From melodie@pasdespam.chezmoi Fri Jan 20 13:00:17 2006 Path: nntp.init7.net!solnet.ch!solnet.ch!proxad.net!infeed-1.proxad.net!news13-e.free.fr!not-for-mail Date: Fri, 20 Jan 2006 12:47:28 +0100 From: Mel User-Agent: Mozilla Thunderbird 1.0.6 (Windows/20050716) X-Accept-Language: fr, en MIME-Version: 1.0 Newsgroups: alt.games.warcraft Subject: WOW FAQ 20/01/06 & request for a new faq poster Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Lines: 472 Message-ID: <43d0cdff$0$15013$626a14ce@news.free.fr> Organization: Guest of ProXad - France NNTP-Posting-Date: 20 Jan 2006 12:48:16 MET NNTP-Posting-Host: 82.235.148.226 X-Trace: 1137757696 news13-e.free.fr 15013 82.235.148.226:1874 X-Complaints-To: abuse@proxad.net Xref: nntp.init7.net alt.games.warcraft:25935 Real Life has caught up to me, and my WoW account expires on the 6th=20 F=E9bruary, 361 days after we opened it. My boyfriend stoped playing 3=20 weeks ago, and since then has become jealouse of my pc and the time I=20 spend in front of it, so I have decided to put my Mage and her=20 adventures on pause. Maybe I'll come back, when Monsieur finds another=20 hobby as time consuming as WoW :-) My mage will be going out with a nice little scenario that I am working=20 out in my head at the moment (couldn't do less for an RP server!) and=20 I'll post the link here, even if only Babe will be able to read it. Anyway, this aside to let you know that I won't be posting the FAQ=20 anymore - any volonteers to keep it going? (Urbin? hint hint). Below is=20 the last update, with Urbins suggested additions. Xaexa; flirty-sulky Undead mage on Kirin Tor RP PVE server (FR) **below are real answers to real questions, 0 quality control, if the answer isn't good enough, re-ask! ** and don't forget to post your contributios to this FAQ, I'll add them for next weeks re-posting. If I've used one of your posts and you want me to take it out of this faq, just ask. **if you have a question about the location of an NPC, quest series, an object or piece of armour, weapon etc, go to www.thottbot.com THOTTBOT IS YOUR FRIEND *#1 broken and #7 partially incorrect since patch 1.9 - anyone who can=20 update these correctly gets a /kiss from an UD Mage.* 1 Joining a chat from another zone 2 Moving characters between accounts 3 How does enchanting work? 4 Autobuffing Mod? 5 How do I get new abilities to train my pet? 6 How do I use my wand ???? 7 +damage on spells 8 learning pvp 9 lag (lengthy) 10 common acronyms for place names (ubrs? TB?...) 11 Warlock leveling build suggestion 12 Shadow priest leveling build suggestion 13 Chat types (/s /p /g...) 14 Endgame and High Level Instances 1 ****Joining a chat from another zone Anyway, the trick is as follows: - leave the chat zone that you want to join (ie if it's Orgrimmar, leave Orgrimmar first, go to UC or elsewhere) - Remember the *exact* name of the channel you want to join, it shows when you enter or leave the zone - Hovering the chat frame will make tabs visible, by default general and combat - Right clicking the general tab gives you a menu, somewhere in there is Join Channel (do not use /join blabla this will not work) - Enter the name of the channel -> eg: LookingForGroup - Orgrimmar - it will show a message in your chatlog stating Joined [X. LookingForGroup - Orgrimmar] - The channel will show in your chatlog, use /X to chat in it More chat info here: http://www.wowwiki.com/Chat 2 ***Moving characters between accounts Blizzard has said they intend to provide this in the future. No even remote date has been given though. There will be a fee to do this, I would imagine it will be a substantial one in the $50-$100 range but that's just my guess. There will also be a limit on how often you can do this. I wouldn't think it would be less than 1 per month and wouldn't be surprised if it were 1 per 6 months but again, just my speculation on the future based on the fact that they do want to limit it for justifiable account cases and not for ebay sellers. 3 ***How does enchanting work? Open a trade window with the enchanter, and put the item to be enchanted in the "Will Not Be Traded" slot at the bottom. If the item is soulbound, it will go in that slot automatically, because soulbound items cannot be traded. If the item isn't soulbound, for example if you just bought it at the auction house and you haven't actually equipped it yet, you must be carefulto put it in that trade slot. Belts, helmets, shoulders, pants, and jewelry cannot be enchanted; all other armor pieces can be, as well as all weapons. (one enchant or improvement per armor/weapon) 4 ****Autobuffing Mod? Q Is there an addon that can auto-cast my 5 min buffs on the shaman ? tnx :) Yes, there is. Funnily enough, it is called "AutoBuff". http://www.curse-gaming.com/mod.php?addid=3D1400 Cheers! 