The patch is coming, we are all doomed!
Check out the trailer here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pSbEr5ar0Zo – we’re going to be heroes again. It’s about time, ain’t it? And there’s an older video as well, not that good, but still nice - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mlIonr1mU1o
This is a post I compiled for our guild forums, but I think it may be of some use here as well. Since it’s a bit long, check the changes after the read more link!
Changes in 3.1
Here’s a list of changes that deal with our class. You can read the full changes on MMO-Champion here: http://www.mmo-champion.com/index.php?topic=49149.0
- Deadly Poison: The amount of damage this poison generates from the rogue’s attack power has been increased from 8% per application to 12%.
- Deadly Throw: Missile speed increased.
- Instant Poison: Redesigned to have its chance to be applied based on the speed of the weapon (frequency-based).
- Shiv: This ability can no longer generate a critical strike, and the poisons it applies cannot be critical strikes either.
- Tricks of the Trade: Will now begin following the first damaging attack.
- Wound Poison: Redesigned to have its chance to be applied based on the speed of the weapon (frequency-based).
Assassination
- Hunger For Blood: No longer stacks. Damage bonus changed to 15% for a single application. Requires a bleed effect active on the rogue’s target. No longer removes bleeds from the rogue. Now costs 15 energy and lasts for 60 seconds.
- Master Poisoner: Now also increases the bonus to apply Deadly Poison when Envenom is used by an additional 15/30/45%.
Combat
- Adrenaline Rush cooldown reduced to 3 minutes.
- Killing Spree: Now also increases all damage done by the rogue while active by 20%.
- Savage Combat improved to 2/4% increased damage against poisoned targets.
- Lightning Reflexes reduced to 3 ranks for 2/4/6% dodge and 4/7/10% melee haste.
Subtlety
- Shadow Dance now opens a new action bar when used.
- Master of Subtlety: The amount of time remaining on the damage bonus for this talent is now displayed.
Glyph changes
- Glyph of Adrenaline Rush: Now increases duration by 5 seconds.
- Glyph of Backstab: Now increases remaining duration on Rupture by 2 seconds each time it is used, up to a maximum of 6 seconds.
- Glyph of Cloak of Shadows: While Cloak of Shadows is active, you take 40% less physical damage.
- Glyph of Crippling Poison: Poison chance bonus increased to 20%.
- Glyph of Deadly Throw: Increases the movement reduction by 10%.
- Glyph of Fan of Knives: Increases the damage done by Fan of Knives by 20%.
- Glyph of Hunger for Blood: Increases the bonus damage from Hunger for Blood by 3%.
- Glyph of Killing Spree: Reduces the cooldown on Killing Spree by 45 seconds.
- Glyph of Mutilate: Reduces the cost of Mutilate by 5 energy.
- Glyph of Pick Lock: Now reduces cast time by 100%.
- Glyph of Sap: Increases duration by 20 seconds.
- Glyph of Shadow Dance: Increases the duration of Shadow Dance by 4 seconds.
- Glyph of Sprint: No longer reduces the duration.
- Glyph of Tricks of the Trade: Your Tricks of the Trade grants an additional 10% bonus damage to your target.
Items and various stuff
- Players level 40 and higher will now be able to visit their trainer to pay a one-time fee and access the dual talent specialization feature.
- Armor Penetration Rating: All classes now receive 25% more benefit from Armor Penetration Rating.
- All flasks now last 1 hour. To compensate, all flask recipes will provide 2 flasks for the same material cost.
- Northrend flasks will be converted to mixtures. This includes the Flask of Stoneblood, Flask of Pure Mojo, Flask of Endless Rage, and Flask of the Frost Wyrm. Mixtures can create 2 flasks of the corresponding type. This allows players who stockpiled Northrend flasks to convert them to the new system without any loss.
- Due to significant talent tree revisions, all players will have their talent points reimbursed. Several new spells and abilities have been added for select classes. Players will need to visit their class trainer to learn new spells.
New talent specs
With the addition of the dual spec system, it’s not a bad idea to combine some useful specs in one place with the changes. So, there we go.
Combat
One of these three (weapon specs can be obviously changed from CQC to Sword spec if you like). Less filler points (down to 1) is welcome – unless you wanted to have two weapon specializations. Then you’re screwed, as Blizzard devs don’t like that.
Glyphs: Slice and Dice (could be replaced by Killing Spree or Adrenaline Rush), Sinister Strike, Rupture
Assasination
Not many changes here as well – just take Master Poisoner instead of Turn the Tables.
Glyphs: Hunger for Blood, Mutilate, Rupture. Note that the HfB glyph is from the random dropped recipes and might not be availaible to you for now. The Mutilate one is learned from the trainer, though.
Subtlety
Even though it’s theoretically the best dps one, you might not want to have that as your primary spec, as it is extremely annoying everywhere outside a perfectly stacked raid group.
Glyphs: Eviscerate, SnD, Rupture
Other things you might want to check out
Prepare for the patch! Here’s a bunch of other info that might help you.
Instance guides
Check out the boss guides at StratFu – there are strats, videos and all things there, including a map of the instance so nobody gets lost.
Gear from Ulduar
As usual, ShadowPanther.net is getting updated with the new gear. There’s a big loot list on MMO-Champion as well. Unfortunately none of this is the whole item list, as the PTR didn’t have all the bosses, so expect both of the resources to be updated on the way.
Consumables
Do not show up in a raid without a flask (flasks are preferred, since you will die. A lot.) and a food buff (using feasts set up by your friendly dwarves is fine, but expect us to randomly “forget” to do that, in order to check if you have your own). We may slack in Naxx without them, but that will not be an acceptable behavior in Ulduar. As well, do have your own poison supplies (including Anesthetic Poison), be repaired and all that stuff. Bandages and healing potions included.
The above might not be fully true for you, my dear reader, as you might miss a friendly dwarf to randomly “forget” putting down feasts, but I decided to leave that here anyway. You still should use consumables, though.
Addons
Update them, especially Omen and Big Wigs/Deadly Boss Mods – you don’t want to be left without them before the instance’s entrance, do you?
Don’t forget that the WoWMatrix application is broken right now, and both the Curse client and WoW Interface addon manager are not really comparable to WM, so be prepared to downloading all the addons from the websites by hand.
Popularity: 40% [?]
