Kirise
OG
A few months ago, I built my first twink for the 59 bracket and got my first taste of how this bracket ran. Overall, DKs ran no less than 60% of any roster, and I found out that 3K health was definitely not enough. I regeared my resto shaman, and near completing that task, got hit by the 3.2 patch. This weekend, I moved to the Ruin battlegroup, and had my first few WSGs pop with my new gear. For those interested, here are some observations about 59s as they stand now, from the perspective of a new resto shaman.
Everyone hits hard, so stamina remains an important consideration for gearing. I was told 6K health is a good minimum to shoot for; I felt pretty comfortable running at 5600 with a shield. I can't speak for mana yet, but so far my 4500 served me well in battle with a lot of casting, including combined totem drops. Unlike before the patch, DKs all but disappeared. I think I saw two at once during one of the WSG matches. Certainly a lot more of every other class, except I only saw one mage, and I'm not sure I saw any druids (to my surprise, as I used to play against an excellent resto druid before the patch). No class seemed "outclassed", but they definitely needed to play to their strengths. As a resto shaman in the 29 bracket, I can easily put out some damage if need be. In the 59 bracket, I need to stick with healing friends to make the most impact. If I'm not healing, my damage simply can't match others who are spec'd for it.
59 really is about managing cooldowns. Coming from the 29 bracket, it's overwhelming how many different options are available, all of which are important. Because burst is high, and so is teamwork, clutch cooldown use can make or break a battle. In the 29 bracket, I needed to get a feel for when to drop the tremor totem, when to AGM, and when to insignia out of a sap or freeze, plus my frost shock and wind shear. Going all the way to 59 introduced the grounding totem, my rocket boots, and most importantly, timing short and long heals to make the most of your healing. Because long heals are 20% more powerful in this bracket, they seem to be worth attempting, especially if I do a good job staying on the periphery of battle while staying in range of teammates. Mobility is important in 59s, and shamans do well with it if they use it. In addition, I needed to get used to having Nature's Swiftness (instant cast spell on a 2-min cooldown). Then, add engineering trinkets. Because of the power of the engineering helms and trinkets at 59, just about every twink takes engineering. That adds at least one trinket cooldown, plus grenades which take timing and accuracy to use.
So cooldown management makes a major difference, as do casting choices. PuG'ing in the no-XP WSG induced enough adrenaline for the evening; twinks are on their game, and from what I was told later, some have played for a couple of years. I'm used to being able to walk into a 29 no-XP PuG, and make a significant difference by sheer healing. Not so in 59s. The biggest difference I made was igniting my rocket boots after an escaping flag carrier, hitting the mage FC with a frost shock before I got my feet iced into place, which allowed another teammate to catch up to the FC and tie them up for a couple of seconds, which then allowed a third teammate to join the fray and take down the FC just a second before three enemies wiped us out. It was an awesome time.
Bottom line: 59s require gear for stamina. They require keeping track of a lot of options at once, and staying creative. Most importantly, the 59 bracket is not for showboating -- that gets you killed. If you're not a team player, the 59 bracket will tear you apart -- it's too coordinated. I loved the high intensity, and am going back for more.
I hope this helps update perceptions of the 59 bracket; I'm happy to get to play there now.
Bwappo
Everyone hits hard, so stamina remains an important consideration for gearing. I was told 6K health is a good minimum to shoot for; I felt pretty comfortable running at 5600 with a shield. I can't speak for mana yet, but so far my 4500 served me well in battle with a lot of casting, including combined totem drops. Unlike before the patch, DKs all but disappeared. I think I saw two at once during one of the WSG matches. Certainly a lot more of every other class, except I only saw one mage, and I'm not sure I saw any druids (to my surprise, as I used to play against an excellent resto druid before the patch). No class seemed "outclassed", but they definitely needed to play to their strengths. As a resto shaman in the 29 bracket, I can easily put out some damage if need be. In the 59 bracket, I need to stick with healing friends to make the most impact. If I'm not healing, my damage simply can't match others who are spec'd for it.
59 really is about managing cooldowns. Coming from the 29 bracket, it's overwhelming how many different options are available, all of which are important. Because burst is high, and so is teamwork, clutch cooldown use can make or break a battle. In the 29 bracket, I needed to get a feel for when to drop the tremor totem, when to AGM, and when to insignia out of a sap or freeze, plus my frost shock and wind shear. Going all the way to 59 introduced the grounding totem, my rocket boots, and most importantly, timing short and long heals to make the most of your healing. Because long heals are 20% more powerful in this bracket, they seem to be worth attempting, especially if I do a good job staying on the periphery of battle while staying in range of teammates. Mobility is important in 59s, and shamans do well with it if they use it. In addition, I needed to get used to having Nature's Swiftness (instant cast spell on a 2-min cooldown). Then, add engineering trinkets. Because of the power of the engineering helms and trinkets at 59, just about every twink takes engineering. That adds at least one trinket cooldown, plus grenades which take timing and accuracy to use.
So cooldown management makes a major difference, as do casting choices. PuG'ing in the no-XP WSG induced enough adrenaline for the evening; twinks are on their game, and from what I was told later, some have played for a couple of years. I'm used to being able to walk into a 29 no-XP PuG, and make a significant difference by sheer healing. Not so in 59s. The biggest difference I made was igniting my rocket boots after an escaping flag carrier, hitting the mage FC with a frost shock before I got my feet iced into place, which allowed another teammate to catch up to the FC and tie them up for a couple of seconds, which then allowed a third teammate to join the fray and take down the FC just a second before three enemies wiped us out. It was an awesome time.
Bottom line: 59s require gear for stamina. They require keeping track of a lot of options at once, and staying creative. Most importantly, the 59 bracket is not for showboating -- that gets you killed. If you're not a team player, the 59 bracket will tear you apart -- it's too coordinated. I loved the high intensity, and am going back for more.
I hope this helps update perceptions of the 59 bracket; I'm happy to get to play there now.
Bwappo
