Mastering tanks, one boss at a time.
On episode 29 of TankCast, Arielle and I discussed our Blizzcon predictions. I’m always too conservative when it comes to predictions because Blizzard always surprises me, but I still try.
If you wish to hear our conversation on this topic, tune in to episode 29 of TankCast. This post includes what we talked about with a few more specifics added on my part.
A few weeks ago on Tankcast, Arielle and I discussed the class fantasies behind each tanking spec. Blizzard has stated that they intend to bring each class and specialization closer to their fantastical roots. This post is me elaborating on what I think the monk and brewmaster fantasy is.
The short version of this week’s patch:
And now the details…
As usual, this guide is the distilled essence of what is needed for tanks to jump into their first few attempts of bosses in Hellfire Citadel. You won’t find any in-depth strategies here (though you might find them here). Instead, you’re going to get just enough information to wrap your head around the encounter; a trickle of strategy, not a firehose. This guide is ideal for those attempting Normal and Heroic Hellfire Citadel. And, as always, if you have any cool tips or tricks, please mention them in the comments!
Continue reading “Quick and Dirty Hellfire Citadel Tanking Guide”
I’ve had a volatile past with Chi Explosion. I’ve never loved it, and at times I’ve hated it so passionately that I considered rerolling. The most I’ve given it was an ambivalent acceptance, acknowledging that it was an interesting decision when compared against Serenity and, if there were more applicable fights, Soul Dance. But nowadays I’ve found myself using it, and for reasons I’d never predicted. Beyond the personal damage boost, Chi Explosion makes me think more about tanking.
Continue reading “Great Exploding Orbs of Chi – The Offensive Paradox”
I can’t say we weren’t expecting this. Brewmasters have often enjoyed being strong tanks, but never to the degree we saw in Blackrock Foundry. High Stagger, brought about by unexpectedly high gear levels and our own excellent mastery, allowed Brewmasters to overcome mechanics that were quite challenging to other tanking classes. We were breaking mechanics, tanking things that weren’t meant to be tanked, and shrugging off attacks that required externals cooldowns on other tanks. Something had to change. What we did not expect was the magnitude and location of those changes.
Continue reading “When We Have Shuffled off this Mortal Coil”
I’m still developing an opinion on these changes, so this post will be absent any theorizing. Today I’ll cover and clarify the objective changes to Brewmaster monks as of Tuesday, April 14th, and the subjective reactions will come later. (Feel free to post your own opinions in the comments, though.)
Also, it’s very likely the set bonuses and legendary ring will change, among other things (hopefully many things).
Continue reading “6.2 Brewmaster Patch Notes as of April 14th”
I planned to post this yesterday, back when it was timely. But I got a fancy beer instead. We have miraculously few changes this patch. A dps nerf, a tankiness buff, some talent buffs. Most of what you might have seen in data mining is simply tooltip updates for hotfixes that happened a long time ago.
Sticking to brewmaster changes to keep things simple.
This guide is the distilled essence of what is needed for tanks to jump into their first few attempts of bosses in Blackrock Foundry. You won’t find any in-depth strategies here (though you might find them here). Instead, you’re going to get just enough information to wrap your head around the encounter; a trickle of strategy, not a firehose. This guide is ideal for those attempting LFR, Normal, and Heroic BRF.
Continue reading “The Quick & Dirty Tanking Guide for Blackrock Foundry”
Lately, I’ve seen lots of complaints and confusion about our class, whether we’re underpowered and squishy or whatever. I’ve seen the same complaints for every other tanking class, so I’m pretty sure it’s not just us.
So if it’s not our class, why are heroics so hard?