Classic TBC? My Thoughts and Plans

Hey dudes, Silvite Soltis here. And today, I've got another quick thoughts post for you.

As I'm sure everyone is aware of at this point, Blizzard recently sent out a survey asking players which method of character progression they'd be most in favor of to transition from Classic to The Burning Crusade if they were to release TBC servers. The four options given were essentially:

1 - Your whole server progresses to TBC, but you can transfer off to stay capped at 60 vanilla.
2 - You start fresh at level 1 on a TBC server.
3 - You start fresh at level 58 on a TBC server.
4 - Your server stays capped at 60, but you can transfer off to progress into TBC content.

Obviously, options #1 and #4 are the most likely scenarios, with #4 being my personal preference, but the most important aspect of this survey isn't really HOW they plan to progress into TBC, but the fact that it's basically confirmed.

So, though we don't have an official announcement of a Burning Crusade rerelease quite yet, I thought it might be fun to just discuss some of my thoughts and plans for when it is eventually released...

What will I do?

Got'em!

So, since we don't know exactly when Classic TBC will come out, it's hard to say for certain what I'll do. Though I would very much like to clear Naxxramas, I can't say that I'm really devoted enough to farm out consumables, past tiers of raiding content, and progress through the raid every week. Blackwing Lair took my guild 7 weeks to clear, due to our condensed 1-night raiding schedule, and the prospect of trying to clear BWL, AQ and Naxx while also taking care of my work and family life does seem too be quite daunting.

7/8 of the only set I care about

So, basically, I think that I'll most likely jump over to Classic TBC immediately when it releases - whenever that is. I've completed two of my biggest Classic goals at this point - slaying Nefarian and obtaining Benediction - and the third and final one is within my reach (currently at 7/8 Prophecy with only the helm left to collect). Sure, it'd be nice to kill Kel'Thuzad and get decked out in full T3, but unless we've got a full year or so of Phase 6, it just isn't a feasible goal for me.

What will I roll?

Hello, New Main!

Throughout Classic thus far, my priest has been absolutely amazing. I can say that I've truly enjoyed everything about leveling as a Horde character, and learning how to properly heal the dungeons and raids of original WoW. That being said, I do feel that I missed out a lot of adventures with my family by not playing Alliance - which both of my brothers and my sister-in-law rolled. Plus, I did level multiple characters - both Alliance and Horde - up to 70 during the Burning Crusade back in the day (Priest, Warrior, Druid, and Mage). So I don't think I'm missing anything in terms of quests and storylines like I did in vanilla.

As such, I've got two options that I'm considering very heavily. If we get to copy/transfer our Classic characters, I'll be maining my dwarf protection paladin, as 1- tanks are always in high demand, 2 - he's already level 47, and 3 - I love playing it, even in Classic! However, if we do end up starting completely fresh, I'll definitely roll a draenei enhancement shaman, as it's another class I've learned to love through leveling one in Classic. I may go resto at level cap, as I do love healing, but since I've never mained a melee dps, I'd probably stick to enhancement if that ends up being the case. Still though, the paladin is my hope.

So...when do I think it will come out?

Though I've been thinking a lot about this since the survey came out a couple of days ago, I honestly don't think that Classic TBC will be out for a while. For starters, we're not even into phase 4 of Classic yet, meaning that we still have at least 7 full months left - assuming phases 4 through 6 last as long as phases 1 through 3 did (and phase 6 will probably be much longer). Moreover, the new expansion to retail - Shadowlands - is still set for a 2020 release as far as I'm aware. So since it wouldn't make much sense to release two big WoW subscription-drivers in the same year, I'm going to guess Classic TBC will release in mid-2021 - most likely in July or so. Though Blizzard seems to really enjoy their August releases in recent years, they have been pumping Classic out a bit faster than originally anticipated to meet the players' demand for more content. As such, I don't think we'll have a full two years of original Classic. But really, that's just speculation and only a select few in Blizzard know for sure.

Final Thoughts

Looking Forward to This Place Again

Obviously, all we have to go on right now is a survey that was only sent to a few people, but for me, that's enough. I'm still enjoying Classic a lot, but I am getting more and more hyped thinking about TBC with every passing hour. As a senior in high school back in the day, I played the hell out of it, but I was about 8 months late to the party - only really starting around August of 2007. So though I did get to raid through tier 4, and later tier 6 content on my shadow priest back when it was relevant, I skipped over tier 5 almost entirely due to the availability of catch-up gear. This time, I'm looking forward to doing everything, but as a different role. And even if my real life responsibilities keep me from doing that, at very least I know that I can do some Karazhan with my family every week. And that'll be a blast...

