How I Lost 60 Pounds in 4 Months (And the ‘you can too!’….. cliche)!

Posted in Real Life on May 14, 2013 by Srsbusiness

Towards the end of 2012, a point had come to where I needed to think of a resolution to make for 2013. In years past, I had given up things like chocolate (ugh!), video games (double ugh, and ranks high on all time WORST choices ever!), and being less of a night owl. Since I didn’t want to recycle an idea, I decided that losing weight was a good resolution for the new year, especially after not being too concerned about my level of diet and/or exercise for a while. The clothes were getting a bit tight, and I figured I had put on a few pounds since my low of 185 back in 2011. I thought, “I’m probably at 205, 210 tops. And 20 pounds should be a good milestone for the year”. And to great dismay, I got on the scale at the beginning of January and saw that I was not only well above 205, but clocking in at 240 (up 55 pounds in a year and a half!)! Talk about letting yourself go and catching it before it really got bad. Goals and expectations dramatically changed, and off I began with the resolution immediately.

 

Set the bar high, and in a place where you will see it every day!

Set the bar high, and in a place where you will see it every day!

 

A) Setting Goals, Sub-Goals, and Timetables

 

Much maligned at my situation, I decided that 20 pounds was no longer an acceptable goal and moved it up to 70 pounds(!). It was a tall and daunting task ahead, but it needed to be approached head on, for my own health. In addition, I had set the bar also extremely high by having the timetable set at Mother’s Day for when I would have liked to hit that goal. Along the way, it was important to set sub-goals for myself sop that I did not get burned out or discouraged along the way, and in addition, ever time I hit a goal marker, I rewarded myself with an extra cheat day during the week. It made each goal more manageable, and didn’t feel like I had to morph into a ferret and eat flax seed around the clock, because really, FLAX SEED. Your goals may be much different, and its important to not push it too hard so that your body can build up stamina for when you hit the final stretch of your goal. You can set your timetable to as long as you want if you casually want to approach your objective, or short if, and only if, you know your body can handle the grueling pace.

 

B) Weapon of Choice (And how to use it)

 

Foremost, its a necessity to listen to this song and watch the video, because nobody is more of a badass than Christopher Walken. There are many different avenues to travel down if you are adamant above improving your physical well being and appearance. Some people like weights for toning, some people do swimming, other still routines visits to the gym for a mix of cardio and weights. Myself, I am a big fan of the treadmill and marathon style endurance training. I found this to be the best for pushing your heart rate to 85-90% of its maximum. By doing this, it allows your body to more rapidly enter weight loss by burning fat cells instead of excess calories or carbohydrates.

 

- What is Marathon Style Training?

 

Marathon Style training involves frequently shifting from brisk walking to either jogging or running, and then back. Depending on how intense your program may be, if you are fond of treadmilling, you can cycle this for up to 1 hour at a time for less intensive sessions, or as short as 25-30 minutes for more intense sessions. I started with a walking pace of 3.5 mph, which is slightly above normal walk speed, and a jogging speed of 7 mph. Unfortunately, my condition was at a point where I had to hold on to the machine while running at first, so I was not getting the full effect of the run intervals. Alas, it it still better than nothing while stamina and tolerance build up.Gradually, not only will your ability to improve push you to increase your walk and run speeds, but there will be multiple parts in the run where your body will feel GOOD while you run. Approaching each day with the mindset of pushing to do just slightly better than the day before, also greatly enhances your capacity to improve, daily!

 

- How long should I run for (and how many times a day?)?

 

That is really up to you and what you feel you can best handle. A general rule of thumb to follow is that, if your (in this case legs) hurt, your chest hurts, or you have a tough time breathing/or light headed, stop immediately. Otherwise, twice a day up to one hour total, has been my limit. Its important to note that when you exercise is up to you. I found that running at night worked better for me, because it kept metabolism levels (to burn energy) up when it usually starts to decreases before one goes to sleep.

Do you feel the need..... for speed?

Do you feel the need….. for speed?

 

C) Diet

 

The dreaded make-or-break in some cases. Its not as severe as a lot of people make it out to be. Much like, what type of exercise is best for you, there’s also area-centric diets as well. Muscle building goes for high calorie, high protein diets with high activity, tone goes for low carbohydrate, high calorie, moderate activity diets, usually due to not having enough time to exercise as often as they would like, and weight loss specific diets shoot for low calorie, low fat, high activity to produce close to instant results. This diet focused on counting calories, while fat and carbohydrates were not much concern to keep track of, keeping a good level of fiber and protein in the regiment helped bolster results. A lot of nutrional fact labels have breakdowns for 2,000 and 2,500 calorie diets, and those were just a bit much for my liking, as I shot for around 1,400 calories every day, once I broke into a rut of what I wanted to eat. This is enough (for me), to be able to do my job, exercise and stay focused comfortably, your level might be different depending on body size, sugar levels, etc.

 

- Breakfast

 

Option A: Bowl of Cereal (1.5 cups, Fiber One Caramel Delight or GF Cinnamon Chex) 270 Cal + 1 Cup Milk (190 Cal) + 1 Yoplait Parfait (100 Cal)

Option B: Two English Muffins w/ Light Butter (270 Cal) and Jam (50 Cal per muffin) + 16 Oz Welch’s Grape Juice (260 Cal + 6g fiber or 50% DV Calcium)

Option C: 16 Oz Chiobani Vanilla And Chocolate Chip Greek Yogurt (540 Cal + 50% DV Calcium and 38g protein)

Drink: Water (0 Cal) or Chai Vanilla Tea (80 Cal per 8 oz)

 

No lie. Option C has become kryptonite. Every time I go shopping I get the maximum amount of the product I can per trip. SERIOUSLY. SO GOOD.

 

- Lunch

Option A: Healthy Choice Cafe Steamers (Variety of Assorted Meals) (240-320 Cal) + 1.5 Cups Sauteed Veg (100 Cal) + 1 Apple (90 Cal)

Option B: 1 Can Progresso Assorted Soups (2 servings per can, 160-220 Cal) + 5 Prunes (100 Cal + Lycopene for digestion) + 1 Cup Peanut Trail Mix (175 Cal + Protein)

Option C: 1 Can Campbell’s Chunky Soup (Flavors Vary, 270-410 Cal per Can) + 4 Toast Points (70-150 Cal, varies on bread thickness).

Drink: Water (0 Cal) —-> Add flavor with Crystal Light, Lipton or Mio Water Enhancer for 0 Cal, Iced Tea (0 Cal and Kidney Stones)

 

Ive found the crustless chicken pot pie steamer to be really good for a TV dinner-esque product, as well as the Spicy Sausage Gumbo for Chunky Soup (sucker for spice), there are some flavorful, yet low cal options at your disposal.

