Beta, here I come

So, despite the fact that I actually gave up hoping I would get beta access, I participated in another of these little contests all over the internet.

Easy task: Count the zones that will be available in Azeroth (not including Northrend) in Cataclysm.

To whoever is interested: there will be 56 zones.

I answered right and I actually WON.

I was kinda speechless when I checked there today and saw that. However, as it would obviously be too easy to let me win and then give me my key without complications, their mailserver didn't work too well today.

Which means I have to wait a day longer. Which kinda sucks now that I know I COULD download the beta client, patch and then start testing.

Well. Patience was never one of my good traits.

This will be lots of fun.

So, I just had the chance to pay the PTR a visit with my priest.

Just one word. Amazing.

In comparison to the current patch, I gained 10k health, a little more than 20k mana, almost 900 spellpower and about twice the mana regen.

Mind you, that is before buffs. 

I like how archangel looks, the wings are cute. I will probably be a little sloppy with healing a day or two until I get used to how I am supposed to heal now... especially because my all around spell has a cast time of 2,5 seconds, which is a bit much if you got Flash Heal down to 1 second and practiced GCD spamming. Strength of Soul seems like an interesting talent. I kinda like reducing the weakened soul debuff.

I really like the change to lifeblood, finally some use for herbalism in a raid environment. I never hit the button as of now, I imagine that will change. 240 haste is a lot.

I honestly imagine Blizzard will take out the nerfbat on healer soon. I can't imagine that mana will be a problem before the expansion is released, it even seems that it will become even less of an issue than it is now.

My in combat regen is actually high enough to keep spamming Heal all day if I want to. With Manaspring / Blessing of Might (new version) and replenishment and rapture I'll probably get more mana back than I could possibly spend.

I'll probably take this spec here on level 80

http://cata.wowhead.com/talent#bfMkGoshfodcZ0b

und upgrade that to this one in the progress of reaching level 85

http://cata.wowhead.com/talent#bfMkGoshfodf0RZ0b

Gay night elves; thoughts about Beta and PTR; Twinkraid?

First things first, I attempt to start a longer RP-Story with a friend and I created an additional blog for that.

It's a story about two night elves, Druid and Warrior.
Short summary:
Tandral, the warrior was trapped inside Ahn'Qiraj for the last ten centuries. As the doors were opened again, he was freed from the will of C'thun and brought to Dolanaar to recover.
Kilean is a ambitious druid and was Tandral's partner long ago. He still loves him and would do anything for him.
Shortly after Tandral is brought to Dolanaar, Kilean hears news of the arrival of an injured elf, of which they say he was mad and brought here from Silithus.
At first, he does not believe it - but curiosity gets the better of him.
As they meet Kilean is in shock. His love actually still lives. However the warrior has lost all his memories. What will become of them now?

Yes. THEY ARE GAY. Live with it. Anyone who's interested in reading what develops in that RP is welcome to go over to
http://kileantandral.blogspot.com/
and read. I wrote an introduction, more is soon to follow when we get started.
As a sidenote I actually write this RP in German, so I'm sorry for any (if there are!) english readers that I have to disappoint like this.
Whoever does not want to read it / does not like gays - KEEP OUT. You were warned. Don't complain. I'll just delete your comments in that case anyway.

MOVING ON.
I am not in the Beta, and I am slowly abandoning hope I will actually get access to this one before the expansion ships. However as 4.0 is being tested on the PTR currently, I snuck over there to get a glimpse of what's to come on my own. (I devour TotalBiscuit's videos as well as the ones from Yogscast, so I have a good guess of what's going on in Beta.)

Now, charactercopy is NOT working at all in EU PTR at the moment so I am yet again cursed to not being able to test the changes with my priest.
I began leveling a druid out of absolute boredom.
I like the new spellbook, I like the talent trees, I really like cat form at level 8.

I don't like the current numbers. I for one am a strange person - the higher my level, the less ambition I have for pvp. I love PvP at lower level ranges, the 10-19 bracket especially and I leveled char till twenty through pvp, deleted him and started anew several times already.
Lower level PvP is absolutely broken right now.
Everyone oneshots everyone. The numbers are RIDICULOUS.
Well I guess, numbers are not final applies here. At least I hope so.

I will probably test the new glyph interface as soon as I get my 80s over there (if ever.)

TOPIC CHANGE YET AGAIN.

Like everything else, terms in world of warcraft are sometimes subject to personal interpretation and definition.
So.
How do I define an alt-raid (Twinkraid, in German).
For me that is supposed to be a raid with known participants - in a different role, however.
Nevertheless, they KNOW the fights and are probably still performing better than your average trade pug.

As such, I differentiate between "acceptable mistakes" and "what the hell are you DOING?"

For example.
Being inexperienced as a tank and therefore not performing a good job on Keleseth with collecting dark nuclei - completely acceptable.
Waiting for the first dark nucleus to spawn and not tanking Keleseth at all while watching how the other tank is literally torn apart - not so much.

We have to tell basics apart from encounterspecific tactics.
Building up aggro on a mob you are assigned to is part of the basics - running around after that is done and collecting shadow orbs is encounterspecific.
Now. Knowing the encounter from another perspective makes you more likely to not totally screw up IF you master the basics.

Another example is Sindragosa.
Not being able to turn her around masterfully on your first time tanking - fine. I was not doing any better.
Not turning her at all, obliterating almost half the raid on the first frost breath? What the hell were you doing?

I know this might sound like hatespeech to the persons involved, but keep in mind - it is not.
You could also take it as advice. Study the basics! Different roles have different views of the fight - however you should use that to your advantage!
A healer generally has the best overview of boss abilities, encounter tactics and what's happening when. We have to, because we are supposed to counter this abilities to make sure our raid survives.

Don't tunnelvision. Try to envision yourself in the role of other people in your raid and you might be able to adjust the tactics to best fit YOUR group.
That can not be done if you only know one perspective of the fight.
This is especially important as a raid leader.

Aside from that I am now aware how horrendously I suck at Valithria Dreamwalker inside the Dream.
Whoever has thought of that insanity? I demand that he be punished.

Great raid!

After the three week summer break of Caladon, we did a full assault on the evils that lurk in Icecrown Citadel and all I have to say is...

WOW!

That was a great great great raid, we stormed through previous bosses like they were on normal, not heroic, and then after a few tries the Blood Princes bit the dust. It was a close kill actually with some very scary almost-tank-deaths, but we managed to score yourselves another bosskill.

Which is great. We did a few tries on Valithria after that as well and I was positively surprised.

I was a little bit sceptical, because Sucara, our holy paladin was not attending raid today. We were a three-healer setup as usual, Feuerblatt/Druid, Elementon/Shaman and me/Discipline.

I was sceptic. Especially concerning healing the group, which I usually do - and successfully did on heroic before - alone. Well, the last two weeks with Ritter der Apocalypse made me doubt my own skills as well as the group's on that boss.

It went so smootly. Adds were quickly killed, none or almost none frostbolt volleys were uninterrupted, Blazing Skeletons often died without even beginning to cast Lay Waste.

We are on 9/12 hardmodes.

Only Professor and Sindragosa remain. 

I honestly see enough potential here again to get these bosses down if we keep up the perfomance from tonight. 

Score me another 310% drake, Caladon. That's an order! :D