Anyway, that's it for today. If you enjoyed reading me ramble about my excitement for the most-likely upcoming TBC rerelease for Classic, let me know by leaving a comment down below! And if you'd like to see more content in the future, add yourself to my mailing list, or follow me on Facebook or Twitter while you're at it! Also, consider checking out my videos on YouTube for more Classic, and eventually TBC related content! Thanks a lot for reading, have an awesome day, and as always...

Take it easy!

Top 5 - Raid Bosses Currently in WoW Classic

Hey dudes, Silvite Soltis here. And today, I've got another top 5 post for your reading pleasure.

Since BWL has been out for over a month, and many guilds have handily slain Nefarian and his minions, I thought it might be a good time to look back on the foes we've faced thus far in Classic. As always, keep in mind that these are my opinions - based purely off my enjoyment of these encounters. As such, I'd love to know which of the currently available bosses are your favorite and why, so please leave a comment down below sharing yours!

But anyway, with that out of the way, let's get right into my Top 5 Raid Bosses Currently in WoW Classic:

#5 - Baron Geddon

Baron Geddon

Starting off our list is the 5th boss of Molten Core - the fire elemental known as Baron Geddon. Famous for wiping many a raid group back in the day with his ability Living Bomb, Baron Geddon is one of the fights I always look forward to when raiding Molten Core. Compared with the first four bosses in this raid, Baron has quite a few mechanics to be mindful of - Ignite Mana, the pulsing fire AoE, and, of course, Living Bomb to name a few. All of these pose a decent threat to an underprepared raid team, and I'm sure we've all seen that one raid member who starts running the wrong way with a skull over his head...

Sure, he doesn't drop the best loot - other than one of the bindings needed for Thunderfury - but the fight is engaging and entertaining, a reward in and of itself in my opinion. And that's why I put the Baron here at number 5.

#4 - Ragnaros

Ragnaros, the Firelord

Awakened too soon to fight our ready and waiting raid teams, Ragnaros the Firelord is an absolutely fantastic finish to the first raid of Classic. First off, there's a ton of lore surrounding this guy - enslaving dwarves, burning a giant chunk of the Eastern Kingdoms, and nomnoming on Thunderaan being some of my personal favorite tidbits. As a boss fight, however, he still packs quite a punch.

As anyone who has vanquished the Firelord will already know, the initial setup and preparation is what this encounter is all about. And though there are a few other encounters in MC where positioning are important (such as Baron and Garr), the Ragnaros fight takes it to an entirely new level. Spread out, hug a buddy, and be ready to get pingponged around by fire blasts which may or may not kill you, depending on if you used a fire potion. The unprepared will fall, but those who plan well ahead just might be rewarded with their tier 2 pants...

So yeah, he's got a pretty awesome fight...so long as you beat him before the submerge. And that's why I ranked him at number 4.

#3 - Broodlord Lashlayer

Broodlord Lashlayer

Alright, so Raggy is pretty awesome and I'm sure most people expected to see him on this list, but I doubt many expected to see this one. Immediately following the infamous Suppression Room, the third boss of Blackwing Lair stands waiting. Broodlord Lashlayer is an absolute beast of a boss for those who aren't ready - my raid team included. His aggro range is deceptively massive, which means many accidental pulls are made by raiders who have just barely finished the gauntlet.

Yeah, I've got some fun memories of our Suppression Room progression, but my favorite aspect of this fight isn't just the many facepulls, it's the mortal strike ability.

All too often as a priest healer, I simply need to spam Heal and Flash Heal, depending on the urgency. With Broodlord's Mortal Strike and the heavy tank damage, I get to make good use of Power Word: Shield for a change. With the constant tank swapping and lack of reliable timers, I can say I always really enjoy this fight when we get to it.

So yeah, this epic climax to the Suppression Room is my number 3.

#2 - Onyxia

Onyxia, the Broodmother

Whelps! Left side! Even side! Many whelps! Now, handle it! Without a doubt, Onyxia is one of the greatest and most iconic fights in all of WoW Classic. With an absolutely epic backstory (for Alliance anyway), 3 unique phases, and fantastic loot, the broodmother of the black dragonflight is an all-around amazing experience.

As a healing priest, there's not much to do for the first phase, but that swiftly changes once Onyxia takes off. Wanding to help dps, healing fireball damage, and, of course, watching out for deep breaths that kill half the raid are all things that keep me engaged during the fight. Of course, the most intense part of the fight is the transition from air to ground, when she needs to be picked back up and brought back into position. No matter how many times guilds do this, it always seems that a certain rogue or warrior starts opening up a bit too soon, only to get everyone else breathed on.