 

- Dinner

 

See lunch. Most days, especially if one works a 9-5 (or in that range) kind of job, it drains a lot of people to come home and cook as well. I will take 1 of the remaining 2 options, and mix and match sides to have with it. You can be creative and use breakfast ideas for dinner with dinner foods! For instance:

 

Option HELL YEAH LETS EAT: 3 Eggs, Scrambled (210 Cal) + 1 Potato (cubed and steamed to soften) (95 cal) + 1 bell pepper (diced, 65 cal) + 2 Links Hot or Sweet Italian Sausage (170-240 cal). Combines all these is a pan with a little garlic (0 Cal), crushed red pepper (0 Cal), and olive oil (50 cal), and you’ve got yourself a party for dinner for under 600 calories!

 

- Cheat Days

 

When you get to whatever days you decide to be cheat days, have whatever you want. Your body will thank you, not only in having initial gratification of having something you long for, but going for too many days in a row where you restrict the amount of calories/sugars you intake can send your body into a miniature starvation mode where it will hold onto sugars consumed and burn up proteins and carbohydrates instead.

Yep, a frozen tv dinner health product.

Yep, a frozen tv dinner health product.

 

Amazingly good for a high fiber product, well worth $3 a box.

Amazingly good for a high fiber product, well worth $3 a box.

Lacks salt, but being 90 calories will make up for the flavor loss.

Lacks salt, but being 90 calories will make up for the flavor loss.

 

D) Supplementing Your Regimen (Optional)

 

*Do the background research on all supplements before rushing out to get something that may do more harm than good, sometimes irreversible.* Having always had a very weak metabolism since I was a child, exercise alone was not enough to stimulate the pituitary and adrenaline to kick the thyroid into top gear. So I needed something that could assist with that and keep it elevated during times I was not engaged in activity, being it working out, work, or other hobbies. My parents had received a sample of a product called Oxy Elite in a goodie bag from a wedding they attended and said for the limited amount they were given, seemed to give an extra boost of adrenaline and energy. After looking at the tests and effects of oxy elite, I purchased the Oxy Elite Pro 90 Capsule supplement. This product works great for me, however the one side effect it has that I have noticed is cause your temper to shorten, I would avoid using it, if something stressful is happening within the next 6-12 hours.

 

Another product that caught my eye, was the highly marketed and hyped Raspberry Ketone. These pills are designed to target fat calls and shrink them, reducing fat and the amount of fat that can grow back into them. I gave these pills a shot, and while I did not notice any side effects from them, the results of one bottle weren’t nearly as felt as the oxy elite. My torso felt a bit tighter  on the whole compared to a bulge at one point, but Im not rocking really ripped abs or anything close to that.

 

If Zerglings can gain a Metabolic Boost, I can too, Damnit!

If Zerglings can gain a Metabolic Boost, I can too, Damnit!

 

E) Results *(may vary)*

 

With a game plan laid out, all that was left to do was to tackle it head on. I set my sub goals at 10 pound increments and moved from there. The first weight you lose is always water weight, what you do after the first 6-10 pounds will have a lasting effect on your system. The pounds began to drop, the months began to eclipse as Mother’s Day approached. There were many, many days, where my legs felt like steel reinforced support beams holding up the Sears Tower, just absolutely heavy. Around St. Patrick’s Day and Easter, I felt a loss of will power. Chocolates all around me, it was like I was Homer Simpson walking into an ice cream shop, getting a triple butterfinger deluxe and just face plant passing out into it. That is the one crucial thing to carry with you, your will power. You will perform as good as you allow yourself to, and can be the strength or Achilles Heel of what you make of losing your weight. I toughed out the month of April making up for a relapse for the holidays, and before I knew it Mother’s Day was here. I grabbed my camera that morning got on the scale, and saw this:

 

Breaking my previous all time low by 6 pounds!

Breaking my previous all time low by 6 pounds!

 

While it is not my goal, it gives me a great sense of accomplishment about what anyone can do with focus and determination. And it also brings on the last run of my goal. Your goals are attainable! Believe you can get there, and fight for an extra 3 minutes on your machine, or the urge to give in to a double baconator deluxe with the works and it will all add up in the end to making you one healthier, and happier, person!

 

If you follow any of this advice, I hope it works out for the best for you!

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For the Horde!

Posted in WoW on April 30, 2013 by Srsbusiness

Lok’tar Ogar brethren.

 

Priesting in depth has fallen to the wayside for the meantime, as nothing groundbreaking has really been unearthed on the class, other than more pvp balances, and we all love a good round of nerfs balances, right? So, being of the priesthood, it was time to give in and finally see the light. Yes after 8 years playing for team Blue, I found myself playing for team Red. This is kind of like a Team Jacob vs. Team Edward situation right? I wanted to make something that I could transition into easily, yet at the same time, have a level of diversity in the class so that it felt like I wasn’t doing the same thing over again. Going back to the vanilla roots, I wanted something that brought the aspect of my first class, a hunter, together with the shadowy coalescence of a priest.  And what happened next could only be described as an experiment gone awry in Professor Utonium’s lab, only with thrice the amount of Chemical X! A combination of shadowy erosion, a splash of servitude and despairty, and the twisted amalgamation of skin, spells and greed was born.

 

A pungent desecration of filth and greed. Show me the money!

A pungent desecration of filth and greed. Show me the money!

 

Meet Terizzle, a Snoop LION inspired goblin with looks that kill and swindling kills twice as effective to boot! The combination of hunter (pet) and priest (shadow) aspects was the perfect balance between both classes for something new to pick up from the get go, and so warlock it was. Once out of the destruction ravaging the Lost Isles and Kezan, it was on to greener pastures for this promising warlock.

 

GOD DAMN IT ASHENVALE AGAIN!? HAVEN’T I ALREADY BEEN HERE LIKE 19 TIMES BEFORE?

After getting to level 35, Terizzle ran into a few friends he had seen in a far away place where people share their thoughts openly with other people. “Tweets?” He thought to himself. “I’ve seen these things before, I hope they aren’t dangerous.”

While leveling up and hanging out with a close group of friends, they had disclosed to him that they were trying to reignite their 10-man raiding team from what it was in years previous. As an admitted player for team Blue, he agreed to help where he could, but that his primary group was the main focus, offering up expertise and strategies when asked. How about those scenarios though? While being out of the range to get into heroics, or locked out of LFR, playing through the multitude of scenarios turned out to be quite fruitful for our warlock compatriot, as his first week of scenarios netted him 7 epic items from the greater caches, while his team blue counterparts HAVE YET TO SEE A SINGLE ONE.