5 ***How do I get new abilities to train my pet? Firstly, the Hunter needs to learn the abilities themselved. Passive abilities such as extra armour and health are bought from the Pet Trainer who is normally stood near the Hunter Trainer. Growl is also bought from the Pet Trainer. The other active abilities such as Cower and Dash need to be learned from other beasts. To learn an ability from a beast you need to stable your current pet and go and tame the beast in question. When the beast is tamed it should have the ability in the pet bar - if it hasn't then you got the wrong beast and you need to find another. You should now fight alongside the temporary pet whilst it uses the ability until you get the message that you have learned the ability. This means that you can't stand at full range and fire your weapon whilst the pet tanks. You need to be close to the pet so it is probably best to melee alongside it. Some good resources for selecting beasts to tame to learn new abilities are: http://www.goodintentionsguild.info http://www.bookofwarcraft.com When you have learned the abilities they become available in the Beast Training window and you can now teach your pet providing it has enough training points available. 6 *****How do I use my wand ???? First equip the wand then go to your spell book and the find shoot button= (in general) to use the wand hit shoot to stop wand either move or re hit button. 7**** +damage objects and spells The amount of damage actually added, depends on the casting time (or wand speed). To get the max +dmg added you need a spell that lasts 3.5 seconds to casts. All shorter spells receive a percentage of that, depending on the casting length, which is always a minimum of 1.5 seconds (even instants are rounded up to the global cooldown for calculating the added damage). Talents that increase school damage are applied after the +dmg is added, so some nice +dmg equipment can definitely make a difference. 8**** learning PVP Frankly dueling over and over is the #1, 100% guaranteed way to improve your chops. So duel everyone you see in town. Ask them how they beat you and what you can do to beat them. Talk with them about what their build is and ask others playing your class how they bulit theirs. I'm referring to talent builds here. Also, go to the battlegrounds and run through threre over and over. The learning curve is steeper to become a good PvPer in BG because the real way to be good at all types of PvP is to know your enemy, and only through dueling are you going to get the kind of in-depth understanding of what each class is capable of. BG is just chaos most of the time at the low end. 9*****Lag This is being written to help those that suffer from what they consider to be 'lag'. I hope you find it useful, and if not, I apologize. I won't be able to cover every detail of what you could do, but this should give you many things to try, and just might clear up your connection a bit. It was written because someone here asked for more info.. so I threw this together. What is lag? ------------------ Lag is a condition where your network connection causes the game to 'slow down'. This could be only for a split second, or could be many hours. The noticable symptom is 'jerkiness' while playing. If your screen 'jerks' while you play, you may be experiencing lag. For instance, you start to run, then, suddenly, you are back where you just were a second ago. This is lag. Unfortunately, the term 'lag' is commonly misused. Some people experience 'lag' and what they are really experiencing is either a CPU cycle problem, or a video problem that does not directly effect their network connection. Nowadays, however, it is common that ANYTHING that slows the game down is considered lag. So, with that in mind, I will use the term lag to mean ANYTHING that causes a game slowdown of some sort. Spyware/Adware ------------------------ Spyware and Adware cause lag in multiple ways. One way they do this is by sending information, over the internet, to their 'home sites' while you are playing WoW. When they use bandwidth, it is less bandwidth for you. Anti-Virus Software ---------------------------- The major players in the anti-virus software realm have learned over the years how to play nice with most applications out there, so it is unlikely that they cause you much grief while playing WoW. However, some things to note are: 1. If your computer isn't as 'up to date' as a newer machine, then it might not be bad to disable your anti-virus software while playing. Just be absolutely certain to reenable it after you are done. And always, always keep it up to date. 2. What time does your scan start? Once this