Dota 6.60 Official Changelog:

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## Heroes ##
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* Added a new hero Batrider to the Scourge [details below]
* Added a new hero Tauren Chieftain to the Sentinel[details below]
* Lightning Revenant: Reworked [details below]
* Medusa: Replaced Chain Lightning with a new ability Mystic Snake [details below]
* Medusa: Replaced Purge with a new ability Stone Gaze [details below]
* Netherdrake: Replaced Frenzy with a new ability Nethertoxin [details below]
* Rogue Knight: Replaced Toughness Aura with a new ability Warcry [details below]
* Slayer: Replaced Ultimate with a new ability Fiery Soul [details below]
* Twin Head Dragon: Replaced Autofire with a new ability Liquid Fire [details below]
* Troll Warlord: Replaced Rampage with a new ability Battle Trance [details below]
* Rogue Knight: Reworked how Stormbolt works [details below]
* Morphling: Reworked how Morphiling’s Adaptive Strike works [details below]
* Crystal Maiden: Replaced Frost Nova with a similar new ability Crystal Nova [details below]
* Phantom Assassin: Changed Blink Strike to a new ability Phantom Strike [details below]
* Ogre Magi: Reworked Multicast chance mechanism [details below]
* Sniper: Replaced Scattershot with a new ability Shrapnel [details below]
* Troll Warlord: Replaced Fervor Aura with a new ability Fervor (works like Beastmaster’s passive used to)
* Beastmaster: Replaced Beast Rage with a new ability Inner Beast (works like Troll’s old attack speed aura)
* Anti-Mage: Reworked Mana Void damage mechanism (now deals equal splash damage to units nearthe target)
* Silencer: Recoded Last Word to properly detect animation canceling and silence after a spell is casted
* Treant Protector: Reworked Eyes in the Forest [details below]
* Admiral: Lowered Agility (18->14) and Agility Per Level (1.7->1.3)
* Axe: Lowered Base Armor by 1 point (2.8->1.8)
* Bane Elemental: Improved cast range on Enfeeble (800->1000)
* Bristleback: Improved Base Intelligence growth by 0.6
* Bristleback: Improved side angles on Bristleback (90->110)
* Bristleback: Returned the Bristleback passive Quill Spray release cap back (300->250)
* Broodmother: Changed spiderling’s armor type from medium to normal and now take damage from first towers (50->100 %)
* Crystal Maiden: Lowered Brilliance Aura (0.75/1.5/2.25/3->0.5/1/1.5/2)
* Dark Seer: Improved Vacuum cast range (600->800)
* Dark Seer: Lowered Ion Shell cooldown (15->7 cd)
* Dark Seer: Vacuum no longer goes through magic immunity
* Dark Seer: Vacuum now drags the units in over 0.3 seconds rather than instantly
* Death Prophet: Witchcraft no longer gives movement speed bonus
* Geomancer: Changed Poof damage (60/80/100/120->50/80/110/140)
* Geomancer: Lowered Poof cooldown (20/18/16/14->16/14/12/10 cd)
* Invoker: Improved Alacrity duration (6->8)
* Keeper of the Light: Changed Mana Leak stun into a slow (2 seconds, 60 %)
* Keeper of the Light: You no longer lose control of your hero when knocked back with Blinding Light
* Lifestealer: Removed the initial stun effect from Open Wounds
* Lion: Voodoo duration reduced from 1/2/3/4 to 1.25/2/2.75/3.5 seconds
* Lone Druid: Added Battle Cry to all level of True Form and scaled the bonus damage/armor (20/2->20/2, 40/4, 60/6) and lowered duration (10->8 seconds)
* Lone Druid: Changed Spirit Bear’s ability progression (Lv1->Adds Inventory, Lv2->Adds Return, Lv3->Adds Entangle, Lv4->Adds Demolish and Spell Damage Reduction)
* Lone Druid: Improved True Form’s melee attack range (100->150)
* Lone Druid: Rabid now goes on both the Spirit Bear and Lone Druid when casted instead of requiring a target
* Lone Druid: Removed One from True Form
* Lone Druid: Spells now last the same duration on Spirit Bear as they do on heroes
* Lord of Avernus: Lowered Death Coil cooldown (7->6 seconds)
* Lord of Avernus: Gets the Mark of the Abyss buff on his first attack instead of on his second attack
* Luna: Increased Lunar Blessing aura range (300->900)
* Magnataur: Lowered Reverse Polarity cooldown (120->120/110/100 seconds)
* Magnataur: Improved attack animation time
* Magina: Undid recent buffs to base strength (21->16)
* Naga Siren: Reduced collision size (24->8)
* Naga Siren: Lowered Mirror Image cast time
* Naga Siren: Lowered Mirror Image cooldown (50->40 seconds) and manacost (85/105/130/150 to 70/80/90/100)
* Necrolyte: Rebalanced Heartstopper Aura from 0.5/0.75/1/1.25% to 0.4/0.6/0.8/1% and range from 700/800/900/1000 to 1000
* Necrolyte: Lowered Strength per level (2.0->1.5)
* Obsidian Destroyer: Lowered Astral Imprisonment cooldown (20->18/16/14/12 seconds)
* Pandaren Brewmaster: Improved Fire Panda’s Immolation (10/10/30->15/30/45)
* Pugna: Life Drain max range improved by 50 and its cast range is now equal to its max range
* Rhasta: Voodoo duration reduced from 1/2/3/4 to 1.25/2/2.75/3.5 seconds
* Rogue Knight: Improved Great Cleave damage (10/20/30/40->20/30/40/50 %)
* Sacred Warrior: Removed the cap on Burning Spears
* Shadow Fiend: Improved Presence of the Dark Lord armor reduction (1/2/3/4->2/3/4/5)
* Shadow Priest: Lowered Shallow Grave cooldown (80/60/40/20->54/40/26/12 cd)
* Silencer: Lowered Last Word duration (1/2/3/4->0.75/1.5/2.25/3)
* Slardar: Slithereen Crush damage type is now Physical type
* Spectre: Restored some vision back to Spectral Dagger path
* Spirit Breaker: Improved AOE on Empowering Haste and added 2% more movement speed bonus
* Stone Giant: Craggy Exterior now gives armor bonus (3/4/5/6)
* Stone Giant: Craggy Exterior now triggers off of units with 300 range rather than just based on melee classification
* Templar Assassin: Changed Refraction duration/cooldown (20/23->17/17)
* Templar Assassin: Changed Psi Blades spill range (80/160/240/320->320) and attack range bonus (50/100/150/200->40/100/160/220)
* Templar Assassin: Refraction is now an instant cast ability
* Terrorblade: Now gets a movement speed bonus during Metamorphosis (+20)
* Tinker: Restricted Black King Bar from refreshing
* Troll Warlord: Rebalanced Blind. Miss from 15/24/33/42 -> 20/28/36/44% and Cooldown from 8 -> 15/12/9/6 seconds
* Twin Head Dragon: Rescaled Ice Path (0.5/1/1.5/2->0.8/1.2/1.6/2 seconds)
* Undying: Lowered Base Armor by 3 points (6->3)
* Undying: Tombstone no longer spawns zombies to attack fogged units
* Ursa Warrior: Rescaled Overpower from 100/200/300/400% IAS with 5 attack count to a constant 400% IAS with 3/4/5/6 attacks
* Vengeful Spirit: Improved Strength Per Level by 0.5
* Vengeful Spirit: Improved Command Aura range (450->900)
* Vengeful Spirit: Improved Wave of Terror a little and added some minor damage (25/50/75/100). Lowered AOE slightly (350->300)
* Vengeful Spirit: Now has normal Base Attack Time (1.77->1.7)
* Windrunner: Lowered Base Attack Time (1.6->1.5)
* Zeus: Arc Lightning becomes available for casting immediately after cooldown rather than wait for the Lightning to finish traveling. Cooldown increased from 2 to 2.5 seconds.