 

Now at 90, Terrizle wanders the isle of thunder, cutting action shots like this:

Your soul IS mine.

Your soul IS mine.

 

In addition, he can be seen creating a rut pacing back and forth between the steps that lead down to the foot of Lei Shen, hoping a group to kill a certain flying electric dragon are forming up somewhere. (No really, where for art thou LFM Nalak groups?) He waits for the day where his friends call upon him, and on those days, he ventures into the Throne of the Thunder King, looking to lend spell and sword to vanquish the foes in front of him, when suddenly….

 

“HEALTHSTONE PLZ!”  “Can I get a summon please?!”

Eradication and decimation delayed for the time being, he gains experience in knowing his role via utility is now vital to the raid, and is something he needs to work on for future clashes!

 

Yes, double agent truly is fitting at this point in time, and provides some much needed balance, even if that means more time playing the game!

 

“Zug Zug”  “Hey, I finally have something OTHER than the Stables!”

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Gearing Up in Throne of Thunder

Posted in Priest, PvE, Reasons I am Going Insane, Shameless Plugs, WoW on March 21, 2013 by Srsbusiness

Hello everyone, now that 5.2 has been out and about for a bit and everyone has had a chance to get accustomed to their toons, especially priests, with changes to Shadow Word: Insanity becoming Solace and Insanity, as well as Shadowy Apparitions and the t15 set focusing around them, its time to gear up your face melter and dispense some multi-dottinal, YES I SAID MULTI-DOTTINAL, justice. Also, If you’re looking to dispense you’re muli-dottinal justice somewhere, why not here at Apotheosis? Lets take a look at the changes first so you can know what to expect going forward:

 

Solace And Insanity

 

Devouring Plague now causes your mind flay to deal 33% more damage per orb for the duration of DP being active on the target. For you, this means you get 3 mind flays per devouring plague that will deal double damage. The debuff lasts between 6 and 6.4 seconds, with your mind flay channel being around the 2.3 second area, with one 1 second GCD lost after casting DP. Leaves you with .4 to .8 seconds to start that last MF, and the damage buff will continue after the debuff expires.

 

Shadowy Apparitions

 

Shadow Apparitions occur when your shadow word: pain crits, and if you go for the 4 set t15 bonus, has a 10% chance to spawn when Vampiric Touch deals damage. The two set bonus also give your SA’s a 65% chance to increase the duration of your VT and SW:P, letting them deal damage one additional time. The two set bonus looks good, but haven’t we seen this song and dance before? Good job on creativity there. Up until recently, shadow apparitions had a cap of 3, but since then has been increased to 4, as well as having had their AI improved to move faster and now hit air targets sometimes. Ghostcrawler clarified this.  What intrigues me is this queue that now exists for shadowy apparitions. Its like telling us, we understand your class is strong in multi dot situations, like warlocks, but we are going to slow your proc based dps a bit here (on a spell that accounts for all of 0.7% of damage done). Not to mention if a target goes invis, like Megaera’s head, you lose all of those SA’s, and any that may now exists in this queue as well. This to me is why the 4 set bonus is something you want to avoid when choosing to gear up. I am personally not a fan of shadowy apparitions in their current state, and the last time I enjoyed them was when they first came out and had a 60% chance to proc if you were moving when the damage ticked on SW:P. And for high mobility fights, like most are nowadays, returning to this design would be a welcomed change in my opinion. Or you know, a 1% buff  to SW:P, VT, MF, and DP, would counter balance the “procs” and we could not center sets around a still flaky mechanic. <INSERT RAEG HERE>

 

So without further adieu, here we go!:

 

Head:

Hood of the Exorcist – Twin Consorts – +1318 Intellect  +950 Spirit +867 Haste  Yellow Socket  Socket Bonus: +180 Critical Strike

Analysis: The flamecaster’s crown has the best stats on it to start, but the 2 set is worth something, and over the other pieces to get, this is one you want. If it drops, Hood of the Crimson Wake is an upgrade over anything in the previous tier and raid finder, but mastery…. ew… Choice: Tier Helm

 

Shoulders (Knees and Toes?):

Shouldersguards of the Exorcist – Iron Qon – +998 Intellect+653 Critical Strike +715 Haste Red Socket Yellow Socket Socket Bonus: +120 Haste

Analysis: The shared dropped shoulders are really nice with a high amount of haste, if you can get them, or these, off jin’rokh good for you. If you aren’t as lucky with drops, the rep shoulders are also nice, despite lacking gem sockets, but the grind is going to take a while. In the end though, the tier shoulders have your ideal stats, and not only a red, but a yellow socket with a haste bonus in the end, and will complete your two set.  Choice:  Tier Shoulders

 

Chest:

Robes of Mutagenic Blood – Primordius – +1398 Intellect  +990 Critical Strike   +907 Haste  Red Socket(2) Socket Bonus: +120 Intellect

Analysis: With two red sockets, and your 2 set tier 15 bonus already locked up, this item is just begging to be worn and increase your performance in a heartbeat. If you can snag a kill on Oondasta, these robes will definitely be a service to you. Likewise, since Primordius is a bit farther in the instance, these from the council, will also suffice. Blue sockets, you so crazy. Choice: Robes of Mutagenic Blood

 

Cloak:

Deadly Glare Cape – Durumu the Forgotten – +788 Intellect +510 Critical Strike  +556 Haste  Red Socket Socket Bonus: +60 Intellect

Analysis: This one is basically a toss up with the cloak from Dark Animus. It all depends how much hit you need in your gear at this point. And if you can kill Ra-Den (providing people get to that boss anytime soon), you should snag this little gem. Choice: Deadly Glare Cape

 

Bracers:

Vaccinator’s Armwraps – Horridon – +868 Intellect +579 Spirit +579 Haste

Analysis: Before I spiral off into reckless abandon, I would love to choose these bracers off of Primordius, but in the same vein, I also want my spells to actually land by having some spirit or hit since there isn’t a whole lot on the gear above this. if you are having trouble with Horridon, and have some extra valor to spend, the friendly rep bracers can and will tide you over.   Choice:  Vaccinator’s Armwraps

 

Gloves:

Handwraps of the Exorcist – Council of Elders – +1078 Intellect +774 Spirit +666 Haste  Red Socket  Socket Bonus: +60 Intellect

Analysis: Did you blink? Yes, those are the healer gloves. Their shadow counterparts have crit and mastery on them, our two worst stats, so choosing these with your token, may turn out to be a net gain, albeit maybe not with your healing priest comrades. If you aren’t pressed for hit though, pick up these off of the very next boss, Tortos.   Choice: Tier Healing Gloves

