Scattershot

There are a lot of things buzzing about this week; where should I start.

SOPA/PIPA - bad laws are bad for everyone. The media corporations are looking to cut off their nose to spite their face on this one. In the wake of the big multi-national law enforcement bust of a major copyright infringer, these bills have been shown their complete lack of need.

Back to WoW topics, the first nerfs to DS are going to be coming. The insane amount of QQ over this is astonishing. It is expected on the forums, but to see some of my regular bloggers overreacting to it has shocked and saddened me. I don't see what all the uproar is about. Blizzard has been monitoring the data, and they have their hand on the dial. They see the exact number of groups hitting roadblocks. The nerf is there to let them use it for that last little bit of push. Most people do not enjoy hitting their head against the same wall for weeks upon weeks.

Oh, using the nerf is optional as well. If you haven't already gotten the world first or server first, you aren't the elite group you portend to be. After two months, you are already nerfing the content by using DS drops and VP items, and most likely are already kitted out in LFR items to boot. If you and your guild want to keep running it without the nerf, you are free to do so. If you are upset because some other group may get the server first by using the nerf, you really need to realize that the rest of the world isn't going to wait for you. At this point, you've been weighed, you've been measured, and you've been found wanting. Get over it.

Other complaints about the nerf come from those who haven't beat the game yet, but have more of a concern for their epeen than anything else. To those, I say "Fuck You"! Please take your nerdrage and GTFO. If you fall into that camp, you are nothing more than elitist scum, please die in a fire. The complaints also mention that LFR is there for the "baddies" to see the content. LFR is there for those that do not have the option to otherwise raid. Period.

Speaking of LFR, I now have five characters that can take advantage of the new raid. I have done the LFR on my main, my deathknight, my rogue, and my mage. I may run my druid through there this weekend as well, but I have already capped VP doing the new heroics to gear up so I may wait until next week. Last night, I completed one and a half LFR runs. Prior to LFR, I only ran raids on my main. Towards the end of WotLK, I ran two of my druid alts occasionally during alt runs. This new tool has increased my options for enjoying this game exponentially. There was no possibility for me to raid on such a diverse group of character types before, and I am extremely happy for this. Even with the asshats sometimes found in LFR.

There are several varieties of asshats in the new LFR, and I have seen them all. There are the leeches, who just lurk and autoattack. They usually get kicked. They also draw attention to people who, while at least trying, don't put out much DPS. They sometimes get kicked as well. I find that to be a bit much; a dead boss is the only standard I feel is required. Having the minimum gear for LFR will result in low DPS. Using a class that you are not used to will also result in low DPS. I had a tough time transitioning from a ranged to a melee character, but I improved as I went along. I always gemmed, enchanted, and reforged my gear before LFR. There is no excuse for not using the cheap enchants or gems.

Being number one on the DPS meter doesn't excuse you from being a dick. Last night, the top DPS, a mage, kept spamming recount and waving his epeen. The mage actually had the gall to whisper me for my drop at the end of the raid. Not to trade for another item, but to just give it to him to complete his four set. There was no way I would even consider helping that prick. I had a similar issue occur with the healing crew, with the top healers demeaning the others. There is no need for that if the raid is progressing. These people make my ignore list, sometimes even during the raid.

There is a special place in hell for the following people. This particular asshat sometimes works alone, and sometimes works as part of a larger group. If you roll need for items you don't need, this would be you. I don't care if it is because you want to use it for trade for something you want, to give to a friend also in the raid, to act like some kind of master looter to hand out loot to people you find deserving, or to troll by selling or sharding the item.

I have had little trouble gearing up using the LFR. Sometimes I get a piece or two during the raid, sometimes I only leave with VPs. I only need on items that are an improvement to the gear that I already have. Some feel it is OK to roll need whenever the dice are lit. Those people are assholes, and deserve a swift kick in the balls. Blizzard has started to address some of the issues already, with more changes on the way. Currently, if multiples of an item drop, one person could win them all. This was obviously not intended, and will be fixed in the next patch. If I were to win two of the same pieces of tier on one boss, I would trade one to the next highest roller. Even on my characters that could use it for two specs. Don't be a dick.

My 10x85 project has stalled with all the LFR action this week.