Old Gods who stir, slumbeirng and dead beneath our societies, to the Burning Legion that await us in Outland and Argus. Let us hope that there will always be a timestream for the Dragonflight to protect, no matter how unsavory the events that we witness. As long as the tale told about our own actions remains a tale of heroes and not the fallen. - With Light as my Guide and Wisdom as my Arm, Loremaster Kyndranigar, Prince of the Knights Penumbra.
ReplyDeleteAt present, Bear Tanks are simply Mana Sponge Meat Shields. From what I have seen, Bear Tank effectiveness will be reduced even further my changes planned for the next patch. I will still strive to retain viability, but chances are that in one or two more patches, I may not be able to Main Tank Heroics or 10-Mans. I, myself, will refrain from writing a journal/letter. Why? Staghelm is insane and the King of Stormwind is insane. Also, being a feral druid, I would likely be more than a little loquacious about the thrill of combat and such. o.o;;
ReplyDeleteYeah, I don't track changes to classes I don't play nearly as much, but even I see some problems in what they're doing with druid tanks. They've been reducing armor and health to bring those more into line with the other classes without any suitable compensation. From what I've read, they seem to be trying to take a different angle (some talent/ability granting extra mitigation when you crit), but none of that really seems to be where it would need to be to make up for the nerfs. And I could be mistaken (as it was always sorta the paladin strong suit), but bear aoe/group tanking just doesn't seem to be up to snuff. Back through most of Burning Crusade, being a tankadin was almost painful. Right now, paladins are still riding pretty high after the pre-WotLK patch fixed most of their flaws. I'm sure it's a matter of time before our friendly neightborhood bears are solid again, but I sincerely hope it happens sooner rather than later.
ReplyDeleteNo In-characterness? Pity. I'm curious how the bear bear would put pen to paper.
ReplyDelete*nods* The bear talent changes are going in the wrong direction in my opinion, as well as the opinion of most bear tanks in the forums. Why they are trying to improve AOE Aggro gathering, the are nerfing our major Sta/HP talents. This combined with the armor nerf from a couple patches back is making things harder to live through. It would also help if they at least -tried- to put out some Feral Druid itemization... The fact that the best Feral Gear right now is Rogue Leather is really hurting... Haste does a Bear NO GOOD whatsoever, after all. -.-
ReplyDeleteI might try an in-character response later, but I'm too busy with work today for something that in-depth.
ReplyDelete