WoW is frustrating me

[thistlechaser]

Druid 23. It got somewhat better at 20 (when I hit things, now they eventually die! Yay!), but I still take damage way too quickly, especially if I have more than one mob on me. Oddly (and sadly) the only effective questing I can do are green quests. Now and then I successfully do one at my own level, but generally I die endlessly on them. I boggle at how much I die. Thank god I can't delevel.

PS: Prowl should be 100% effective.

On my main, I wasted 28 days for nothing. Stupid Argent Tournament. I can't joust at all, so I figured I'd do the 'kill 10 scourge' daily quest for 25 days and get the 25 seals I need that way (three missed days in the middle of that). Got my 25 seals, tried to turn them in... and I have to beat some champ to level up. BLAH. I went 1/200 on beating the three little ones you have to do (and note that's 1/200, not 3/200, I never totally succeeded, only killed one of the three). I haven't even bothered trying to kill the champ yet, since I'm sure he'll be harder than the three little ones... being champ and all...

All in all: Blah.

Comments

[citizenbleys.livejournal.com]

Keep 3 shields up, and mash 2 when the mob is out of range for the #1 attack, you almost can't lose. Don't bother charging, it usually lets the mob lance you and kill one of your shields. As long as you have more than or equal to the number of shields the enemy has up, you'll win.

For the battle before the citadel, you can do it in a group. It's easier once you hit champion since someone's always looking for chillmaw, and chillmaw groups usually do battle before the citadel at the same time.

I got exalted with all 5 horde cities using argent tournament dailies -- it's 5000 rep by the time you get your 25 valiant's seals, so you just need to be 16k/21k revered in order to get exalted with argent tournament dailies.

I love the argent tournament.

As for druid, yeah, you're still levelling corpse until 40. At least when the new patch comes out, you'll be able to get your epic land mount at 40 instead of 60.

[achika-soladia.livejournal.com]

I disagree about your AT strat.

Start with three shields up, and when you talk to the NPC to start the duel, start mashing 3 (For the champion you have to fight for rank up, let him get to you, then move away from him while he does his spiel.).

When you run through him after the charge, circle back around and mash 2 while you walk towards him.

You've probably lost a shield at this point, put it back up.

Keep smacking 1 until he starts to back up again, then keep hitting 3, when you charge through, circle around again and hit 2.

Always keep three shields up. If you lose one, put it up. If your charge is down when the guy goes to back up (Because you just put a shield up.), then keep on the guy's ass so that he can't charge you.

About the only times I lose are when I get distracted, or someone outside tries to "help" by attacking my opponent, throwing me out of my groove.

I actually was looking into making a video with this strat because I know a few people that are having issues with it. My co-worker did the strategy listed you suggested, but eventually asked me for my method because she said it took a long time.

[thistle-chaser.livejournal.com]

This is basically what I've been using, but I keep ending out of the ring and lose my shields while trying to get back in, so I think I'l give the above "no charging" one a try! I don't mind slow at all, so long as I eventually win!

[pomr.livejournal.com]

I had a horrible time with this too. kelen managed to beat it through my thick skull teach me how to do the no charge method. The trick for me is that every few seconds I hit the 4 Key to refresh your shields even if they're up and green because they all drop after 60 seconds -- but tapping 4 every so often will refresh the buff duration.

I start out facing the field...talk the dude, while they run away I spam 2 until it fires then I run up on them so they can't do the same to me or charge, it will take some practice. Once on them I spam 1 until they run, then I face 'em and spam 2 again.

It is horribly tedious, but it generally works for me.

Another thing...when they get off the grounds if you back towards the grounds they'll follow, so tap the arrow key to move back, attack, tap arrow, attack, this generally keeps them from running you out of the arena and defaulting on the fight in progress.

Hope that helps. =)

[thistle-chaser.livejournal.com]

Thank you! I'll give this a try this weekend!