###########
## Items ##
###########

* Added a new basic item Ghost Scepter [details below]
* Added a new basic item Quelling Blade [details below]
* Added a new basic item Talisman of Evasion [details below]
* Added a new recipe item Poor Man’s Shield [details below]
* Added a new recipe item Force Staff [details below]
* Added a new recipe item Khadgar’s Pipe of Insight [details below]
* Added a new recipe item Magic Wand [details below]

* Aghanim’s Scepter: New Recipe [details below]
* Manta Style: Reworked [details below]
* Diffusal Blade: Can be upgraded once. Original stats adjusted [details below]
* Maelstrom: Recipe and stats adjusted [details below]
* Linken Sphere: Rewrote parts of the following abilities to be compatible with Linken Sphere: Shackleshot, Brain Sap, Spirit Lance, Test of Faith, Malefice, Poison Touch, Shadow Word, Astral Imprisonment, Life Break, X Marks The Spot, Battle Hunger, Open Wounds, Electric Vortex, Paralyzing Casks, Multicast, Adaptive Strike Strength>Agility, Nether Swap, Rupture, Stifling Dagger, Sprout, Lightning Bolt, Lion’s Impale, Nerubian Assassin’s Impale, Ravage, Burrow Strike, Unstable Concoction, Mana Leak, Sven’s Storm Bolt, Reaper’s Scythe, Nether Strike, Gush.

* Assault Cuirass: Lowered recipe cost (2000->1500 gold)
* Assault Cuirass: Positive and negative armor auras now work on structures
* Blademail: Returns pure damage type
* Bloodstone: Lowered regeneration per charge (2->1.5) and passive regeneration (200->150 %)
* Cranium Basher: Uses Belt of Giant Strength along with a slight increase to stun duration (1.1->1.4 seconds). Total cost is unchanged.
* Divine Rapier: Improved damage (200->250 dmg)
* Eul’s Scepter of Divinity: Can be used to target yourself
* Eye of Skadi: Lowered recipe cost (1250->750 gold)
* Gem of True Sight: Lowered item cost (750->700 gold)
* Headress of Rejuvination: Lowered recipe cost (225->200 gold)
* Linken Sphere: No longer interrupts your teleportation when it blocks a spell
* Lothar’s Edge: Added 125 backstab damage
* Lothar’s Edge: Lowered cooldown by 2 seconds (20->18 cd)
* Lothar’s Edge: Requires Claymore instead of Mithril Hammer
* Magic Stick: Added a 25 second cooldown (it now has a buildup)
* Manta Style: Can now be disassembled
* Manta Style: Increased cooldown (40->50 cd)
* Mask of Madness: Lowered recipe cost (1050->1000 gold)
* Mithril Hammer: Lowered item cost (1610->1600 gold)
* Monkey King Bar: Now has an extra new passive ability True Strike that can be toggled on and off [details below]
* Phase Boots: Changed the duration/cooldown (5/10->6/12 seconds)
* Phase Boots: Lowered armor bonus (7->5 armor)
* Planeswalker’s Cloak: Lowered item cost (650->400 gold)
* Radiance: Removed the 8% evasion and improved burn damage (35->40), AOE (550->650 AOE), and recipe cost (1525->1350 g)
* Refresher Orb: Mana regen is now the total sum of its components (150->200%)
* Ring of Regeneration: Lowered item cost (375->350 gold)
* Sange and Yasha: Removed the recipe requirements
* Satanic: Changed Unholy Rage active (+15% lifesteal and +30 damage for 20 seconds -> +150% lifesteal for 3.5 seconds)
* Satanic: Now retains the bonus damage from Helm of the Dominator
* Stout Shield: Changed damage block system [see details below]
* Stout Shield: Lowered item cost (300->250 gold)
* The Butterfly: Now requires Talisman of Evasion instead of a recipe
* Vanguard: Improved block chances (65->70%)
* Vanguard: Improved health regeneration (5->6 hp)

* Heroes that use scepter now have the information about the upgrades they would get on their ultimate tooltips.

* Aghanim’s Scepter: Upgraded Chain Frost doesn’t improve bounce count, only damage
* Aghanim’s Scepter: Upgraded Eclipse cooldown no longer improves, only the Lucent Beam count gets upgraded
* Aghanim’s Scepter: Upgraded Laguna Blade level 3 damage reduced by 100
* Aghanim’s Scepter: Upgraded Life Drain cooldown removed and damage reduced (170/200/300->150/200/250)
* Aghanim’s Scepter: Upgraded Mass Serpent Wards bonus count nerfed (12->10)
* Aghanim’s Scepter: Upgraded Sonic Wave cooldown reduced from 120/100/75 to 110 (Still improves from original 135 cd and via damage)
* Aghanim’s Scepter: Removed from Ogre Magi (Might return it later after the rework has time to settle in first)

