Taugrim's MMO Blog

This video is narrated footage of my 80 Balance Druid in an Eye of the Storm battleground (queued solo) for the Wrath of the Lich King expansion patch 3.3.3.

I made this video to showcase the kiting mechanics for the Balance spec, as they’re key to defeating opponents and staying alive in PVP. For most of the video I am running without heal support and outnumbered:

(Double-click on the video to see it in higher-resolution / larger screen size on YouTube)

Gear

Most of the gear I’m using in the video is easily obtainable, with the exception of my weapon:

• From honor points: necklace, cloak, chest, wrists, hands, belt, boots, both rings, both trinkets
• From Wintergrasp marks: shoulders
• From arena + honor points: helm, legs
• From Emblems of Triumph: idol
• From ICC10 (Festergut): Abracadaver staff

The staff allows me to reach the hit cap and use the 2 points from the Balance of Power talent elsewhere. I will be gradually upgrading my gear over time – I started 2v2 arena’ing with an old friend who plays a Mage and we’re still in the learning process.

Spec

Here’s a link to my 54/17 PVP spec:

http://www.wowhead.com/talent#0xGfuicoIzhquRuZf0Izb:ijfV0m

I have tried many different Balance PVP specs and the one I’m using now is what has worked the most effectively for battlegrounds and arena. My spec is similar to that of the highest-rated 2v2 Moonkin I could find: Leathi.

I may provide some commentary on spec / talents in another post.

Edit (2010/07/09): I’ve switched to a different 54/17 spec:

http://www.wowhead.com/talent#0xGcuiIoIz0AuRuZf0Izb:ijfV0m

You can read more about this spec in my comment below.

Addons

Here are the list of addons that I highly recommend for Moonkin PVP:

• RangeDisplay: shows range to targets – simple but invaluable
• SquawkAndAwe: shows timers on offensive abilities
• HotCandy: shows timers on HoTs
• Quartz: excellent cast bar addon
• Gladius: must-have for arenas

With these addons, you can see:

• the range to targets just above my head
• my HoTs just to the left of my character
• my DoTs and cooldowns to the right of my character

If you have any comments / feedback / questions please post ‘em.

P.S. I’m back playing WoW (World of Warcraft), after 2.5 years away from the game.

When I quit WoW back in late 2007, I never expected to play it again, because there were several things that I didn’t like, e.g. the grindy nature of the gear treadmill and the way itemization and specs were handled. WoW has changed dramatically for the better for someone like me, so I decided to try it again. Back in The Burning Crusade (TBC), I played a 70 Feral Druid, and I wanted to play Moonkin this time around, in particular because there is so little material on Moonkin PVP.

The addons are listed below in sections, with my favorite addons listed first in each section.

If you have questions about using an addon, please read the addon’s page on war.curse.com before posting here, as your question may have been answered there already. I’ll try to answer questions posted, but keep in mind I’m not the developer of any of these addons.

Game-play Addons

This section lists addons that improve the effectiveness of one’s game-play. Or at least they’ve made me a better player

1. Warhammer Scrolling Combat Text (WSCT)

WSCT provides much more visibility to combat events (e.g. damage done/taken, healing done/taken, buffs, debuffs, etc) than the default UI.

The addon allows you to turn on skill names, so you can see which abilities caused which damage / heal / effect. I find it incredibly informative.

I recommend changing the Absorb messages from the default Frame 3 to Frame 2, so you can see the flow of damage you’re taking and what is absorbed by bubbles.

2. Aura

Aura enables you to define “auras” that you’d like to track on your character, friendly targets, and enemy targets. Auras can be almost anything, e.g. timers on effects, cooldown timers, whether you have a buff or debuff on you, etc.

The auras you define can provide a lot of visibility into what’s happening in combat. On my Swordmaster, I use Aura to track all my debuffs on targets (e.g. Quick Incision snare, Wrath of Hoeth spirit debuff, cooldown of Ether Dance or Crashing Wave, whether my target has the Unstoppable or Immovable buff on them, etc). When playing a healer, I define auras to show HoT durations on me and on my friendly targets, so I see how long existing HoTs have before expiring.

Aura has significantly improved my game-play, because I don’t have to read the Combat Log or stare at small icons on the character portraits.

This addon takes a lot of time to configure, test, and tweak to your liking. If you like driving automatic instead of manual, Aura is probably not for you.

3. ActionBarColor

This addon makes your ability buttons turn red when they your target is out-of-range. Simple but very helpful.

4. Tortall’s DPS Meter

I don’t use a DPS Meter for e-peen measurement, but rather for numerically testing different spec and gear setups. E.g. TDM has helped me figure out which Swordmaster DoT tactics are most effective.

When you install the addon, you get a little button in the upper-left of your UI for toggling whether to show the meter.

5. AutoDismount

If you are mounted and use an ability, this addon automatically dismounts you then fires the ability.

Convenience Addons

This section lists addons that provide value in terms of convenience.

1. AnywhereTrainer

This addon allows you to view trainable abilities, mastery trees, and renown trees for your class, no matter where you are.

2. Think Out Loud

TOL automates chat when abilities are used. E.g. I have a message that indicates when I’ve put Guard on another player, when I pop Shield Wall, etc. Much simpler than having to type every time.

Fun Addons

1. Killing Blow

This simple addon puts a very visible text message on your screen when you got the deathblow on a player.