The last spec to talk about for the Shaman class in arena play is the Elemental Shaman, aka master of burst. The Elemental Shaman when BC came out was perhaps the least preferred spec for most Shamans when it came to BG and PvP in general, and a large reason for this was the lack of gear for it. With the introduction of countless pieces of mail spell damage gear, the Elemental Shaman has grown into one of the most valuable class/spec combos in competitive 5v5 arena play. The “cookie-cutter” lineup, or most popular, consists of Paladin/Priest/Mage/Warrior/Ele Shaman. This 2.5 healer lineup has developed into a very strong team and the Shaman is the backbone of it. Being able to burst damage when needed, and to spot heal when needed are huge assets this spec brings and there is no reason for this breed to die out in Arena play anytime soon.

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Tags: Shaman · Articles

Patch 2.2 just dropped just this week and now all the talk is about 2.3. Well get ready, because of the delay with 2.2, Blizzard has promised that 2.3 will be coming out sooner than most patches. And per blue, the changes you’ve seen posted have already gone through Blizzard’s internal testing and will be ready for the PTR shortly.

For PvP there are some pretty major class balance changes. A lot of these changes were hinted at during Blizzcon’s PvP panel, and they will have a big impact on the current play in all brackets (2v2, 3v3, 5v5).

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Tags: News

Although, many players may believe that the Paladin class is a powerhouse in terms of raw healing and efficiency (which, I completely agree upon), Arena certainly does put a spin on this — having both its positives and negatives. As a Paladin myself, I do recognize the potential of this class in Arena; but, at the same time, realize it’s not going to be the definitive, best healer in the game.

Other healer classes, such as priests and druids, are able to provide other forms of support (Cyclone, Manaburn, heals over time… etc), which Paladins, obviously, cannot. Does this mean that the Paladin class is at a disadvantage in Arena to these other healers? Not necessarily. Paladins are a very versatile class with skills and tricks, just as notable as other healers are. Read More

Tags: Paladin · 5v5 · 2v2 · Articles

Today’s topic is the dreaded Warrior. Being very strong when paired with a healer, Warrior teams has dominated Season 1 Arena for the most part. However, nowadays with better gear, many DPS classes can now last quite some time without any healing. This has opened up room for 2 DPS teams to overrun Warrior and healer teams through raw damage.

With that in mind, Warrior and healer teams are still the hardest match ups for Rogue and Holy Priest. In order to overcome these odds, we have to first understand why Warrior is such a tough enemy for the Rogue. Read More

Tags: Rogue · 2v2 · Articles

Does this mean anything to you?

No? Good. Me either. This, my friends, is the new arena points formula that Blizzard unveiled with the patch. Not sure what was wrong with the old formula, but I’m gonna go ahead and trust Blizzard on this one — I get enough of a workout playing Brain Age 2 on my DS.

Thankfully, the 2v2 and 3v3 adjustments are a little less cryptic. Here are the new percentages:

2v2 teams earn 76% of the points of a 5v5 team with the same rating
3v3 teams earn 88% of the points of a 5v5 team with the same rating

Oh, and if you are looking for a points calcuator with all the new numbers, take a look at the Armory’s new Arena Calculator page. In addition to the standard points calculator, they’ve also added some nifty toys. Check it out:

http://www.wowarmory.com/arena-calculator.xml

Tags: News