Patch 3.3 and Paladin T10 Comments

Posted by Firespirit on October 21, 2009 · 3 Comments 

Icecrown is coming up fast, and while I don’t expect it to drop anytime soon (probably after a few weeks of encounter testing), we paladins have only a bit to work with.  So lets take a look at what we know, and go from there:

First off, Ret Libram:

Your Crusader Strike grants 44 strength for 15 seconds.  Stacks up to 5 times.

So, we have this new theme, starting with the last major content patch, that ret is supposed to have a ramp up time for maximum DPS.  This libram certainly reflects this.  If you do the hard math, at full stacks, it is 220 strength, which is an upgrade.  But its going to take you a while to get up there.  Where as the T9 libram was a chance to proc, this one will be 100% uptime when you do get it rolling.   This is a *slight* upgrade to the T9 libram.

Ret Set Bonuses:

2 piece bonus:  Your melee attacks have a 44% chance to reset the timer on your Divine Storm.

4 piece bonus:  Your Seals and Judgements deal 10% additional damage.

Let me first comment on the 4 piece.  Its a straight, to the point, damage bonus.  Nothing tricky, not a proc.  Just straight DPS increase.  I’ll take it, but I’d really liked to have something more interesting, like….

The 2 peice set bonus has be excited.  Its going to force more people out of the faceroll rotation, and more into the skill of “what is my highest priority?”  It has the potential to be mana draining, but honestly, I don’t think that is going to be a problem.  I am currently mana static in PvE, I have no glyphs for mana regen, only taking what skills blizz has given me, and I never, ever run out of mana.  Hell, most times, I’m not below 50%.  If a bit of mana management comes with this bonus, I’m really ok with that.  It adds a little spark to the ret rotation.  Plus, who doesn’t like the DS animation? 🙂

Finally, the Tier art was just released today.

Now, before I show the pic, let me just say that, if this is indeed the Tier art for paladins, Blizz just doesn’t get us paladins.  We are crusaders of light, champions of all things holy.  And we get…

Pally T10 Artwork, Courtesy MMO-Champion

Lava shoulders, and demon helms.  I get that we are going to assault the lich king.  I get it.  Anything is going to have an evil twinge coming from him.  But really…. LAVA?

The really sad part of the matter is that I recently travelled up to AV – the actual instance portal in Alterac, you know, long forgotten up there above southshore and tarren mill?  I was going to get my AV charger (and I was 10 tokens short, GRRRRR), and I saw a paladin in full garb PvP “Superior” set (Leutennant Commander’s Redoubt) – you know the one with the eagle on the shoulders?  I was thinking, wow, wouldn’t that make a nice set.  After looking at the requirements, I might just actually farm it out.  I know it is old school (like, really old school), but it actually visually looks like a paladin should be wearing it.  Not the garbage above.  Come on, LAVA??!?!!?  For all of the fantastic artwork blizz has done for paladins in the past, I am really beginning to feel like they just don’t get it when it comes to paladin artwork anymore.  How does LAVA represent a champion for the light?  Honestly, though, this set just feels like a rehash of T8 with the style and look of it.  Plus, what is up with the pink jawline?  I think there was an unfinished model that was let into the latest patch to the PTR, lets just hope that ALL of T10 for paladins was.  I mean, come on, LAVA?!?!?!  *retires in exhaustion*

Ohh, well.  Here is to cataclysm.  Maybe they will return to the roots, and do something Judgement like.

Filed under If I had my way...., Incoming Changes, The Art of Wow