 

Waist:

Cord of Cacophonous Cawing - Ji’Kun – +998 Intellect +748 Hit  +597 Haste  Red Socket Yellow Socket  Socket Bonus: +120 Haste

Analysis: One of the best itemized pieces in the gain, having 3 addition gems in your belt should prove advantageous to reforging and stat allocation, as well as the high amount of base hit. You should be able to reforge that into crit. If you have some valor to brun, and have already grinded some rep, the valor belt is very similar, but blah mastery bonuses akfbvxdjk.   Choice: Cord of Cacophonous Cawing

 

Pants:

Leggings of the Exorcist – Ji’Kun and Nalak – +1599 Intellect  +1201 Critical Strike  +937 Haste   Yellow Socket  Blue Socket  Socket Bonus: +120 Intellect

Analysis: I can already hear my raid leader calling for my head at the thought of putting on pants.  If you can complete the second part of LFR, these legs are within reach for you and an upgrade to whatever you have from t14 (for the most part). If you get to Lei Shen and can get to your 8085 or (with new gear) 10,124 haste plateau, then Leggings of Cardinality jump to the top, with only Legs from Ra-den giving them a run. Unfortunately, they have mastery.   Choice: Leggings of Cardinality, if you need more haste t get to a breakpoint, Tier Legs.

 

Feet:

Dam’ren’s Frozen Footguards – Iron Qon – +1078 Intellect +629 Hit +796 Haste  Red Socket Socket Bonus: +60 Haste

Analysis: Really Liking the amount of increased red sockets on this gear, it seemed a little sparse in tier 14.  If you know of a tailor, and have 6 haunting spirits, the crafted boots are a good option as well. Also, since Iron Qon is a bit in as well, the boots from Megaera are also nice, especially if you are at a haste plateau. Choice: Dam’ren’s Frozen Footguards

 

Weapons:

Torall, Rod of the Shattered Throne – Lei Shen – +668 Intellect +468 Spirit +298 Haste  +8926 Spell Power Red Socket  Socket Bonus: +60 Intellect

Lei Shen’s Orb of Command – Lei Shen (O RLY?) – +788 Intellect +589 Critical Strike +454 Haste Red Socket Socket Bonus: +60 Intellect

Analysis: Pipe dream situation to snag this combination from the same boss, but there are other options for your main hand, and off hands that are available sooner in the instance if you cannot get to or defeat Lei Shen. Choice: Torall and Lei Shen’s Orb.

 

Amulets and Rings:

Necklace of the Terra-Cotta Invoker – Trash Mobs – +788 Intellect  +564 Hit   +496 Haste   Red Socket  Socket Bonus: +60 Hit

Analysis: Well, this is a first for this expansion, something with sexy itemization that isn’t from a boss. The only other haste amulet has 2 blue sockets,unless you can kill Oondasta, and your other available option is from Megaera. Having a red socket and perfect stats puts the trash neck over the top. Choice: necklace of the Terra-Cotta Invoker.

 

Signet of the Shado-Pan Assault - Shado-Pan Assault (Friendly) – +868 Intellect +579 Critical Strike   +579 Haste

Durumu’s Captive Eyeball – Durumu the Forgotten -  +788 Intellect +588 Spirit +437 Critical Strike   Red Socket  Socket Bonus: +60 Spirit

Analysis: Lack of stand out rings this tier that are readily available, especially when one is your best come from a friendly rep reward. But the good news is that double dipping for both spirit and hit gear returns in this department. The bad news? Ra-den.

 

Last, but not least, Trinkets:

Breath of the Hydra – Megaera -  +1552 Haste And Your periodic damage spells have a chance to grant 7754 Intellect for 20 sec.  (RPPM)

Wushoolay’s Final Choice - Council of Elders – +1552 Hit And Your harmful spells  have a chance to grant Wushoolay’s Lightning, granting 1410 Intellect every 2 sec for 20 sec. (RPPM)

Analysis: And here is where dps is made or broken upon. With the introduction of RPPM (Real Procs per Minute) trinkets, there are a ton of combinations that are possible to get and standout. Wushoolay’s gives you some hit that is missing in your gear (and reforging will need to be done), while offering up a classic proc from an old favorite from Icecrown, the Dislodged Foreign Object. On top of this, it can proc side by side with Breath giving you 7754 + 14100 intellect at points in its duration, leading to massive Devouring Plague, Mind Blast, and Mind Flay(Insanity) numbers. The rep trinket, offers a nice haste boost, and a steady amount of intellect, but there are times when the RPPM trnket can proc back to back after its duration, which is 40 seconds of constant uptime in cases. However, it may not proc for a while, but sometimes you have to take a risk to get the rewards of better dps. (And from someone who goes slightly below hit cap, its a risk worth taking!) Other trinkets of note are: Chan’Ye’s Essence of Brilliance, Unerring Vision of Lei-Shen, and Volatile Talisman of the Shado-Pan Assault. Choice: I don’t always take chances on RNG, but when I do, I make sure its high risk/high reward. Breath of the Hydra & Wushoolay’s Final Choice.

 

PHEW! I AM GLAD THAT GEARING IS OVER WITH. Now that you have your gear, lets see where your stats are at (before reforging and socketing):

Intel: +14023

Haste: + 9999, This number can easily get to 10124, anything over, send to crit.

Crit: +4959, This number will become higher after hit and excess haste are reforged down.

Mastery: +0  (GREAT SUCCESS)

Hit/Spirit (5100 to cap): +5902 Don’t Panic! This gives you great opportunity to reforge some into haste if you can to get that 9999 to 10124. And then the rest to crit.

 

If you like the shadowy apparitions mechanic, go for the four piece bonus, your shadow clone army will meander its way over to the boss with a steady continuation with the set bonuses, but I cannot truly believe that queuing dps procs is a way to help make the class longer in the longer run. The two piece will allow for more mind flays on your primary target(s), and should be something to shoot for. May your RPPM trinkets proc together and give you some sweet numbers appearing on your screen!

 

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Guild Poaching: Have They No Shame?