scan starts, you will see a slowdown of your machine that could be dramatic. Memory ------------ Wow and Windows together eat memory like candy. If you have less than 1 gig of RAM (and I would recommend having at least 2 gigs), then it is entirely possible that your memory is being used, and Windows has to write to disk for extra 'memory'. Sure, the game has a minimum requirement of 256Megs of RAM, but seriously, it won't run well on it. I don't care WHAT anyone else tells you. Hard Drive Speed ------------------------- If your hard-drive is older, it is entirely possible that it is helping to cause slowdown on your machine. The older your hard-drive, the slower it will be. System Drivers ---------------------- Make sure your drivers are all up to date. In fact, this should be the first thing you do after cleaning up your spyware. Don't forget to update DirectX as well. Windows Updates -------------------------- Update Windows. This is more important than most people realize. Programs Running --------------------------- If there are other programs running on your machine, stop them. You can hit CTRL-ALT-DELETE and go to the Task Manager to see what other applications are running. When they use your network bandwidth, it's less for WoW to use. Network Hardware -------------------------- Hubs: If you have more than two machines on your network, don't use them.= Switches: Good choice. Switches will send traffic only to the computers it is destined for. Switches reduce 'junk' traffic on a network a lot. Cables: While making your own cable isn't necessarily a bad thing, you need to be sure to use good quality equipment for the cable, the ends, and the tools used to make it work. Cables run over 300 feet are problematic. Chances are you are experiencing random disconnects and lag throughout your game. Cables that run, or wrap around power cords or lighting fixtures (florescent) are usually absorbing some noise. Seperate the cables from power sources, and it may help clear up your connection. Network Cards --------------------- First, I will say that a good, name brand network card is better than a 'built in' network card any day (unless that built in card is a quality brand). Update the network card driver, and a lot of lag could clear right up. One setting that CAN be important is the link speed of the card. If you can set the link speed of the card, then try setting it. Check this for every machine on your network, ESPECIALLY if you are using a hub. Erroring network cards on your network can cause a LOT of junk traffic on the network and cause lag for you in-game. Other Machines ----------------------- Do you have other machines on your network? If other users on your network are downloading files, streaming video, etc, this can cause lag for your game. However, things that people don't think of are: Playstation, Xbox, Tivo, etc. Video Settings --------------------- I'm not going to go into great detail about this, but, change your video settings in-game. Lower the resolution, turn off all of the effects, one at a time, and see if they help. If you find that doing this helps, then you will need to upgrade your video card to play at the higher resolution= s. Wireless Networking ------------------------------ If you are using wireless network cards, and are using only an 802.11b card, upgrade to 802.11g. It's faster. Your ISP ------------ You can also contact your ISP to help you diagnose lag issues. They can monitor your network bandwidth usage and tell you if your connection is being saturated. In general, the typical tech support won't be much help, but if you can get your call escalated, you may stumble on someone that is really willing, and able, to help. This is a short, edited version of a post about LAG by Rexxx 10***Common acronyms for place names TB =3D Thunder Bluff ORG =3D Orgrimmar (Ogremart) ****note the "r"; ORgrimmar and not Ogrimmar= MDN =3D Maraudon RFD =3D Razorfen Downs RFC =3D Ragefire Chasm RFK =3D Razorfen Kraul WC =3D Wailing Caverns XR =3D Crossroads EPL =3D Eastern Plaguelands WPL =3D Western Plaguelands SM =3D Scarlet Monastery SFK =3D Shadowfang Keep TM =3D Tarren Mill SS =3D Southshore BFD =3D Blackfathom Deep LBRS / UBRS =3D Lower / Upper Blackrock Spire BWL =3D Blackwing Lair BRD =3D Blackrock Depths UDM =3D Uldaman IF =3D Ironforge SW =3D Stormwind MC =3D Molten Core DM =3D Deadmines (if you are low lvl) or Dire Maul (for high level)--> often east/west/north added on at the end AB =3D Arathi Basin battlegrounds WSG =3D Warsong Gulch battlegrounds AV =3D Alterac Valley battlegrounds ST =3D Sunken Temple WS =3D Winterspring BL =3D Blasted Lands BB =3D Booty Bay UC =3D undercity AH =3D auction house ****11 Warlock leveling build suggestion