This post will go over some questions that I came across during my first week in playing the new expansion. This FAQ is far from comprehensive, but I figure that sharing some information is better than sharing none. After the cut, you’ll find discussions of stat scaling, new gear, Aspect of the Fox, Archaeology and Pathfinding.
Why Is My DPS Going Down As I Level Up?
If you are coming into Cata with endgame raid gear you may be noticing that your dps and your ratings-based stats are decreasing. This is because of the way combat ratings work. Blizzard realized a long time ago that if it added percentage bonuses directly to gear (+x% chance to crit, for example), it would eventually run out of percentage points to add in process of making new gear better than old gear. They’d reach 100% chance to crit and that’d be the end of it crit as a meaningful stat. So, Blizzard added the ratings system. It works as an added step between gear itemization and percentage chances, allowing Blizzard to alter how the stats on our gear turn into dps modifiers like crit, haste, hit, resilience, mastery, etc. whenever it wants. And “whenever it wants” is every level.
Each new level requires more of a particular rating to achieve the same percentage modifier. For instance, at level x let’s pretend it takes 10 crit rating to achieve 1% chance to crit. But at level x+1 Blizzard shifts the equation, making it 15 crit rating = 1% chance to crit. Such increasing requirements make it so that a player has to increase their ratings with every level in order to maintain the same percentages. The issue for us is that even though our levels are increasing currently (from 80 to 85), our ratings are not because our gear is staying the same (assuming that, like me, you’re in WotLK end-expansion raid gear). In this type of situation, where the gear is the same but the levels increase, the ratings equations work against the player. The table below uses values from Zeherah’s haste calculator and my as-of-writing-this-post 83 hunter.
Level | Haste Rating | Haste% |
80 | 100 | 3.05% |
83 | 100 | 1.34% |
85 | 100 | .781% |
Even if my hunter does not scale exactly the same as Zeherah’s imaginary hunter, the message remains the same: the value in dps of a given amount of a rating decreases as the player’s level increases. That’s why a well-geared hunter’s dps goes down as she hits a new expansion and levels. That’s why (at least in part) at 83 my dps has decreased by double-digit percentages from 80.
Are These Normal Dungeon Drops Really Upgrades from WotLK Raid Gear?
Often, yes, particularly if you’re wearing ICC10 or lower gear. It doesn’t matter that the new gear is not purple. Lightningflash is stat-for-stat an upgrade from heroic Stakethrower even though it has no gem slot and is a lot easier to get. The key, though, is to include any gear enhancements you’ve made in your comparisons. To be an upgrade, the new gear needs to be better than the old gear plus its enhancements. This is because you probably won’t be spending the cash to enchant leveling gear, leaving unadorned Cata gear in competition with tricked-out WotLK gear. Edit 12/13/10: Quori points out another factor in gear comparisons: item level. To get into even some normal dungeons, you’ll likely need to have started equipping Cata gear.
Is Archaeology Really This Boring?
Yes, yes it is. It is like Fishing and Cooking: a side profession that offers some benefits and is something to do but is not nearly as engaging as other in-game pursuits. Archaeology unfortunately requires way more running around than Cooking or Fishing, making it much more demanding of your attention but remaining about as interesting. It’s worth noting that leveling it up does provide respectable but not excellent experience, making it something that can add variety but probably not excitement to leveling. I’d also recommend that you skill up to 100 with digging alone before solving any pieces so that you take full advantage of the pre-100 digging skill ups (kind of like Disenchanting to skill up through the first levels of Enchanting.
Does Aspect of the Fox Greatly Improve Hunter PVP?
No. Don’t get me wrong, it’s nice and worth using. However, it doesn’t stop Steady Shot from being Steady Shot or Cobra Shot from being Cobra Shot (both low-dps abilities with a long cast time). It doesn’t make melee slower or us faster. It doesn’t increase our dps directly. We’re basically still the same hunters, awkward minimum range and all.
Is Pathfinding Worth It?