[pomr.livejournal.com]

The dailies where you joust by the gates of Icecrown Citadel SUCK to solo. If you can't get a party, and they're generally pretty easy to come by, don't bother. The others are all pretty easy -- the sword ones just involve some travel. =) The kill IceCrown Scourge ones are easy peasy -- tip -- the dragonlings and cultists just below the tourney grounds by Sindragosa's Fall count as scourge and are very easy to kill. Jousting the Valiants is pretty easy too, and gives you the practic you need to master the 'no charge' method. =)

[firebyrd.livejournal.com]

Nah, they're easy once you get some practice with jousting. It's quicker with a party, but I can take everything down by myself as long as I don't get mobbed too badly while killing a commander.

[citizenbleys.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I hate soloing the commanders, but chillmaw groups ALWAYS have at least one person who wants to do it in party.

For the Kill Icecrown Scourge quests (you can do the 10-scourge valiant and the 15-scourge champ ones at the same time, killing only 15 total), there are a bunch of Converted Heroes that hang out in groups of 6 or 7 just south of Chillmaw and I just pull them in groups and do the whole quest in about 45 seconds. That might not be doable for squishier classes, but it works for Paladin, so I imagine it'd work for any plate-wearer. My DK's only 72, so I haven't tried it on him yet.

[thistle-chaser.livejournal.com]

Oooh, thanks!

[pomr.livejournal.com]

Oh yeah -- as to the tedious -- you played FFXI for five years this will be cake for you. =)

[achika-soladia.livejournal.com]

Are you actually trying to stay in the ring? You don't have to stay in the wooden ring, I'm not sure what the distance is, but I've had some epic battles in the Champion's Ring that have seen me near the Argent Ring.

And I forgot to mention it in my initial post, but Pomr mentioned it: Even if you have three shields up, hit the shield button when you can. My typical thing goes Charge > Shield Breaker > Shield Yourself > Poke > Poke > Poke > Lather > Rinse > Repeat.

I'll link that video to you when I get it done. =p I'm going to do it this weekend.

And I will admit that I had trouble with this when I first started doing them, my other co-worker eventually explained how to do it and it's worked for me ever since.

Oh, and for the one that you have to joust the lieutenants and such? Once you become champion, grab Threat from Above, Battle at the Citadel, and the Valiant's version of Battle at the Citadel that I can't recall the name of, all at the same time. There's always a shout for Threat from Above, just join that and ask if anyone needs Citadel, most times at least one person will. =)

[pomr.livejournal.com]

As achika_soladia said -- you don't have to stay in the ring, but:

1) You do have a time limit that can run out
2) You have stay on the grounds -- you'll get a warning, that's when I suggest backing up even it means taking a hit, not like you can't shield again.

My GuildMaster insists on Charging, and he devastates them, I'm not as good as he is. =)

[firebyrd.livejournal.com]

If there's a time limit, it's extremely long. I've never, ever encountered a time limit, and when I was first jousting and sucked at it, I was mostly just using thrust a million times which takes forever.

[thistle-chaser.livejournal.com]

I try staying in the ring because when I get too far out, I automatically lose. I've lost too many close battles that way!

And eee, thanks! I'm going to try it again this weekend!

[citizenbleys.livejournal.com]

*shrug*

I never lose. It does take a bit of time, but I never lose.

[thistle-chaser.livejournal.com]

Woo, I'll try that! I think charging is what makes this harder for me, so maybe it'll work better!

[naikitty.livejournal.com]

It doesn't help that you're a lolkeyboard-turner. ;3 *ruffles* Achi's strat is what I use and I usually end with 80% or higher health, unless they get in a lucky shot.

Just remember, the shield cooldown is NOT linked to your melee attack cooldown! It's only linked to the barrier breaker and charge ones. :3

[thistle-chaser.livejournal.com]

D: I know! I'm trying to get used to my mouse, I use it for swimming and (sometimes) flying!

And yay! Hopefully I'll win this weekend!

[gconnor.livejournal.com]

So... I'm curious as to whether you've tried soloing using bear form. I've done it a bit but I'm not great at it. I understand the bear form is a lot more tank-like than the cat form.

[thistle-chaser.livejournal.com]

Yeah, my bear has double or triple the defense of cat, but I seem to kill things so much slower, so it works less well. It might be worth it though, since I'd probably die less. Cat is nice since it runs fast and is easier to get away from stuff.

[citizenbleys.livejournal.com]

Cat form will kill individual mobs faster, but for groups of 3 or more, you're probably going to need bearform's defense in order to outlast them.