I'll start off with the Warlock one. There are a lot of possibilities to play the Warlock, but this is how I'd level him now, as this focus on reducing your downtime and lets you get accustomed to some typical Warlock tricks early in the game. L10-14-> Demonic Embrace 5/5 L15-19-> Improved Corruption 5/5 L20-24-> Improved Drain Life 5/5 L25-29-> Fel Concentration 5/5 L30-31-> Nightfall 2/2 L32-33-> Improved Life Tap 2/2 L34-> Grim Reach 1/2 L35-> Siphon Life 1/1 L36-> Grim Reach 2/2 L37-39-> Suppression 2/5 L40-44-> Shadow Mastery 5/5 L45-49-> Improved Shadow Bolt 5/5 L50-54-> Bane 5/5 L55-> Shadowburn 1/1 L56-59-> Devastation 5/5 ***12 Shadow priest leveling build suggestion Shadow Priest leveling talents I use for my priest. Found on the WoW forums. A level 60 priest might be able to comment on those. L10-14-> Spirit Tap (5/5) L15-16-> Imp SW:P (2/2) L17-19-> Blackout (3/5) L20-> Mindflay (1/1) L21-22-> Blackout (5/5) L23-24-> Shadow Focus (2/5) L25-27-> Shadow Reach (3/3) L28-29-> Shadow Focus (4/5) L30-34-> Shadow Weaving (5/5) L35-38-> Darkness (4/5) L39-> Vampiric Embrace (1/1) L40-> Shadowform (1/1) L41-> Darkness (5/5) L42-43-> Imp Psychic Scream (2/2) L44-> Silence (1/1) L45-49-> Unbreakable Will (5/5) L50-54-> Wand Spec (5/5) L54-59-> Mental Agility (5/5) ***13 Chat types (/s /p /g...) /s =3D say, it appears in white for people who are within a certain ran= ge plus (unless disabled in the ui options) appears in a comic type speech bubble above your head /y =3D yell, appears in red for everybody in a wide zone (I think ?) use sparringly, most find this highly annoying (exceptions : RP servers with an RP use) /w somedude wanna join my group =3D whispers somebody, only that person can hear you /t =3D tell, afaik the same as /w *somebody correct me if i'm wrong* /g =3D Guild, goes to all your guild /o =3D Officer, goes to all officers of your guild /p =3D Party, Everything written after /p appears to your party only /raid =3D Raid, goes to the whole raid group And there are also the public channels:(default numbers, these may=20 change after leaving or adding private channels) /1 =3D General channel /2 =3D Trade channel (only in some cities) /3 =3D Local defense channel /4 =3D Looking for group channel ***14 Endgame and High Level Instances There are currently 4 "epic" instances in the game: Zul Gurub, Molten Core, Blackwing Lair, and Ahn'Qiraj (which contains a 20 and a 40 man part). Those instances require lots of time, you can't do them in pickup groups, and you won't master them in the first try. And then there are the "normal" level 60 instances. I'd try to note down the average time you can expect them to take with pickup groups: - Dire Maul East: Up to 2h, 5 man limit. Location: Feralas - Dire Maul West: Up to 3h, 5 man limit. Location: Feralas - Dire Maul North: Up to 2h, 5 man limit. Location: Feralas - Blackrock depths (BRD): Depending on what you want to do in there, up to 4h (the instance is huge). You can do quite some quests in chunks of 2h, and even a full first time run for the emperor can be done within 3h. Raidable by 10 man (but it rarely happens, because there's no cool loot in BRD). Location: Blackrock Mountain (Searing George) - Stratholme: Usually referred as Scarlet side (beating the crap out of humans) and Undead side. Scarlet side with 5 people may take about 2h, undead side maybe 3. A baron run (sneak in through the back entrance and head for the baron, the end boss) can be done in 1.5h with a good 5 man team. This place is often being raided (up to 10 men), you shouldn't have a problem getting in there. The baron drops the blue leg pieces of all classes. Location: Eastern Plaguelands - Scholomance: Same as Stratholme, Scholomance is being raided (again by up to 10 men) a lot. The end boss drops the head pieces of all classes. A full run with 10 people can be done in 2h (it can of course be done faster, but I'm talking about PU groups), if you want to quest in there (therefore 5 man) it can take 3h or more. Location: Western Plaguelands - Lower Blackrock Spire (LBRS): BRS is one instance, and contains both a lower part, designed for 5 men, and an upper part, designed for a 10-15 men raid group. The lower part can be done by a great team in 1.5h, the average pickup team will need 2.5h - 3.5h. LBRS can of course be raided by up to 15 people (it's technically the same instance as UBRS), but it happens rarely. Location: Blackrock Mountain (Searing George) - Upper Blackrock Spire (UBRS): To get into UBRS, you need a key whose pieces are random boss drops in LBRS. A full run (everything else doesn't make any sense) usually takes about 1.5 - 2h. The end boss drops the blue set chest pieces. Location: Blackrock Mountain (Searing George)