But once she falls, the feeling is incredible - watching every survivor scramble to the dragon's corpse to see if their tier 2 helm dropped is one of the staples of my raiding experience in Classic thus far. And though the fight is really very easy now with BWL out, I still enjoy doing it every week. For this reason, as well as the amazing Alliance attunement quest chain that leads to this phenomenal fight, I have to rank it as my number 2.

There's one boss that I believe trumps the Ony encounter, though. But before that, here are a few honorable, and dishonorable, mentions.

Honorable Mentions

Firemaw - Though he eats your raid initially, it's fun learning the different ways to position him.
Gehennas - He's a loot pinata, but one with some minor awareness of Rain of Fire that keeps you on your toes.

Chromaggus - A big bad dragon doggo with lots of unique mechanics.

Dishonorable Mentions

Razorgore - This fight is too long and frustrating to be a first boss of a raid. Also, biased because it took us like 14 attempts to down him the first time...
Shazzrah - Just hate this guy with his damn insta-gib arcane explosions right after teleporting. Never seen a 'clean' kill.

#1 - Nefarian

Nefarian, Lord of Blackrock

And at number 1, I've put the Lord of Blackrock himself. The son of Deathwing, brother of Onyxia - Nefarian.

As a character in the lore, this guy is legit - experimenting on dragons, enslaving orcs, and generally just being a badass are all great reasons to love, or hate, him. And as a boss, he's no joke either.

Nefarian is the final boss of Blackwing Lair, currently the most difficult raid available in Classic. With so many tough encounters in BWL, getting to him is hard enough as it is, but his fight is yet another challenge. Initially, you need to kill a bunch of his lackies - simple drakonids that come in a rainbow of colors. When he reveals his dragon form, however, you're in for the fight of your life.

Nefarian has a shadowflame ability, which requires all raiders to have their Onyxia Scale Cloaks equipped to avoid, which is an interesting quirk of this boss - you have to kill his sister in order to be able to take him down yourselves. In addition, he's got class call abilities - a different one for every class in Classic - that he periodically casts throughout the fight. Mages turn into giraffes, priests damage their healing targets, etc. This means that every week, the fight will be slightly different. But my favorite part about this fight isn't the calls' mechanics, but the actual calls themselves...

He taunts you when he uses them:
"Priests! If you're going to keep healing like that, we might as well make it a little more interesting!"
"Hunters and your annoying pea-shooters!"
"Warriors, I know you can hit harder than that! Lets see it!"

But, of course, the best part of any boss fight isn't the fight itself - it's the loot. And Nefarian has got some of the most amazing items in the game - Ashkandi, Neltharion's Tear, and of course, the tier 2 chestpieces. No matter what class you play, you definitely want to beat this bad boy.

As you all probably know, I never actually raided back in Vanilla. And though I did face off Nefarian back in early 2014 on a private server, I've always wanted to officially defeat him. Now that Classic's out, and my raid team is progressing through BWL, I know that I've got my chance again. This time, for sure, I'll defeat this big baddie - and achieve the final of my Classic goals!

(And just in case you're asking: no, I haven't beaten him yet.)

Final Thoughts

So, there you have it - my top 5 raid bosses currently in Classic. While I listed quite a few here, I will say that I think all of the raid bosses in Classic have their own special place in my heart - even those dishonorable mentions I threw in there. That being said, these 5 are definitely my favorites, whether it be for lore reasons, mechanics specifically tailored to me playing a priest, or aesthetics. If you thought I should've included a different boss, or have your own top 5 bosses list, let me know by leaving a comment down below. I'd love to hear your reasons.

But anyway, that's it for today. If you liked this post or found it interesting, feel free to follow my blog by adding yourself to my email list. Alternatively, you can follow me on Facebook and Twitter for updates when I create additional content here, or over on YouTube. In any case, thanks for reading, have an awesome day, good luck beating those bosses. And as always...

Take it easy!

Gear Your Enhancement Shaman FAST! A simplified, Anti-RNG gearing guide

Hey dudes, Silvite Soltis here. And today, I've got another guide for you!

With phase 3 well underway, and phase 4 recently announced, I thought it might be a good idea to pump another 'Get Geared FAST' guide out. After all, this new phase will bring ZG and a lot of catch up gear along with it, so you should make sure to be ready to step in as soon as possible, right?

Anyway, as we've covered a lot of different classes already, and since I want to celebrate recently hitting level 40 on my favorite alt, today we're going to look at how to gear up your Enhancement Shaman, FAST!

Let's get into it...