I think so. Though linear questing arrangements, convenient (and smart) portals, in-the-field quest updating, increased flying speeds and being able to fly in some way in every zone have greatly cut down on travel times, we still travel a lot. I think this makes Pathfinding easily worth two talent points. We tend to focus on its boost to mounted speeds, but, importantly, it also boosts our Cheetah and Pack speeds. Those gains are great for Archaeology, for certain types of quests and for wipes in the new dungeons. Edit 12/13/10: note, as sam points out in a comment below, that the Pathfinding mounted speed bonus does not stack with the guild perk mounted speed bonus. I wasn’t thinking about this at the time of writing because I’m running without a guild at the moment.
Do you have any additional questions or tips? If so, please share them in a comment below.
One tip: if you haven’t started leveling yet, get your glyphs in order. Once you ding past 80, you’ll need a new powder to switch glyphs, one that’ll be quite expensive in the first few weeks.
If you’re in a guild, [Mount Up] is +10% mount speed. No need for pathfinding for mount.
My guild got this on the weekend and it’s a very nice perk.
That’s a good point. I’ve added to the post.
I took on Pathfinding and a BM build for leveling to 85. I have no complaints about going down that path (pun intended :) )
I will say it took me well into 85 to finally replace all of my 277 pieces. But folks should be leery. At times, a higher iLevel green or blue is better for you EVEN if the stats or dps gains are not greater than that old purple…reason being: iLevel! This little number found on the character info screen is the primary contributor to what instances you can and cannot run, and in what mode.
You really want to get to 329 as quickly as you can. I actually equipped a +Str ring that was 333 level over the +Agi ring that was 316 just for that one more point.
just my 2c fwiw
That’s a good point about item level. Even normal dungeons have gear requirements in Cata, and a full set of Wrath epics is not high enough for a place like Grim Batol.
It is my understanding that the check is against gear in inventory, not gear equipped. So, just put that strength ring in you bags.
I will admit to having done that! you must equip the item first, then migrate to your bags and the iLvl remains constant.
I was in a run where a 333 str ring dropped that no one wanted, I needed and equipped to replace a 316 ring and then swapped back…bam. 329 iLvl.
Its funny…to me that they have created a very huge imbalance here. We are now locked out or not allowed into a dungeon or raid based on what is ostensibly CHANCE. I have been on runs – multiple runs – were not one Hunter item drops. This isn’t counting when I may lose out on an item. Now if the loot tables were variably coded to drop only items that are for the available classes in the run – fair enough.
But as it stands, some folks may find it difficult to gear up appropriately.
Having said this, there is also rep gear and JP gear too – which I am sure was considered to be the equalizer in this scenario. However, that could take quite some time as well. I keep reminding myself it is a marathon, not a sprint…but impatience rears its head far too often.
Oh…one other thing. For those not in the know…check Frost’s piece on BiS gear pre-raiding & heroics.
It might behoove you to grind enough rep for one faction to Hon or Rev prior to Exalted for another.
Example….I ground Dragonmaw to Rev prior to switching tabards to Exalted for Hyjal. Yes the exalted Hyjal boots are great and one of the best BiS items, but the rev Dragonmaw helm is one of the best helm options and was quicker to get to Rev with DM first. Now that helm helps me continue to grind Hyjal rep.
Be strategic about what factions give at what level. Might be more beneficial to get quicker grinds done first. Also be mindful about which have dailies. DM and Thera have a ton….Ram has 1. So, I know for me. As soon as I am at Exlated with Hyjal, its the Ram tabard for me since thats the only way to get it to Exalted.
This is a very good point. I did the same type of strat but started with Earthen ring due the the lack of a Valor point agility ring from the vendor. I also was able to spend my capped Justice points on a helm so I could skip wildhammer(dragonmaw) rep and focus on Hyjal and Ram.
Another thing to note about rep is that when you ding 85 it may be a good idea to do all the Tol Barad dailies every day. They have a 346 ilvl ranged weapon. There are only 5 ranged weapons that I know of and this is the only one that is a sure thing. 2 others come from maxed Eng with some costly mats and a chos orb, and there are 2 from instances. Both end bosses, one in BRC and the other from the sky instance in Uldum.