* Added Bane Elemental to Aghanim’s Scepter. Deals more damage
* Added Butcher to Aghanim’s Scepter. Deals damage based on his strength and aborbs that to heal himself. Damage from a constant 75/125/175 per second to 75/125/175 + 0.75 x Strength per second
* Added Clockwerk Goblin to Aghanim’s Scepter. Allows latching onto allies and reduces cooldown from 80/60/40 to 20 seconds
* Added Faceless Void to Aghanim’s Scepter. Lasts 1 second longer and slightly less cooldown
* Added Holy Knight to Aghanim’s Scepter. Dramatically reduces cooldown from 120 to 30
* Added Invoker to Aghanim’s Scepter. Improves Cooldown and Manacost (30/25/12/5-> 16/8/4/2 cd, 20/50/80/110->0 manacost)
* Added Juggernaut to Aghanim’s Scepter. Improves Slash Count and Cooldown (+2 slashes, -20 cd)
* Added Lord of Avernus to Aghanim’s Scepter. Increased duration by 2 seconds
* Added Nightstalker to Aghanim’s Scepter. Gives unobstructed vision at night
* Added Pandaren Brewmaster to Aghanim’s Scepter. Improves the power of the Pandas and adds more duration
* Added Sacred Warrior to Aghanim’s Scepter. Improves Damage and cooldown (50->65% damage, 45/30/15->24/16/8 Seconds)
* Added Sand King to Aghanim’s Scepter. Adds an extra pulse and lowers cooldown (+1 Pulse, -20 cd)
* Added Shadow Priest to Aghanim’s Scepter. Increased Weave duration by 6 seconds. Added 200 AOE
* Added Spiritbreaker to Aghanim’s Scepter. Dramatically reduces cooldown from 75 to 20 seconds
* Added Techies to Aghanim’s Scepter. Improves Damage and Cast Range (300/450/600->450/600/750 damage and 500->900 range cast range)
* Added Twin Head Dragon to Aghanim’s Scepter. Improves spawn time and damage (75/125/175->125/175/225 dmg)
* Added Vengeful Spirit to Aghanim’s Scepter. Improves Cooldown (45->10 cd)
* Added Windrunner to Aghanim’s Scepter. Does not reduce damage from secondary item effects. Cooldown from 60 to 15.

* Summary of heroes that now make use of Scepter: Lord of Avernus, Bane Elemental, Holy Knight, Clockwerk Goblin, Shadow Priest, Sacred Warrior, Invoker, Juggernaut, Tormented Soul, Slayer, Demon Witch, Moon Rider, Necrolyte, Nightstalker, Pandaren Brewmaster, Butcher, Oblivion, Queen of Pain, Shadow Shaman, Crystal Maiden, Spiritbreaker, Sand King, Twin Head Dragon, Vengeful Spirit, Venomancer, Faceless Void, Windrunner, Witch Doctor, Lord of Olympia.

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## Misc Highlight ##
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* Reorganized heroes into taverns based on hero class. There are now 3 taverns per class, the “good” tavern has the heroes that are easier to recognize as “good”, the evil tavern has the heroes that are easier to recognize as “evil” and the mix as the ones that are in between. In each tavern the heroes are organized inside of it by alphabet. The Taverns are colored according to the class. For example, the good Intelligence tavern is Blue with the color darkening as it goes to the evil side.

* Side shops are now organized independent from their item slot in their original stores. This also fixes hotkey conflict issues.
* Reworked the side shop item layouts. There are now two shops there, a Goblin Laboratory and a Goblin Merchant. New items have been added to these shops. Here is the complete listing of the items in there:
Goblin Laboratory: Scroll of Town Portal, Magic Stick, Sobi Mask, Stout Shield, Ring of Regeneration, Ring of Health, Cloak, Helm of Iron Will, Mask of Death
Goblin Merchant: Slippers of Agility, Boots of Elvenskin, Belt of Giant Strength, Robe of the Mage, Quelling Blade, Gloves of Haste, Blades of Attack, Quarterstaff, Talisman of Evasion, Kelen’s Dagger, Ultimate Orb
* Reorganized all the recipe shops. The goals are both to make room for the recently added items and more importantly to organize them in a manner that makes guessing correctly where an item is an easy task for both existing and new players. I know none of us like to relearn item layouts, but this is a good thing to do for the long run.
- There are 6 recipe shops now in the following order:
Gateway Relics: Misc items that are primarily early game upgrades
Supportive Vestments: Various support style items that you get for your team
Arcane Sanctum: Castable or spell heavy themed items
Protectorate: Has mainly defensive/survival style items
Enchanted Artificats: Mostly orb effect items (with the exception of Yasha)
Ancient Weaponry: All other weapon items.

Note: I’m aware that Aegis is no longer needed in the shops, but I’m keeping it there until we need the space to help new users be aware of its existance through Roshan.

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## Modes & Commands ##
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* Added a new game mode -cd (-CaptainsDraft) [details below]
* Added a new game mode -rs (-randomside) to randomize which side your team starts in. This does not shuffle the players. It just places a team randomly as either Sentinel or Scourge.
* Added -random Intelligence/Strength/Agility. It gives you 100 less bonus gold than the 250 bonus gold the regular -random gives you.

* Added a new -tips system.If you enter the command, the game will give you 5 pointers (at various stages in the game) that are unique to each hero to help you get the basics down. These are not intended to imply guideliens on how to play a hero, but rather as simple tips if you are new with that hero. These are a work in progress.
* Added -water random
* -water now supports any color combinations using -water r g b format

* You can now change the terrain using -terrain snow on a per user basis. It is no longer a game mode. The “-terrain” or “-terrain default” command reverts the terrain to its normal state. Some of the other terrain modes you guys have emailed me about are still being worked on. I disabled them from this version because of some glitches they cause that haven’t been fixed yet. I will work on them more in the future if you guys want them.

* Added -disablehelp to Force Staff
* Added a command to display bonus gold received from Goblins Greed (-gg)
* Added -aa (Arrow Accuracy) for Elune’s Arrow hit percentages
* -disablehelp now prevents items from being picked up by non-owners from the fountain area
* -oi is turned on by default in observer games. Using -oi will disable it instead.
* Added a sub command to -om that disables neutral spawns
* Added a player only command “rollhero” or “-rh” to randomly display a heroname. This has no actual functional effect in the game, just a small easy command that some players wanted for their play groups.
* AFK detection no longer considers a player to be AFK during the drafting phases of some game modes

* Switch is disabled by default. Added a new temporary game mode -switchon (-so). Haven’t developed a new replacement system for switch yet. There are a few ideas I experimented with but nothing final yet. Based on the feedback I’ve gotten, I think the best thing to do is to disable it by default and allow a mode for it until a more suitable usage of it can be implemented.
* Improved the text presentation of -switch a little bit so the text is less intrusive

############################
## Gameplay & Performance ##
############################

* Added a few new terrain paths. Here are the rough areas that a change has been done in:
- To the right of the Sentinel Secret Shop above the ramp
- Above the Sentinel Goblin Shop
- Between the forest and the top Scourge lane
- Right side of sent jungle
- To the right of the second top Sentinel tower
- Added a new tree to the Scourge jungle
- In the area between the pair of Scourge neutrals near the powerup

* Range rax no longer has extra regeneration
* Added a new regeneration armor mechanism for towers and rax.
- The “regen armor” is stripped away whenever there are nearby creeps (or corpses). It gets restored once 15 seconds elapse without a nearby unit.
- If a tower or rax takes damage without the regen armor, that life lost can never be naturally regenerated. If it does have the regen armor, then it will regenerate at a rate of 40hp/seconds and take only 25% damage from illusions.
- Flagged areas are 1) All places considered in or near base 2) second Top Tower 3) second Mid Tower 4) second Bot Tower.