Posted in Uncategorized, WoW on February 13, 2013 by Srsbusiness

Poaching. It can mean a form of hunting, or style of egg. In Azeroth, its the action of traveling to established guilds to try and take players away from their guild, in order to join theirs (usually boasting farther progression or better pvp orientation than the current guild the player is in). It seems that this time of the expansion the envoys of guilds looking to persuade people away are out and in full force. I am not at all flattered or allured by the message sent to me recently by one of those people, and as someone who has recently been the target of one of these attempts and also someone who watched his own guild back in BC suffer the effects of poaching, I would like to share my viewpoint on both fronts of the matter. I will start with my experience with poaching as a guild leader:

 

Serpentshrine Cavern/Tempest Keep/Hyjal Past – Circa 2008

 

Through my travels in Burning Crusade I spent most of my time with the guild Cross of Vengeance over the course of two stints, first as an officer, second as GM, my other guild was Crusaders of Aegwynn. The events talked about occurred over my second stint. Upon moving back up to an officer in CoV, we were having struggles in both SSC with Lady Vashj and TK with Kael’thas Sunstrider. Our GM was looking for ideas that would motivate people to step their play up to clear the final hurdle and down those bosses, and ultimately came up short every time. One night, our GM, I will call him Rentob, and both of his close friend officers were out of town and could not make raid, leaving the keys to me to see what we could accomplish in their absence. I left it up to the guild to decide where we went, ultimately going to TK. Despite having a skeleton crew of 24 people, we managed to down both Void Reaver and A’lar with a few wipes to each. As we continued to attempt to kill Astromancer Solarian, we kept wiping to the detonation mechanic, and morale continued to plummet as a result. Feeling some general animosity between members due to wiping, I decided an impromptu town hall style of meeting was in order for people to clear the air and get their frustrations out, as well as listen to any an all ideas people had to defeating the boss. After a 20 minute recess, we came back and on the second pull killed her to end the raid on a high note. After raid, I collectively asked everyone if they wanted to continue to have those kind of rally meetings where people could express themselves when our GM came back from his trip (we did have a few, but they didn’t stay sustained).

 

Enter the GM - Upon telling our GM what transpired in his absence and how the guild felt it collectively wanted to move going forward, shock and awe is the only thing I could describe what he felt as he suddenly left the guild and went to another guild and took his officer friends and a few others with him, leaving the guild crippled and with a roster of about 14 people left for a 25 man. In about 3 months time, and with the help of some truly exceptional people and players the guild grew back to being the second best guild on the server and defeated both Vashj and Kael before their 2.2 nerfs. I can remember vividly, promising the guild that if they managed to kill Kael and get into Hyjal/BT before the nerfs, that I would sing karaoke over Vent to them, any song they chose (and I absolutely did!). And at that time, the guild had bloomed into having >>38<< raiders online ready to go into BT! One day, our old GM came back and had seen that we had indeed moved forward instead of falling apart, and asked if he could come back to be a part of the guild. I obliged, and being naive, I also moved him back to being an officer, as he still had a lot of people who knew and looked up to him, in the guild. One day, he took exception to what one of the guild members was doing and attempted to discipline him his way, the old way, to which I quickly pulled the chain on him, reminding him that he was no longer the person to do that. This set off a chain of events, and public forum posts which ended in personal attacks and all around ugliness. In the end, he left the guild again, this time for good, and this time, the deviant plan went into motion. He began talking to people in the guild, either slandering my name, or offering promises of better <insert value here> if that player went to his new or other guild. He ultimately succeeded in doing that because of the reputation of the guild on the server being generally disliked from his prior leadership and as well as my reckless and sometimes very ill-advised practices on running the guild. (I was 20, when I was leading the guild, I was very naive and made a lot of forgettable mistakes.) The guild ultimately crumbled, and our last raid was in 2010, killing Maly10 and Sarth10. The guild my ex-GM went to?  Folded up shop in 2009, even with the members they took away with promises of better tidings.

 

Being Targetted By Another Guild (2011 & 2013):

 

Earlier this week, and in one instance in years past, I was sent an in-game mail by a recruiter that their guild was actively seeking shadow priests to progress through content and fill out their raiding roster. They boasted a  strong resume, stating that they had Cleared 6/6H MSV, 5/6H HoF and 3/4H ToTES, a very impressive resume indeed. This left me at a quandary, was I really going to dump 3 years of time and friendship with a lot of people for 7 extra bosses killed? For the allure of pixels which may make my toon better? Absolutely not.  While its nice to be held in high reverence by other people who are e-scouting your toon on the armory, it doesn’t show much about one’s character if they are so easily persuaded away from any establishment, for just a few more pixelated drops or rewards if its a pvp-based guild. I do not know what the social structure is of guilds that are top 50, or even top 25 in the world, and I would like to think they all are similar to Apotheosis, but I know that’s wishful thinking, only because guilds like No Chicks Allowed (Yes, it is a real guild, and yes they are top 50 in the US, and YES, if you are a female, they will not let you in period, no matter your credentials.) exist.

 

Here is my bottom line on poaching, in a brutally honest perspective: If your the kind of person who will leave their guild due to a poacher and is looking for a guild where you can find permanence, do not expect to be taken seriously, as their is a good chance the turnover rate is high due to burnout or people not making the cut. And in the same vein, if your a guild looking to bolster your ranks through poaching standout players from guilds that are not as progressed as you, remember, you pulled them away with promises of better loot/content/what have you, who is to say that someone else wont come along and do the same thing to that person from your guild. Btoom line: Poaching lacks any type of intestinal fortitude and integrity, and you wont find a quality, lasting player through it at all. Don’t do it. Work with the talent you have.

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5.2: Lemon Puddin’, Blasphemy, and Free Form Jazz

Posted in Priest, PvE, PvP, WoW on February 5, 2013 by Srsbusiness

Shadow priests are getting some tinkering done to them over the next few weeks in anticipation of the 5.2 Isle of the Thunder King patch. Some questionable, like Lemon Puddin’, and some that are just downright bad like blasphemy (Isn’t that right Leonidas?)

The changes that are affecting  shadow priests in 5.2 are:

-  Halo no longer breaks stealth.

- Glyph of Mind Spike now only works with non-Surge of Darkness Mind Spikes.

- Phantasm now no longer makes the priest untargettable by ranged attacks, but the movement freedom effect now lasts 5 seconds.

- Shadow Word: Insanity is now Solace and Insanity. In shadow, Devouring Plague increases the damage of Mind Flay by 33% per orb for the next 6 seconds, on targets that are affected by 3 shadow damage over time spells.

 

Originally, Devouring Plague was being changed to have its damage spread out evenly on application and over time. This change is something that I was personally looking for, as it actually came out to be an 11% buff to devouring plague in the long run for PvE content, while the massive burst being taken away was crippling to priests in PvP. On the whole, if you PvP as shadow, your are not too happy about the upcoming changes, aside from the small silver lining of having the bursty version of Devouring Plague back. No longer able to flare out those rogues and feral druids, as well as having your 3 second range protection shell go away, we may become the object of choice for the enemy even more so now!