[thistle-chaser.livejournal.com]

Ah, smart!

[firebyrd.livejournal.com]

I am utterly and completely baffled by your problems with playing a druid. I don't have any problems at all on mine, I got to 30-something in the course of a week or two (and that was alternating play days with my priest). Can you describe to me what you're doing when you attack and do other things?

[thistle-chaser.livejournal.com]

I keep my two buffs up. Stay in cat form. Spam claw whenever it's got enough energy, and do the DoT one (rip?) ASAP first time, then only again if it wears.

If my HP gets to about half, I hit my biggest curing macro (letting the mob hit me at the time, since it'll cure me for more than 50% and I can take a few hits before dying) then back to cat form.

If my HP gets really low, I root it and then move back and heal.

I think that's about it? I don't nuke so much or switch to bear and back to cat mid-battle because I worry about running out of mana and not being able to switch back to cat. (The coming expansion will help with that somewhat.)

Am I missing something big/important? I had read tons of hunter guides while leveling that, but I haven't checked any on druid. I probably should!

[kelen.livejournal.com]

Get the Glyph of Rake, if you don't already have it. Far as I'm concerned it's the best glyph you get for leveling. It makes it so that mobs don't run away. >.< So hate that.

Anyway! Hit them with Faerie Fire, which I use for pulling a lot since it's distance, rake, claw, claw, rake if needed, then rip. Normally I only wait for 3 combo points before using rip, but sometimes get in 4-5.

Beyond that, do you have Ravage yet? This one is awesome, but takes a little work. Can only be used while prowl is active, and from behind the mob. So learn to stealth up, and hit a mob with Ravage from behind. It can knock 1/4-1/2 health off a mob to start the fight. <3 Follow this up with Faerie Fire, and Tiger's Fury, then settle into the normal Rake, Claw, Rip Stuff.

[pomr.livejournal.com]

There's also an addon for DPS druids -- what's it called kelen, Face Mauler? =)

[kelen.livejournal.com]

Face Mauler, while awesome, doesn't work well at low levels. :)

[kelen.livejournal.com]

Also! Make sure to put talent points into Feral Instinct and Feral Swiftness. They will help LOADS while trying to stealth around.

Oh! ..I keep remembering things. n.n Buy agility gear. Don't be afraid to ask us to run you through instances too. Enchant your gear. You've a level 80, so can afford to fund your druid. <3 The gear WILL make a huge difference. Like I always enchant my weapons with +25 agi (After level 35 anyway.), but there are other things you can get. Extra health, a ton of extra armor.. you can pimp yourself out and make leveling that much easier.

[thistle-chaser.livejournal.com]

Feral Instinct and Feral Swiftness

Got those maxed!

And yeah, Nai took me through WC the other day. :D When I get higher, I'll nudge to do another one! <3 Thanks!

And make sure you poke me if you have a low level who needs it, too! Thester can earn his keep!

[thistle-chaser.livejournal.com]

Oh! I forgot about Faerie Fire. Yes, I use that to pull, and hit it even if I don't need to pull.

So learn to stealth up, and hit a mob with Ravage from behind. It can knock 1/4-1/2 health off a mob to start the fight.

...Oh wow! I have it, but hadn't tried it yet since the whole 'get behind it' seemed to be a pain. I'll try that today! I don't think I have Tiger's Fury yet, but I'll add that in once I do.

Thanks!

[thistle-chaser.livejournal.com]

Got Glyph of Rake tonight and hit 24 so I could use it! YAY them not running away! I hate that so much... especially when they bring back a group of mobs with them.

And boo, Ravage is 32, so that's a bit away! I got Tiger's Fury tonight though, yay!

[doxxxicle.livejournal.com]

Don't forget that the belt you're currently wearing has an on-use effect of healing you for a fair bit. Not sure what the cooldown is but it's a better alternative to popping out into caster form to heal yourself.

Also, more stam gear. Try to get "of the Monkey" gear. Since you're taking damage and not a pet, you have to consider survivability somewhat when choosing gear.

Try to find a two-handed mace or staff with the highest DPS. The DPS is converted to attack power in feral forms.