* Increased the non-splitting portion of the xp/gold from 8/level xp & 40 gold to 12*level xp & 30+5*level
* The non-splitting xp/gold bonuses are now doubled for EM like the rest of the xp/bounty system is

* Changed the damage type of the first tower to be Siege like the rest of the towers. Adjusted the damage table to keep the damage creeps take in the laning phase unchanged.
* Tower does not regenerate from allied damage (when trying to deny)

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## Cosmetic & Misc ##
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* Added two new hero kill sounds for 4x and 5x kills
* Added hero and creep stats to the scoreboard title by default
* Deny visual effect is shown by default now. -cson/off toggles it on and off. -di functionalities (and some extras) are now enabled by default.
* The upgrade mechanism of courier has been changed. You no longer lose the hotkey bindings you have when it is upgraded to crow.
* Many passive icons have been replaced with proper passive borders (will do the remaining in the near future)
* Improved color/text presentation for runes
* Adaptive Strike now displays the stun duration as overhead
* Added a joke name to Dragon Knight
* Added a new ability on couriers “Return Home” that sends your courier back to base
* Added a new ability on couriers “Transfer Items” that transfers your items to your hero directly
* Added a new visual effect for Death Pulse
* Added a new visual effect for Last Word
* Added a new visual effect for Mana Void
* Added a warning message when an old unsafe version of Warcraft is detected
* Added a player only sound effect and a text message when your hero respawns
* Added allied-only text message when an ally bottles or picks up a rune
* Added Armor Aura to Neutral Creep Enraged Wildkin
* Added joke name to Axe
* Added text for observers to show what abilities heroes are leveling
* Added the “Allied hero has fallen” sounds
* Added the music that plays in single player when typing “TenthLevelTaurenChieftain” to “-music special”
* Adjusted neutral creep active abilities to all be on the bottom left most spot
* Blackhole now uses an AOE targetting interface
* Bottled Runes now show color coded icons
* Changed Bottle and Captured Rune Icons
* Changed Magic Stick Icon
* Reduced maximum AFK time from 10 to 5 minutes
* Changed Omnislash hotkey from N to E
* Changed the cosmetics on Razor’s attack
* Improved the Cooldown animation so it is much easier to tell when a long cooldown spell is available
* Lothars windwalk icon is now the same as the item
* Lycan’s attack while in Wolf Form now properly plays an attack sound
* Normal mode can now pick from their team’s heroes plus neutral heroes
* Removed Furion teleportation restriction into enemy base (no need because of the new regen system)
* Rot no longer triggers Last Word
* Rune of Regeneration now expires once it you reach max hp and mp
* Silencer Intelligence stealing is now displayed as green for the +1 and red for the -1
* Splitshot no longer automatically turns off when you get disabled
* Stout Shield has a new icon now. Poor Man’s Shield uses stout’s old icon.
* Terrain snow now morphs regular trees into special snow trees.
* Updated Illusion Rune tooltip
* Updated Morph’s tooltip to reflect the recent attributes bonus added to it
* You no longer lose vision if an ally or yourself that is targeted with Astral Prison
* Improved icon for Soul Steal (172705)
* Added a new icon for Sunder (172705)
* Added a new icon for Tombstone (263561)
* Added a new icon for Lycan’s Feral Heart (180452)
* Changed the icon for Ring of Protection
* Decreased model size of Spirit Bear and True Form slightly
* Added a new visual effect to God’s Strength
* Enigma returns to the Scourge alliance
* Linken Sphere now plays a sound when the cooldown is ready and its active on you

##########
## Bugs ##
##########

* Diffusal Blade automatically fixes itself to burn properly on images when it reaches 0 charges (you used to have to drop and pick it up)
* Fixed a bug with manavoid damage (it dealt less damage than it should at higher levels)
* Fixed a rare bug with Open Wounds allied lifesteal
* Fixed a bug with Open Wounds and Infest
* Fixed a Moonlight Shadow not working on allied magic immune units
* Fixed a rare suicide bug with Terrorblade
* Fixed a recently introduced bug with Ursa’s Enrage not properly triggering fury swipes
* Fixed -hhn to not get reset when a new hero enters the map
* Fixed some bugs with Last Word when Silencer was dead
* Fixed Illusions created from Bottle not showing bottle in inventory
* Fixed Meat Hook not interrupting channeling if the target is fogged
* Fixed Open Wounds heal not working properly with some custom spells
* Fixed Replicate not removing the image when it errors due to backdooring
* Fixed some minor potential bugs with Ion Shell
* Fixed some -switch issues when combined with -ah
* Fixed some very minor inconsistencies between Sentinel and Scourge buildings
* Fixed spells like Laser and Brainsap to work with Decrepify
* Fixed spells like Zeus’s Wrath of God from reseting the AFK counter
* Fixed the attachment effects on Invoker, Lina, Lich and Chaos Knight from disappearing and reapearing 1 second later after attack actions.
* Fixed the creep upgrade timer to be in sync with the recent game start time for modes
* Fixed Tiny’s Illusions appearing small

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# Languages #
#############

The game is now available in 9 languages (5 new ones). English, Russian, Traditional Chinese, Simplified Chinese, Korean, French, Czech, German, and Brazilian Portuguese.

###########
# Details #
###########

Captains Draft:
===============
24 Heroes are randomly allocated in a circle (like RD). The 24 consist of 8 random Intelligence/Agility/Strength heroes, sorted in that order along the circle.

Each team has a total time bank of 2.5 minutes. Blue/Pink draft the heroes for their entire team.

Blue and Pink start off by alternating 1/1/1/1 ban picks.
It then goes into a 1/2/2/2/2/1 hero draft.

Once a hero picks/bans a hero, it immediately switches to the other player to act.
Your timer is shown in read when it is your turn to act.

I am considering implementing a new order for the bans for this mode in the future. The bans would not all happen before the pick process, it would be in between picks. I decided to keep it the traditional way for now and get some feedback on alternatives.

Quelling Blade:
================
+36% bonus damage to non-hero units (12% for ranged heroes)
Tree Chop
- Kills a Tree
- 40 Cooldown
Cost: 250
Has no sell price
Available at the Goblin Merchant

Can only carry one

Talisman of Evasion:
====================
+25% Evasion
Cost: 1800

Stout:
======
250 Gold
+60% to block 20 (10 for ranged)

Note: It has the same statistical value as before for melee.