 

For changes in raid encounters, how you match talents in tier 3 and tier 5 is going to largely matter on how much you want to take chances with RNG based on procs in those tiers.

Earlier in my first review of MoP talents and tiers, I went with Shadow Word: Insanity for tier 3 and Twist of Fate for tier 5 as my choices for best use in a raid setting. As it turns out, Shadow Word: Insanity was a complete nightmare from the start, not being active when it should, being active when it shouldn’t (hello free uses from dead spirit kings), and the damage it dealt was not comparable to From Darkness, Comes Light as gear improved. Twist of Fate was extremely powerful in LFR and in Normal modes, as many additional elements to the fight (that oneself did damage to), and had a good enough uptime to where priests were getting close to 50% active time of 15% increased damage for a fight. However, as we moved into heroic progression, the amount of time and number of elements dying on those encounters severely dropped off, while many encounter have multiple mobs up until the end of the fight. Even for fights like Feng the Accursed, where 75% of the fight is just the raid versus the boss, the amount of Divine Insight procs far outweighed the scant 40-50 seconds of ToF uptime from the adds on the shield phase + execute range.

As of now, I am using From Darkness, Comes Light and Divine Insight as my talent choices for Tiers 3 and 5. There is one predominant reservation I have about Solace and Insanity going forward, and that is the amount of actual usage priests will get out of the buff to MF. Devouring plague lasts 6-6.4 seconds (haste). Since DP is on the GCD, we lose 1 second from the start of MF and then until the first tick of MF, which at 8200 haste, is .77 seconds later. This drops the effective time insanity is active from 6 to 4.23 seconds at 8200 haste, which might be enough to squeeze 2 Mind Flays into. Note: Mind Flay is our 5th highest damaging spell when used with From Darkness, Comes light on the whole.

There are a lot of intriguing possibilities to mix and match for the upcoming patch. I have dubbed these: The Smooth and Flowing Approach, The Cookie Cutter Approach, and the Whack-A-Mole Approach.

 

The Smooth and Flowing Approach:

Smooth, melodic. Follow the beat of the rotation.

Smooth, melodic. Follow the beat of the rotation.

Safe and predictable, this approach conforms to the traditional style of shadow priest, which has been straight forward damage dealing without any hidden cooldowns or surprise procs to manage and balance. Dots refreshed as needed, mind blast off cooldown, DP at 3 orbs, and Mind Flay as fillers, no surprise mind spike or mind blast procs ever to manage. In tier 3, this build takes Solace and Insanity, and in Tier 5 this build goes with Twist of Fate. In execute range, your mind flays will be hitting much, much harder.

 

The Cookie-Cutter Spec:

Gingerbread or Shadow Priest, its all the same.

Gingerbread or Shadow Priest, its all the same.

Because of the way certain abilities work for shadow priests, it is not unrealistic to see this build become the new cookie cutter spec for shadow priests. This build focuses on shadow orb generation and increasing the number of devouring plagues cast in a fight. In addition, it also attempts to take advantage of the 100% damage increase to Mind Flay via Solace and Insanity. Without saying, it takes Solace and Insanity from tier 3, and takes Divine Insight from tier 5. This spec will have it moments on single target fights, but works really well on fights where you can have multiple targets with Shadow Word: Pain on them. The important thing for someone trying this build going forward will be to always make sure that the target they cast DP on also has VT and SW:P. or the insanity buff fails to serve its purpose. Hopefully, they refine Solace and Insanity for shadow a little bit before it becomes live, so that you actually get a full 6 seconds of value from the talent.

 

The Whack-A-Mole Spec:

I Double Dog Dare You.....

I Triple Dog Dare You…..

 

This is the spec that will have you mashing different buttons at any opportune time RNG decides to show up for you. With the change to the Mind Spike Glyph, it becomes almost imperative for people who use From Darkness, Comes Light to also take Divine Insight, as our Surge of Darkness casts now no longer benefit from the glyph. This spec, which takes the aforementioned FDCL and Divine Insight, is a finesse build, which gets better as the number of mobs active in a fight increases. One good result from the mind spike alteration is the change in what buff got consumed if you happened to have Divine Insight and 2 stacks of Mind Melt active. As it stands now, if you have Divine Insight and Mind Melt x2, you ended up eating the Mind Melt stacks and having your DI buff while Mind Blast went on cooldown. This led to the unfortunate occurrence that your DI buff fell off and you lost the proc, which is ultimately invaluable as a direct damage dealer, and also as a shadow orb generator. The Whack-A-Mole  build is the one I use currently, and if Solace and Insanity fares like its predecessor, will also become the Cookie Cutter build.

I do not have FDCL paired up with ToF because if bosses are getting harder in the next patch, with more hp, then ToF’s uptime will drop even further, making it even less desirable. It pairs well with Solace and Insanity because of the constant +15% and then and extra guaranteed 100% to MF, while its on a 15% chance per tick, per VT to get a FDCL proc.

All in all, this is a very underwhelming patch for shadow priests, which didn’t seem like the mechanics, aside from Shadow Word: Insanity looked to be terrible or crazy OP. The DP change was even a net gain for PvE, although their would have been howls of despair from the PvP community. As the gear improves and we get closer to more haste breakpoints, it will be interesting to see which talents become better for our playstyles.

 

(I Still wish our mastery increased periodic shadow damage instead of acting as a Psuedo-Tarecgosa…… *shakes fist*)

 

Oh, and here’s your citrusy dessert:

Only 800 calories, something light for a change.

Only 800 calories, something light for a change.

 

A la mode, because why not?

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Shop til You Drop! – Prioritizing VP Upgrades

Posted in Priest, PvE, Reasons I am Going Insane, Uncategorized, WoW on January 17, 2013 by Srsbusiness

We’ll return you to your regularly scheduled internet viewing in just one moment, but first!

Its 5 O’clock and that means its time to shop, shop, shop! That’s right! I’m your host, Serious, (unfortunately my sidekick Mr. Business is in a meeting right now), and for the next 5 minutes, I’m going to be giving away deals that will BLOW YOUR MIND.

Are you player with a little extra currency to spend? Can’t quite make up your mind on where to use those hard earned points? Well have I got a deal for you! And I will show you how to get the most out of all those excess points you may have hidden around! You might think to yourself, “Gee, where should I start first?” And as with any person’s arsenal, the item that provides the most benefit, is the weapon!

Raid-Finder, Normal, Heroic Weapons

Depending on what type of progression you are encountering to your liking, the type of upgrade you get should match the the highest level of progression you are playing in! You don;t want to spend your points on a raid finder item if your going into heroic encounters now do you? Maybe you’re just tired of the same old boring weapon you have had for a long time now, and are trying to move on from it, but just can’t.