Priority Dungeons (and their quests)

Before discussing any RNG-free items that you can work on, it's worth noting that there are several dungeons that enhancement shamans should focus on running for attunements, quest rewards, and, of course, amazing drops. That being said, be mindful of important quests as you run the following dungeons before, and at, level 60...

First off, you should do BRD for your MC Attunement, Princess quest chain, and the quest A Taste of Flame. While there, keep an eye out for amazing items such as Hand of Justice and Dreadforge Retaliator as well.

Upon reaching level 58 or so, you should run LBRS at least once in order to knock out the first portion of the Onyxia attunement, as well as the quest The Pack Mistress, which awards a decent chest. There are a few nice drops in there, but nothing really worth repeating the dungeon for once your attunement is out of the way, in my opinion. Before choosing a quest reward from this quest, however, decide whether you will try to pick up the Devilsaur set, as you could pick up a nice leather belt OR gloves with a solid 2% hit, but little else.

Anyway, after wrapping up LBRS, you'll need to do UBRS three times as part of the Onyxia attunement as well. So, while you're in there, watch out for great drops such as the Truestrike Shoulders, Eye of Rend, and more. Also, remember to pick up the quest The Drakestone Tablet before running this dungeon so that you can pick up the Swiftfoot Treads as well, if you haven't gotten better boots by this point that is!

And finally, depending on what you got while completing those attunements (which should be your first priority at 60), you may want to hit up DM West, if only to complete the quest The Madness Within if you find yourself needing a nice helm or weapon. But we'll get more into that as we discuss the anti-RNG slots...

Guaranteed Items for Specific Slots

Just a quick note - in order to keep this list simple (and a bit shorter), I will only include what I feel are the best items that are guaranteed for any given slot that can be obtained via crafting or a quest. As such, expect only 1-3 options per slot!

Head

It's pretty easy to ensure you get a good helm. As I just said, you can pick up the Backwood Helm from the short DM West quest chain The Madness Within. If you'd rather take the weapon from this quest, though, you can always look for the BoE Tattered Leather Hood on the auction house, which is an excellent helm due to its +hit.

Neck

There are a bunch of solid necks you can obtain from quests as a Classic enhancement shaman, but the one you'll definitely want to pick up if you never plan on healing is the Mark of Fordring from Tirion Fordring's quest chain in the Plaguelands. If you would rather grab Fording's Seal for healing, however, you could make do with the Amulet of the Darkmoon instead, a reward from the Darkmoon Faire.

And though we're still in phase 3 currently, the upcoming phase 4 is slated to bring with it the BoE neck Abyssal War Beads, so if you're capping in phase 4 and want to try for that instead, it should be another option for you to explore.

Shoulders

For shoulders, you're definitely going to want to get the Truestrike Mantle from the first boss of UBRS. But, if you just can't seem to win it, the Wyrmhide Spaulders from the BRD quest A Taste of Flame will definitely go a long way to helping your DPS. However, if you are, or know, a leatherworker, you could also start working on the Black Dragonscale Shoulders as well - part of a set with amazing dps bonuses for you to enjoy. The pieces of this set are quite costly to craft, though, so be warned.

Back

Now, there aren't many great cloaks for enhancement shamans that can be obtained completely RNG free. That being said, the Deep River Cloak from the quest Strange Sources in Winterspring (chain starts with Finding the Source in Un'Goro) is definitely an option. Alternatively, you can check the auction house for a BoE green with better stats, but that's about all there is for capes...

Chest

There are a couple of decent green quality chests that you can obtain via quests on your shaman. First off, the Traphook Jerkin is a reward from the LBRS quest The Pack Mistress and should be obtained while you're working on your Onyxia attunement quest. If you prefer mail, though, you can also grab the Vest of the Den Watcher from the quest Winterfall Activity in Winterspring.

However, both of these pale in comparison to the Black Dragonscale Breastplate, which has a whopping +50 attack power and great set bonuses. Considering the cost of crafting this bad boy, though, it's unlikely that you'll get this very fast...

Wrists

For wrists, there are several BoE options, including the Lordly Armguards and dungeon set bracers for various classes. However, as prices for these items vary, you may consider just picking up the Crypt Demon Bracers from the BRD quest Disharmony of Fire. Since this quest is a prerequisite to the quest awarding Wyrmhide Spaulders, it's pretty much guaranteed that you'll have them already though, so consider dropping some gold on a BoE upgrade.

Hands

Alright for hands, there's really only two options you should consider as an enhancement shaman trying to gear up fast - the BoE Devilsaur Gauntlets, which are pricey to craft but are great when combined with the Leggings, and the Ony attunement quest reward Voone's Vice Grips, which offer 2% hit by themselves. Choose wisely.