Poor Man’s Shield:
==================
(250) Stout Shield
(300) 2x Slippers of Agility

+60% to block 20 non-hero damage (10 for ranged)
+100% to block 20 hero damage (10 for ranged)
+6 Agility

Force Staff:
============
(900) Quarterstaff
(1000) Staff of Wizardry
(300) Recipe
Total: 2200

+10 Intelligence
+10 Damage
+10 Attack Speed
Force (active)
Cooldown: 30
Manacost: 100
Castrange: 800
Mechanic: Pushes a unit (enemy, allied or self) 500 units in the direction that unit is facing.

This does not interrupt channeling spells

Khadgar’s Pipe of Insight:
==========================
(2050) Hood of Defiance
(909) Natherzim Buckler
(800) Recipe
Total:3759

A powerful artifact of mysterious origin, this pipe gives the bearer the insight to summon fields of null energy which envelop nearby allies, protecting them from 400 spell damage. Buff lasts 8 seconds.

+30% Magic Resistance
+8 HP Regeneration
+5 Armor
Barrier (Active)
Cooldown: 60
Manacost: 100
AOE: 700
Mechanic: Provides a 400 damage magic damage shield on nearby allied units. Affects Heroes and non-player creeps. If a unit already has this buff when another barrier is casted, it will override the buff with the new one instead of stacking additively. Buff lasts 8 seconds

Note: The 400 damage is before any magic reductions, not after. So a 300 damage spell removes 300 life from the shield, and not the 225 basic spell resistance. It is taken off the shield before it hits you, thus before any magic resistance is taken into effect.

Ghost Scepter:
==============
1500 Gold
Ghost Form (Active)
+7 All Attributes

Ghost Form: You change form for 4 seconds, taking 44% bonus damage from spells but being immune to physical attacks.
Duration: 4
Cooldown: 25

Monkey King Bar’s True Strike:
==============================
Makes your attacks never miss.

True Strike Does not stack properly with orb or chance abilities like Frost Arrows, Headshot, etc.

True Strike can be toggled on and off.

Note: MKB still has proc effect

Magic Wand:
===========
(159) 3x Ironwood Branch
(200) Magic Stick
(125) Recipe
Total: 474

+3 All Stats
Energy Charge (15 Charges)

Aghanim’s Scepter:
==================
(2000) 2 of any of Blade of Alacrity, Ogre Axe or Staff of Wizardry
(1200) Point Booster
(1200) Recipe
Total: 4400

+10 All Attributes
+200 HP
+150 MP
Improves Ultimates (see list of ultimates in log or on the ultimate tooltips for the heroes it improves)

Diffusal Blade:
===============
(2000) 2x Blades of Alacrity
(450) Robe of the Magi
(850) Diffusal Blade Recipe
Total: 3300

22 Agility
6 Intelligence
Feedback (20 mana)
Purge 8 charges

Diffusal Blade Level 2:
=========================
(3300) Diffusal Blade
(850) Diffusal Blade Recipe
Total: 4150

26 Agility
10 Intelligence
Feedback (36 mana)
Purge 8 charges (upgrading to level 2 restocks your charges back to

Note: You cannot restock charges by buying the recipe again. It only upgrades once.

Old Maelstrom:
==============
1400 Claymore
1400 Recipe
450 Boots of Elvenskin
Total: 3250

+25 Damage
+6 Agility
Chain Lightning

Maelstrom:
==========
1600 Mithril Hammer
900 Recipe
500 Gloves of Haste
Total: 3000

+24 Damage
+15 Attack Speed
Chain Lightning

Manta Style:
=============
2250 Yasha
2100 Ultimate Orb
500 Recipe

Gives:
+26 Agility
+10 Strength
+10 Intelligence
+15 Attack Speed
+10% Movement Speed
+Mirror Image (same as old one)
Images deal 33% (previously 40%)
Images take 350% (previously 300%)

Shrapnel:
==========
Fires a ball full of shrapnel into the air. which promptly explodes, showering the target area. Enemy units that walk in this area get damaged and slowed. Deals 30% damage to buildings. Shrapnel lasts for 10 seconds.

AOE: 450
Slow: 15/20/25/30
Slow Duration: 2
DPS: 10/20/30/40

Cast Range: 900
Cooldown: 15
Manacost: 120

Crystal Nova:
==============
AOE Damage: 80/130/180/230
AOE: 400
Slow Duration: 5
Attack Speed Reduction: 20%
Movement Speed Reduction: 30%

Cast Range: 700
Cooldown: 15
Manacost: 100/120/140/160

Adaptive Strike:
================
It now always stuns and damages.
The amount of the damage and stun varies depending on how much of each attribute you have relative to the other one.

If you have 50% more agility than strength, it deals the maximum of the damage and the minimum of the stun
If you have 50% more strength than agility, it deals the maximum of the stun and the minimum of the damage

Everything in between the two is a smooth transition from one to the other

Damage(lvl1): Min: 0.25x Agility Max: 0.75xAgi
Damage(lvl2): Min: 0.25x Agility Max: 1.5xAgi
Damage(lvl3): Min: 0.25x Agility Max: 2.25xAgi
Damage(lvl4): Min: 0.25x Agility Max: 3.0xAgi

Stun(lvl1): Min: 0.25 Max: 0.75
Stun(lvl2): Min: 0.25 Max: 1.5
Stun(lvl3): Min: 0.25 Max: 2.25
Stun(lvl4): Min: 0.25 Max: 3.0

Min Knockback distance is 100, Max is 300

Storm Bolt:
============
Targets an area around an enemy unit and releases a magical hammer dealing damage and stunning enemy units.

Damage: 100/175/250/325
Stun Duration: 2
AOE: 250
CD: 14
Manacost: 140
Cast Range: 600

Warcry:
=======

With the righteous anger of one wielding justice, Sven lets loose a mighty Warcry, heartening his allies for battle. Sven and nearby allies gain movespeed and increased armor.

Movement Speed: 12%
Armor: 3/6/9/12
AOE: 350
Duration: 6
Cooldown: 36/30/24/18

Battle Trance:
===============
Jah’rakal unconsciously uses dormant magic to awaken the savagery of every warrior on the battlefield. Greatly increases attack speed for a short duration, and lasts an additional 4 seconds on Jah’rakal.

Attack Speed Bonus: 60/80/100
Duration: 4 seconds
Cooldown: 20
Manacost: 75

Note: This is a global spell.

Liquid Fire:
============
Straight from the belly of the beast, Jakiro slowly harnesses Liquid Fire when he attacks to burn his victims (175 AOE), and slow their attacks.

Damage Per Second: 10/15/20/25
Attack Speed Reduction: 20/30/40/50
AOE: 175
Duration: 5 seconds
Cooldown: 20/15/10/5

Note: Works on buildings

Fiery Soul:
=============
Passive
Whenever she casts a spell, she will gain temporary movement and attack speed bonus.