The same old boring and

The same old boring and

bland weapons we've had for a while.

bland weapons we’ve had for a while.

Do you feel like your going into raids with weapons that perform like these? Primitive, obsolete, like something a hozen may have made? No more! With the simple mechanic known as the item upgrade, you can take your primitive, outdated weapons and make them look brand spanking new!

More Intimidating and packs a

More Intimidating and packs a

a bigger wallop too!

a bigger wallop too!

And don’t they just look fabulous now?

“But I’ve had bad luck, and that weapon never seems to drop for me :( “

Hold the phone right there! I’ve got something that will sweeten the deal for you.

If you use the item upgrade for the weapon (and other slots) that is appropriate for your progression, I will throw in at a small cost of 90 lesser charms, 3 ELDER CHARMS, Guaranteed to make you either richer or the item that you want to drop, drop. And the charm renew each week! It’s a Must Have! And you might be asking yourself:

“Serious! How much would you pay for an upgrade like this?”

For a quality upgrade like I am offering I would pay upwards of 1200 VP for such a deal, BUT!, if you act now I will lower, yes LOWER, the cost for your upgrade from 1200 VP to only 750 VP! That’s over 35% off the original retail value. But wait, there’s more!

If you act now, I will throw in a second upgrade on top of your existing item for an additional 750 VP, that is practically getting two for the original price of one! That’s 1500 VP for 2 upgrades compared to the original price of 2400 VP, a 900 VP savings for you!

Sha-touched weapons are favored over the rest, simply because of the 500 stat gem. But once your weapon is upgraded, you’re going to need to accessorize around it! Are you tired of wondering: “Gee, I wish my item level was a bit higher so that I can perform better in raids.” (or maybe even pvp or the brawler’s guild?) Where should you prioritize next? The next place you shoot for, is upgrading items that wont be easily replaced until the next tier of content!

Heroic/Elite/Trinkets

Trinkets provide the most benefit to upgrade, as they usually line up nicely with bursty (or healy?) cooldowns. Pow! Just what the doctor ordered, and if you have your best in slot item for you class covered, using the item upgrade on it, ensures that it may even be your best in slot for next tier! And no good weapon should go without an equally shiny and impressive trinket to accent it!

The shinies just became.....

The shinies just became…..

...shinier shinies!

…shinier shinies!

Yes, looks ARE deceiving! While such trinkets as the darkmoon card only give you and extra 200 intellect on the proc, the extra 200 intellect is HUGE for spells like Devouring plague which has a high spell power coefficient for its damage!

Were you lucky enough to win something off the Black Market Auction House? Are you an established raider killing heroic or elite content in Terrace of the Endless Spring? If you are, there is a solid chance you may have picked up your best item for that slot in your tier, and if you act now on these items for upgrading, I will give you the same offer for the weapons! Yes, Two upgrades for the low price of 1500 VP, you can’t find a better deal ANYWHERE!

Sometimes, however, one does not have the luxuries of the first two tier of upgrades.

The Remaining: Best Available Upgrade to You

Sometimes, we choose not to play as much as we have in the past, and we might only have time to run an LFR or do some dailies during our time played. But fret not! For even here, you too can benefit from the item upgrade system, no player shall be left behind! If your weeks consist of getting to run an LFR and doing some dailies, see what items may best help you if they were to be upgraded! Lets take a look at LFR and some rep rewards:

Items coming from the LFR tier fall at either 476 or 483 ilevel, which for weapons, is better than any reputation reward possible and gets sent up to the first level of upgrades. However! All reputation rewards in game right now are mostly 489, whith a few 496 from Operation: Shieldwall/Domination Offensive. In most cases, if you want to get the most out of your points, the reputation rewards are the way to go, and the upgraded versions will be close to raid level gear. Hey! Its like getting raid gear, without doing the raiding! Where else can you get a deal as good as this?

To recap, you get a weapon upgrade, heroic/elite/trinket upgrade, raid finder and reputation upgrades, and 3, yes THREE, elder charms to try and help you get that item, all for the low price of 750 VP per upgrade, that’s a direct savings of 37% straight to your currency tab! These upgrades will only be around for a limited time longer!! ACT NOW AND GET YOURS TODAY!!!

Voidbinder Lunshur or….

Billy Mays? You decide.

Billy Mays? You decide.

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Push It to the Limit

Posted in Priest, PvE, PvP, Shameless Plugs, WoW on December 21, 2012 by Srsbusiness

Have you ever experienced those moments playing WoW where you just have that feeling where you are doing everything right? Where your spells, abilities and timing all line up perfectly and you couldn’t possibly ask for a better string of procs, misses and crits while approaching the zenith? That is what is going to happen when you partake in challenge modes and the Brawler’s Guild.

 

“Luck is what happens when Preparation meets Opportunity.” - Roman philosopher, Seneca, 1st Century AD

 

Challenge Modes are a nice step up in difficulty from your standard heroic. The trash has considerably more health and all the bosses are level 93, which means your going to need more hit in your gear as opposed to the heroic lvl 92 mobs. Even going in to heroics wearing ilvl 463 gear, you can progress much faster as opposed to the challenge mode level. The first challenge mode I did a while back was Scarlet Halls. Scarlet Halls was an interesting instance because of how some of the pulls had to be done, specifically using invisibility potions after the first boss. Being the first challenge mode for some of the people I went with, it was a learning experience, as getting to the number of mobs kill required can be difficult while trying to skip enemies. We eventually got a bronze and for the first time going through, look forward for the challenge of coming back for a better time.

 

Fast forward a few months and we enter the Gate of the Setting Sun instance. Considered one of the “easier”, and by easier I mean MOTHER OF GOD IT HURTS easy, challenge modes, we set forth into the instance to see how it would pan out.  A few general tip for any group going in there: You are going to have to pull multiple packs at a time if you want to go for the gold medal time. For GSS, the gold timer is 13:00, which for 4 bosses and trash is cumbersome.  And now for shadow priest tactics!

 

Your spec and talent choices do matter, also your secondary stats (aside from hit) and going to be reduced for item normalization. And while its nice to aim towards crit and mastery, since its mathematically impossible to get to 8085 haste in ilvl 463 gear, you do want to have a decent bit of haste because you will be multi-dotting early and on every pull.

 

What to Bring with You!:

Depending on how long with wish to try the challenge mode you should bring:

- 1 to 3 Flasks of the Warm Sun

- 30+ Potions of the Jade Serpent (Use liberally, on every trash pull, make sure its available for boss pulls)

- 10 to 15 Mogu Fish Stew (+300 intel)

 

Spec:

Tier 1: Psyfiend. You are going to be using your fear as a means of a disorient to take some pressure of your tank and healer. Void Tendrils just roots and you want a little staggering so your tank isn’t being plastered with anything other than beer at some point in the run.