[doxxxicle.livejournal.com]

Also, if you do need a heal more than the belt's on-use, try using Rejuvenation instead of something like Healing Touch. Since it's instant cast, it won't take forever to cast with the mob beating on you. If you need a bigger heal, try Regrowth since it's faster cast, will heal you for a nice chunk and give you a heal-over-time to tide you over once you're back in cat form.

[thistle-chaser.livejournal.com]

Ah, yes! I do tend to forget my belt. Oh, huh, you can move it into a button. That's handy! It'll remind me to use it more.

Try to find a two-handed mace or staff with the highest DPS. The DPS is converted to attack power in feral forms

I had been using a two-handed one for a long while, but I got a single handed blue from WC that has better DPS, so I'm sticking with that for now.

[firebyrd.livejournal.com]

Yeah, as far as cat form goes, you're missing using your finishing move. Wait until you have some combo points and make sure to use a finishing move. It'll kill the mobs faster which means less damage to you. Also, you should be attempting to stealth and use one of the from behind moves to start out your battle when using cat form. Adding those two moves to your rotation will make a big difference in how fast stuff goes down.

If you're still having trouble, you need to just use bear form, which has more armor and health. There's a glyph you can get that will make one of the main moves (maul or swipe, I can't remember which at the moment) hit two enemies at once which helps a /ton/. I don't know what you've been doing with your talent points, but be sure to put them into feral (respec if needed). There's one talent that makes the move I mentioned above (maul or swipe) go down to 10 rage to use, so you can use it a lot more often. When in bear form, be sure to use demoralizing roar too, as that lowers surrounding mobs' attack power (just be careful when using it not to pull neighboring yellow mobs).

Additionally, if you haven't already, I'd send some money over from your main and make sure you've got decent armor.

If these suggestions don't help, let me know and I'll go play my druid for a bit so I can tell you exactly what I do, because it's seemed pretty easy to me and I've been tanking regularly since level 18 or so.

[thistle-chaser.livejournal.com]

Thanks for all the info!

All my points were going into feral, yep!

It'll kill the mobs faster which means less damage to you. Also, you should be attempting to stealth and use one of the from behind moves to start out your battle when using cat form.

Yeah, I only have Shread for now, the better one is 32, but I'm practicing with that!

Thanks for all the hints!

[veloxe.livejournal.com]

You should totally seek for a party while soloing and...wait, nvm.

Now if only where was a happy middle ground between solo till your eyes explode and wait for party till you lapse into a comma. And no, instances don't count.

[thistle-chaser.livejournal.com]

Ha ha, you're so silly! :D

[achika-soladia.livejournal.com]

You only did the kill 10 scourge one? What about the one that you have to find the weapon? That one awards two seals each day and that's fairly easy.

[thistle-chaser.livejournal.com]

Oooh, I think I did the find the weapon one once! The 10 scourge one was so easy, I mostly just stuck with that. If I ever get to the next level, maybe I'll add the weapon one back in!

[achika-soladia.livejournal.com]

Weapon one is easy, just involves travel.

There's three variations on it:

1. Kill a fire revenant and get a drop, go to Howling Fjord and use that drop on a horsey lady in the middle of the lake near Camp Winterhoof. Done.

2. Go to Ironwall Dam (On the border of Crystalsong and Icecrown), gather four flowers there, go to the lake near the border of Zul'drak in Dragonsblight, find the obvious ring of lilies and use the flowers. Grab the sword. Done. (This is the only one that you actually have to loot the sword.)

3. Go to Grizzly Hills, at a lake near Camp Oneqwah. There, use an item in your inventory. Target a frog, and /kiss. If it turns into a lady, talk to her and use the option to get the weapon.

To make #3 easy, I made a macro for it:

/tar Lake Frog
/use Warts-B-Gone Lip Balm
/kiss
/cleartarget

What that does it target the frogs you need to kiss, uses the item that you're given, kisses the frog, and then untargets the frog. Just spam that until you find the one you need. =)

[citizenbleys.livejournal.com]

Weapon one is a pain if you don't have epic flying.

Fortunately I'm a jewelcrafter and I don't have any characters over 70 who don't have epic flying ^^