Duration: 5 seconds
Attack Speed Bonus: 20/30/40/50%
Movement Speed Bonus: 2/3/4/5%
Stacks with itself

Phantom Strike:
===============
Teleports to a unit and attacks it. Gains 100% attack speed for 3 seconds while attacking that same target. Maximum of 4 attacks.

Cooldown: 30/20/10/5
Manacost: 50

Old Multicast:
==============
lvl 1 – 20% for 2. [Scepter: 30% for 3]
lvl 2 – 20% for 3. [Scepter: 30% for 4]
lvl 3 – 20% for 4. [Scepter: 30% for 5]

New Multicast:
==============
lvl 1 – 30% for 2.
lvl 2 – 45% for 2 or 22.5% for 3
lvl 3 – 60% for 2 or 30% for 3 or 15% for 4.

No scepter upgrades

Example: Level 2 has 50% chance for at least 2x and a 25% for 3.

This displays overhead showing which multiplier of multicast was achieved.

Eyes In The Forest:
===================
Creates an enchanted tree at a target point, allowing Rooftrellen to see the tree’s surrounding area at all times. Vision improves slightly per level.

Cast Range: 100
Cooldown: 300/225/150/75
Manacost: 100/75/50/25

Note: Creates a regular tree if cast on the Sentinel side and a dead tree if cast on the Scourge side. The trees are slightly brighter when they are enchanted.

Nethertoxin:
=============
Passive. Adds bonus damage to your attacks based on how low the target enemy is.

Level 1: 80-100=>2 60-80=>4 40-60=>8 20-40=>16 0-20=>32
Level 2: 80-100=>4 60-80=>8 40-60=>16 20-40=>32 0-20=>64
Level 3: 80-100=>6 60-80=>12 40-60=>24 20-40=>48 0-20=>96
Level 4: 80-100=>8 60-80=>16 40-60=>32 20-40=>64 0-20=>128

The equation is rather simple, it starts off with 2/4/6/8 bonus damage, and doubles each 20% missing hp.

For example, if this is level 3 and the target has 30% health, then you have 48 bonus attack damage.
If this is level 4 and the target has 15% health, then you have 128 bonus attack damage.

Gives half the bonus against creeps and buildings.

Mystic Snake:
=============
A mystic snake made of energy jumps from target to target dealing damage and stealing some energy. After it reaches its last target, it jumps back to Medusa to replenish her mana. The snake deals more damage and steals more mana per jump.

Jumps: 3/4/5/6
Damage: 60/100/140/180 + 20% each successful damage jump
Mana: 20/30/40/50 + 20% each successful mana drain jump

Example:
Target A: Unit with mana
Target B: Unit with no mana
Target C: Unit with mana
Target D: Unit with no mana
Target E: Unit with mana

At level 4:
Target A takes 180 damage and loses 50 mana
Target B takes 216 damage and loses 0 mana
Target C takes 252 damage and loses 60 mana
Target D takes 288 damage and loses 0 mana
Target E takes 324 damage and loses 70 mana

In this example, at level 4 cast spell, with a ranged creep and 2 heros both getting hit by it, you regenerate 50+60+70=180 mana

Manacost: 140/150/160/170
Cooldown: 12
Jump AOE: 475
Cast Range: 700

Stone Gaze:
===========
Any enemy units staring at the Gorgon will slowly turn to stone, removing status buffs and slowing all speed properties.

Gaze Duration: 5
AOE: 800
Speed Factor: 2/3/5
Damage to summoned units: 600/800/1000
Cooldown: 70
Manacost: 100/50/0

Doesn’t affect units that are not able to see Medusa directly (if medusa is fogged or invisible, then enemy can’t see her).

Direct line of sight is required.

#########
# Razor #
#########

Strength: 17 +1.9
Agility: 22 +2.5
Intelligence: 19 + 2.2

Attack Range: 475
Movement Speed: 295

Plasma Field:
————-
Razor releases a wave energetic plasma which grows in power as it extends outwards. Deals damage to units both on expansion and on contraction. The further the plasma is from razor the more energy it has.

Minimum Charge Damage: 40/60/80/100
Max Charge Damage:70/105/140/175
Speed: 800
AOE: 600

Cooldown: 16
Manacost: 125

Note: This can hit a unit once going out and once coming back in. Charge increases to max going outwards, then decreases to min coming inwards. This is a full circle AOE effect, a radius of small electrical effects travel outwards. It spawns from where you are and moves out with you.

Unstable Current:
—————-
Passive. Increases the movement speed and reflects a static charge whenever targeted, dealing damage and purging the unit briefly.

Movement Bonus: 3/6/9/12%
Damage: 40/60/80/100
Purge Duration: 0.3/0.6/0.9/1.2

Note: Does not trigger on attack orbs like Poison Attack or Frost Arrows

Static Link:
————
Taps into the energy of a target hero, creating a charged link between Razor and his foe. As long as this link is maintained, Razor will continue to steal damage from the target and adds it to his own.

Attack damage stolen per second: 5/10/15/20
Max link time: 10
Stolen duration: 13 seconds from link break.

Cast Range: 600
Break Range: 700

Manacost: 20/30/40/50
Cooldown: 45/40/35/30

Note: If you target a point on the ground, it will move in that path and lock onto the first hero it reaches. You have vision over the link itself.

Eye of the Storm:
——————
The Lightning Revenant calls upon a powerful storm of crackling energy, which strikes weakened enemies with deadly bolts of lightning. The storm is charged with Razor’s malevolent will, and will seek out only the most injured targets for its armor shattering blasts.

Damage: 37.5/50/62.5
Interval: 0.85/0.75/0.6
AOE: 500
Armor reduction per hit: 1 (stacks)

Duration: 20/25/30
Manacost: 100
Cooldown: 80/70/60

Damage dealt is physical. Only targets units in your vision.
This storm stops if Razor dies. Targets the lowest HP unit in the area.

############
# Batrider #
############

Strength: 23 + 2.5
Agility: 15 + 1.5
Intelligence: 24 + 2.5

Attack Range: 375
Movement Speed: 290

Cast Point 0.3
Attack Point 0.5
Hero Class: Intelligence

Sticky Napalm:
==============
Targets an area and drenches it in oil. Slows the movement speed and turn rate of units in that area. Extra casts of this on the same targets stacks.

Any fire damage from batrider will ignite the napalm, dealing damage for each stack.

Fire damage is any regular batrider attack, flamebreak or firefly

AOE: 375
Damage: 10/15/20/25
Slow: 3/5/7/9%
Turn rate reduction: 30%

Lasts 7 seconds (refreshes on hit)
Stack max: 10

Cast Range: 700
Manacost: 15
Cooldown: 3

Flamebreak:
==========
Hurls a highly explosive cocktail of dangerous chemicals at the target position. Upon impacting with an enemy the missile explodes, dealing damage and knocking all nearby foes away from the impact. Any unit who has been Napalmed will take additional damage from the blast.