Tier 2: Pick. Nothing here that will be gamebreaking for your run. If you get aggro on something, phantasm wont save you because most things will be a one or two shot on cloth.

Tier 3: From Darkness, Comes Light. With a full set of dots on mobs your are engaged with, you have many chances to gain Mind Spike procs. USE ALL THE PROCS when you get them.

Tier 4: Desperate Prayer. The occasional heavy splash from AoE will hurt and this will allow the healer to focus on the tank. Will also come in handy for a later macro.

Tier 5: Twist of Faith. Mobs constantly dying around you will give you about a 50% uptime on this buff for the instance, and 15% more damage in a timed run, absolutely.

Tier 6: Halo. When you are at length, and not huddled under a smoke bomb, halo will serve as a power side heal and damage source.

 

Glyphs:

Minors: Any – These are nothing but cosmetics.

Majors: 1) Mind Spike – Reducing the cast of Mind Blast allows for more casts and the ability to cast on the run. 2) Inner Sanctum – 6% less spell damage taken, will help your healer a lot by the end of the run. 3) Dark Binding – Casting PoM and Renew, especially while in between packs will help conserve your healer’s mana, since you should be close to full most of the run.

 

Suggested Macros:

Set the tank as your focus, then:

/target=focus

/cast Void Shift

/cast Desperate Prayer

 

After a handful of pulls, we were able to engage Raigonn with about 2.5 minutes remaining. You are going to be ready to cycle people up to the Weak Spot asap to nuke it down, as its the hardest part of the encounter. With one final heroism and potion we gave the boss everything we had and got a time of……. 12:42! Our first gold level challenge mode completed. The composition was Brewmaster Monk, Arcane Mage, Frost DK, Shadow Priest, Disc Priest.

Hot Tips:  Dot all the things and use your Void Shift macro and Hymn of Hope  at your discretion.

 

The Brawler’s Guild

The Brawler’s Guild is a new feature brought about by 5.1. One can attain an invite to the guild one of three ways; By winning a bid off the Black Market Auction House, By getting a drop off one of the three horde(or alliance) rares in Krasarang Wilds, or by having a friend give you a pass after they get to rank 7 with the guild. The Brawler’s Guild is a place for people to test their individual strength against a set of increasingly difficult challenges as they move up in the ranks.

 

As I descended down the deeprun tram, a rowdy hooligan had shouted at me: “YOU ARE ONLY AS GOOD AS YOUR FUCKING LEGPLATES!” And it had dawned on me that I didn’t even own a set of legplates to begin with.

As it starts out, the first few fights are about as difficult as one of the high level Pandaria rares, a bit of smart thinking and movement and you will progress to the next round. You can get some brawl specific potions from the quartermaster outside the ring, they cost 70 silver and can be used twice in a fight if used as a pre-pot. As you climb into rank 4 and 5, the fights start becoming noticeably harder, and you are going to need to use some creative thinking to further advance. By the time you get to rank 7 and 8 there are many elements now apart of the brawl, that you will have to keep track of 4 to 5 elements in order to survive. All fights in the Brawler’s Guild have a 2 minute berserk timer.

 

Because the brawling area is in a Cross-Realm zoning, you will be with multiple people at once, this is a good chance for you to group up and share buffs, to give yourself  (and others) the best possible chance to overcome the fight. Early on in the fights, your spec wont matter too much, as long at you keep dots rolling on the target. The biggest headache I (and most people) had was Battletron. Battletron received a health buff at now has 9.6M hp. It also spawns a set of 8 proximity mines around it, that will detonate for 75k damage each time a spell passes through one. This will create an opening which you can damage it through, but if Battletron drops below 5 proximity mines, it will re-create a brand new set. What this means is, you have to be able to do 82k dps, while being able to move around in the opening created by the mine explosions and heal yourself for the damage dealt to you. Abysmally hard. You will have to alter your spec some, in order to hit this timer before the arena fills with fire, instantly killing you. If you are just entering the Brawler’s Guild, try playing with this spec:

 

Tier 1: Psyfiend. The mobs will generally chew through the roots in 1 hit, while your psyfiend fearing mobs will allow so some time to cast some of your nukes, like Mind Blast and Mind Flay. And if you are feeling adventurous, try to MC one of your opponents, it might work!

Tier 2: Body and Soul. Using PW:Shield is a must, and with the speed increase, you should be able to get some distance to cast a nuke or dot when you aren’t tanking and need some recover time.

Tier 3: From Darkness, Comes Light. You are going to be moving a considerable amount on these fights, and getting a mind spike proc allows you to nuke on the run.

Tier 4: Desperate Prayer. While Angelic Bulwark has a shorter cooldown, it doesn’t absorb as much as the heal from DP, and you will only be able to use each once during a brawl.

Tier 5: (Shocker Alert). Divine Insight. As much as I have been an advocate for not using this talent, it shines a lot here, especially for the later rank when you need to dot and MOVE. The latter fights also have a lot more hp, so the amount of use you will get from ToF or PI is very, very small.

Tier 6: Halo. Same reasons as for challenge modes, high damage at long range that can be a difference maker on enrage fights.

 

You want to bring the same glyph setup and consumables to the Brawler’s Guild, but you can buy potions there instead of using the more expensive raid versions. Some tips for the Brawler’s guild:

- Let your Shadowfiend do some work! All of the mobs in the Brawler’s guild have a moderate threat table, so you can send your shadowfiend out and fade, allowing you to get off some nuke while your pet does the tanking.

- Don’t be afraid to take some hits. You are going to take some hits sooner or later, you can cast >>FIVE<< healing and absorb spells in Shadowform: Renew, PoM, Desperate Prayer, PW: Shield, and Vampiric Embrace. Take a few shots and show your opponents you can take what they can dish out. (Note: Fire still hurts, dont do it!)

 

There is nothing of overly incredible value that you can get from the Brawler’s Guild; A minipet and Rank 4, Heirloom First Weapons at Rank 8, and…..!

If you are dedicated enough to take on the rare Rank 8 challengers in combat, and are able to defeat one, you can get this swanky new (and permanent!) title!

The Hulk Hogan of Shadow Priests?

The Hulk Hogan of Shadow Priests?

Yes I did use the word SWANKY! That was in style in 2001, right? Anyways, if you are undertaking CMs or trying your solo prowess in the Brawler’s Guild, hopefully this helps out. Good luck!

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