But if you're cheap and don't want the hit for some reason, dungeon set gloves are typically up on the auction house for 3-6 gold a pop, so...yeah...that's another option I guess...

Waist

Ok now that we're finally on belts, we can talk about this one. There's only one guaranteed quest reward that's halfway decent for enhancement shammies - Vosh'Gajin's Strand from the quest  Warlord's Command. However, if you decide to go with the vastly superior Voone's Vice Grips as your reward from that quest, you can pick up a dungeon set belt from the auction house, or have a blacksmith craft a Heavy Timbermaw Belt for you.

Legs

For legs, as you'd probably expect, there are a few BoE options: including the crafted Devilsaur Leggings I've mentioned a few times already, the Black Dragonscale Leggings, and the Plaguehound Leggings I described in my guide for feral tanks. In terms of quest rewards, though, the only decent option are the Outrider Leggings from the Lar'Korwi quest chain in Un'Goro Crater. So basically, quest in Un'Goro while leveling, then work on crafting something better at level cap.

Feet

For boots, you'll probably want to work toward crafting the Black Dragonscale Boots, but since the materials are quite pricey, the Swiftfoot Treads are a decent option that's awarded by simply doing an UBRS quest. Really, those are pretty much the only two guaranteed boots worth working on for an enhancement shaman though, so good luck with drops.

Fingers

There are a number of decent rings that your enhancement shaman can use. First off, you can snag Thrall's Resolve from the quest The Princess Saved? while you're running BRD, but this is pretty terrible when compared to the Alliance's counterpart, so you might be better off grabbing the spellpower option instead for when you need to heal.

So, instead of that one, you should focus on getting two rings while leveling up. First off, make sure to complete Zul'Farrak's Divino-matic Rod quest to obtain a Masons Fraternity Ring, which has high agility and will start you off right. Then, be sure to complete the quest Bone-Bladed Weapons to obtain a White Bone Band while you're leveling in Un'Goro Crater.

Other than those quest rewards, there are two BoE rings you can keep an eye out for as well: the Innervating Band, and Myrmidon's Signet. Both of these are very powerful, but also very expensive, so you may be better off buying a Tarnished Elven Ring from one of the many Tribute runners instead (or tribute runs yourself), depending on your budget.

And finally, even though I've already mentioned way more rings than I probably should have, there is one more that's guaranteed that you MIGHT be interested in, if you're into PVP - Don Julio's Band which is a reputation reward for reaching exalted with the Frostwolf Clan. Now, this won't be fast by any means, but it IS guaranteed and amazing, so just keep it in mind.

Trinkets

There are two trinket quest rewards you should get as an enhancement shaman. First off, make sure to collect the Rune of the Guard Captain from the  Hinterlands quest, Job Opening: Guard Captain of Revantusk Village. Also, after completing the first UBRS run for your Onyxia attunement, you'll want to take Blackhand's Breadth from the quest For the Horde!. You'll lose out on Eye of the Beast, but if you stick to melee, it shouldn't bother you too much.

Yeah, shammy trinkets are easy.

Weapon

Alright, the last stop - your weapon. There are a few options here...

First off, if you're into PVP and have want to grind AV rep to exalted, you can get The Unstoppable Force, which is great and guaranteed, but definitely not going to come fast with hour+ queue times. So, instead, you can snag the mace Bonecrusher from the DM West quest The Madness Within if you don't need the helm reward. If neither of those suits your needs, however, you can always pick up a Twig of the World Tree or Lord Alexander's Battle Axe from the auction house.

But, if you want to grind out mats instead, the best crafted weapons for enhancement shamans will most definitely be the Arcanite Reaper or Nightfall. The former is better for your individual character, but the latter is what enhancement shamans are brought to raids for (both of those, however, are very pricey and you may find that in order to Get Geared FAST, you'll just default to buying a BoE from the auction house instead).

Final Thoughts

Thanks for reading this guide, and good luck with gearing up your enhancement shaman! As always, this guide is not exhaustive, and there's many other ways to collect gear - dungeon drops, BoE greens on the auction house, and more. But assuming you just want to get geared well enough as fast as possible without relying on RNGeesus, this should suit you just fine. 

Anyway, that's it for today. If you liked this guide, found it useful, or have anything to add that you think I might've missed, let me know by leaving a comment down below! Follow me on Facebook and Twitter for updates on new content, and check out my videos over on YouTube if you prefer multimedia content instead! Thanks again for reading, good luck with gearing, and as always...

Take it easy!