Knocks back all units in the explosion area proportionally to how far they were from the center

Damage: 75/150/225/300
Max knockback: 400
Explosion AOE: 375
Detection AOE: 100
Damage: 75/150/225/300
Travel Distance: 1600

Manacost: 80/100/120/140
Cooldown: 11

Firefly:
===========
Flies high leaving a burning trail behind. Enemies who dare follow will get burned by the fiery napalm. Nothing can take the skies from him.

Trees in your path are killed by the fire.
Gives you flying pathing

Damage: 20/40/60/80 per second
AOE: 200
Spell Duration: 15
Pathing: Flying

CD: 40
Manacost: 100

Flaming Lasso:
===============
Snags a target with a constricting lasso, allowing the Batrider to drag them behind him as he moves.

Does not drag units over cliffs or impassable terrain.

If you TP or blink away or get ported away, the lasso breaks.

Cast Range: 175
Bind Range: 300
Manacost: 150
Cooldown: 130/90/50
Duration: 3/3.5/4

####################
# Tauren Chieftain #
####################

Strength: 24 + 2.7
Agility: 14 + 1.5
Intelligence: 23 + 1.6

Attack Range: 150
Movement Speed: 300

Cast Point 0.4
Attack Point 0.35
Hero Class: Strength

Since ancient times it has been prophesized by the Tauren elders that a Chieftain will come, strong as the mightiest warriors and wise as the eldest shamans. After many years of wandering the sacred lands, seeking wisdom from his forefathers, Cairne Bloodhoof has proven himself as the long awaited hero. Cairne carries with him the spirit of his mightiest ancestor, and now the ground shakes with the combined strength of the Chieftain and his guardian spirit. No physical nor magical barrier can reduce the power of his enchanted halberd, the weapon used by his guardian in ancient times. Such is the power of this axe that it can split the very earth itself. Seeking revenge for the ravaging of his homeland, Cairne will soon bring his wrath upon the Scourge.

Echo Stomp:
============
Calls upon the spirit of his ancestors to join him in an earth-shattering echo, rendering nearby foes unconcious. The spirit and Tauren Chieftain both deal 80 damage in the area, the Spirit dealing magical damage and the physical form dealing physical damage. Unconscious enemies will wake if they get hit. If the spirit is seperated from you, it will still perform its part of the spell.

If you damage a knocked out unit, it no longer becomes knocked out/immobile.

There is a spirit version of you doing the stomp animation with you at the same time (you can see it as well). You deal physical damage and it deals magical damage.

Physical Damage: 80
Magical Damage: 80
Channel Time: 1.4 seconds
AOE: 500
Knockout duration: 2/3/4/5 seconds
Manacost: 100/115/130/145
Cooldown: 15

Only player based damage can wake heroes. Damage dealt during a brief period after the stomp will not awaken heroes (0.65)

Ancestral Spirit:
=================
The Tauren Chieftain sends forth his guardian ancestor to bring ruin upon his foes. While seperate from the Chieftain, the spirit will mimic his movement and damage any unit it passes through. When it rejoins the Chieftain, it grants him bonus damage and movement speed for each enemy it has struck.

Magical Damage: 120/160/200/240
AOE: 275

Damage per creep: 3/6/9/12
movement speed per creep: 1%
Danage per hero: 10/20/30/40
movement speed per hero: 5%

Cooldown: 19
Manacost: 110
Max Charge Time: 8

If the spirit has not rejoined with you before that period, it will charge towards you to move back into you and enchant you.

Enchanted Time: 9 (The duration you have the buffs after the joining of the ancestral spirit)

Natural Order:
==============
Passive.

The Tauren Chieftain uses wisdom gathered throughout the ages to reduce everything to its most basic level. Removes base Magic and Physical resistance.

AOE: 250
Percentage nullification: 25%/50%/75%/100%

Note: This exists on the spirit as well.

Ultimate – Earth Splitter:
==========================
Using his mighty axe, the Tauren Chieften rends the very earth itself, sending a jagged crack under the feet of his enemies. After several seconds the earth implodes, sending his foes tumbling inwards. Any unit caught in the implosion will take damage based on their maximum life and have their speed slowed for a short time. Implodes after 3 seconds. Deals 35% of a unit’s maximum HP.

Cast Range: 1600
Travel speed: 600 ms
Delay after maturity: 0.5 seconds
AOE: 350
Damage: 35% of each unit’s maximum HP (half magical, half physical)
Slow Amount: 30/40/50%
Slow Duration: 3/4/5

Cooldown: 90/75/60
Manacost: 175

Example: You target a point, from where you are towards 1200 in the angle you click on, the split starts growing.
The split grows at 600 ms, so it takes 2 seconds to reach the end.
After it reaches the end, it plays an animation preparing for the implosion for 0.5 seconds and then it pulls everyone in and does the dmg/maim.

Download Link : http://www.epicwar.com/maps/98664/

The next time you are out wandering around in search of easy gold on WoW, pay a visit to the vendors that you come across. If they happen to have any items that are in limited supply, you can purchase them and then sell them at the auction house for a considerable profit. The limited supply items that sell the most are usually recipes.

Higher level characters in particular will generally help you make easy gold on WoW by paying an amount that is much larger than the price you paid the vendor initially to buy the item. These players would rather spend the extra gold to buy the item from you than have to spend the time traveling to the vendor and hope that the vendor actually has the item they need. If not, they will have to wait for the limited item to respawn, which could take several hours. By having these items on hand with you at the auction house, you are helping these players out and saving them from potentially wasting their time trying to track them down.

In order to obtain this easy gold on WoW, it’s helpful to have some sense of how the auction house works and to understand the laws of supply and demand. If other players have managed to get the same limited supply item as you and have it up for sale, you will not make as much of a profit on your sale. If the other players are offering lower prices than yours, you could even lose out entirely on your sale. Also, if you have several of the same limited supply item, you should sell them off one at a time. If you put too many out for sale at the same time, this will drive the price down. The item’s market value will drop since you are making so many available at once. Remember, the rarer items sell higher at the auction house than items that are easy to purchase due to their plentiful supply. You might have a hard time making easy gold on WoW this way if you don’t have some knowledge beforehand of how to play the auction house.

Limited supply sales can be a goldmine for you if you know where to find the right vendors and when to sell these items at the auction house. Go out and do some exploring, then spend some time at the auction house to get accustomed to how it works before you sell your items for easy gold on WoW. You want to make sure you get the best price possible for your highly demanded items.

Leveling a paladin in World of Warcraft can be very hard. Even at the higher levels. My friend Mathew started out leveling his paladin very slow. When he reached level 40, he was going extremely fast instead. That’s the advantage of a paladin build for Area Of Effect grinding (AoE). Paladins and frost mages are the only classes in wow which can do this effectively.

Of the many different character classes in WOW, each having a different accepted role, there is one lauded as superior by those who play them, and scoffed at by those around them. There are a few responsibilities that must be filled for a group of adventurers to succeed in a dungeon. There must be a “tank,” someone who gets the attention of the monsters they are attempting to kill. A healer is important to keep the group alive. There are damage dealers who are primarily responsible for slaying the monsters in melee or from a distance. Characters in charge of crowd control stall certain targets to make taking down others easier.

Each class generally fills one role with ease and can switch to another if it is needed. The Warrior, for example, is first and foremost a tank. Warriors are given the most abilities to generate and maintain the focus of the foe. But in a group with two warriors, or if another class wants to try their hand at tanking, the warrior can be used as a damage dealer. The WOW Paladin, normally used in instances as a healer and support character, can generate cause enough threat to hold the targets attention.

The Druids of Azeroth, made up of the Night Elf and Tauren populations, have an interesting mix of abilities. To WOW, they are the shape shifting Jack of all Trades. They can heal the party, with efficiency topped only by the Priest. In Cat Form they can deal melee damage and sneak around their enemies with the guile of a Rogue. If shifted into Bear Form, they are capable of performing tanking roll of a Warrior. While in Moonkin Form, they can dole out massive damage by raining down arcane and nature spells on the target. This wide range of abilities makes the druid the ideal member of any party, if one person fails, the druid can switch over to the vacated role and pick up the slack.

This is not often how the party views the situation, however. In small instance groups of five people, the druid is often taken only if they are willing to be a healer, despite their versatility. A druid desiring to fill another role, especially the popular role of damage dealing, is shunned. The WOW developers gave druids certain abilities, such as moon fire or faerie fire, which are very visible spells. These spells have beneficial effects for the group, but a druid casting them on a target will often be ridiculed from the party for ‘wasting mana’ that should be reserved for healing.

The issue stems from two major problems in WOW. The first is the lack of healer classes. There is only one class out of eight on each faction that is a dedicated healer, the Priest. There are two other classes on each side that are capable of healing, the Paladin for Alliance and Shaman for Horde, then the Druid. The low amount of available healers leads to less players playing them, which feeds right into the next dilemma. The second problem being that most players are too shortsighted to see beyond the Druids healing ability. There are many people with the immutable mindset that if a druid can heal, he should heal. While they are an effective healer, they are quite effective at every other role they can fill as well.

No one would ever accuse Blizzard entertainment of being hasty with their decisions. WOW and their other games have had their release dates pushed back many times. In the past hardcore fans of Blizzard’s work know that this delay is for the best, the company labors to produce the finest quality product. The Druid went through months of internal testing and balancing before the concept became a reality. By giving the druid all the basic abilities of a rogue, a warrior, a mage and a priest, it is quite clear they had a greater intention for the class than staple healer.

I got this history from Hunter Crowel :

World of Warcraft stands as the greatest game in the popular Warcraft series

World of Warcraft has been an extraordinary success since its launch in November 2004. It has impressed game critics and has captivated millions of players, who adore the world that the game has created. It is no longer just a game but is now a genuine phenomenon, and one that shows no signs of abating. It is one of the key games of recent times, and stands as a landmark title for online gaming.

World of Warcraft’s appeal lies in that it has created a truly engaging online world. This massively multiplayer online role-playing game is set in the world of Azeroth, a fantastic land that is filled with heroes and monsters and many other creatures. The game’s strength is that it functions as an experience, as a world that exists on its own terms that you may visit and explore as you please.

World of Warcraft is the 4th title in the series of Warcraft games, which have been entertaining people for over a decade. The series began in 1994 with the game Warcraft: Orcs and Humans, a real time strategy game set in Azeroth. This was a fine title, and a good introduction to the series, but in truth the franchise was just getting started. The best was still to come.

Indeed, it wasn’t until 1995 and the release of the second game, Warcraft 2: Tides of Darkness, that the series really found its voice. Warcraft 2 was a masterpiece, and it improved on the original in every sense. The game had beautiful graphics, epic storytelling and fascinating, absorbing gameplay. The high standards of the series continued in 2002, with the release of Warcraft 3: Reign of Chaos. This was another classic and a remarkable game in its own right. The predecessors of World of Warcraft were all superb.

Blizzard Entertainment published all of the Warcraft titles, and the games attracted a huge following. When Blizzard announced that there was going to be a 4th game in the series, it was natural that people were interested. This interest intensified when it emerged that the new Warcraft title was going to be an online multiplayer game. World of Warcraft would make Azeroth more interactive and redefine it as an experience.

The fans of the series had high expectations for World of Warcraft, as it promised to be a terrific and innovative new title. Blizzard held a beta test for the game in March 2004, and gave selected players a preview. Those who played it were very impressed and it received great reviews. The anticipation for the game’s release grew stronger as 2004 went on.

World of Warcraft was officially launched in North America on Tuesday the 23rd of November 2004. It was well received by critics. The launch was a major success, and it achieved huge sales on its first day of release. Blizzard estimated that 240,000 copies were sold in the first day alone. These were record numbers for a game of this genre and so World of Warcraft became the fastest-selling online game in history. It was a smash hit.

World of Warcraft sustained this success; in fact, the popularity of the game began to snowball. It really took off and caught the public imagination, with more and more people becoming enthralled with it. 2005 saw the game explode into a global obsession. In February it was launched in Europe and in June it was launched in China, with other countries following suit. It proved hugely popular everywhere it was released, and by 2005’s close it had more than five million subscribers worldwide.

World of Warcraft has evolved since its initial release. There have been a number of updates for the game, and the universe of Azeroth has grown. Blizzard have made improvements, fixed any problems, and have worked to make the game user-friendly. They have also expanded the game, by adding sections like Blackwing Lair, for example, the dungeon lair of Nefarion, one of the villains in the game.

In June 2005, Blizzard added major player versus player content in the form of two special battlegrounds, Alterac Valley and Warsong Gulch. Alterac Valley allows players to engage in battles of 40 on 40 people, while Warsong Gulch offers new challenges, like stealing your opponent’s flag from their camp. These battlegrounds are the most substantial update to World of Warcraft since it was released.

Now, in 2006, World of Warcraft is as popular as ever. An expansion, titled The Burning Crusade, is set for release this year, and should expand the world of Azeroth even further. World of Warcraft has become the pinnacle of the Warcraft series, and is a magnificent and distinctive game.

A lot of people out there are curious about a game that is sweeping the world of extreme sports. Its a game of chance and adventure. Its a game where you can be a spy or special agent. Heck, you can even be an army or navy commando. If its a taste for combat without the blood, then Airsoft is the extreme sport for you. But there are a lot of people out there who don’t know what the game of airsoft is. Weel, if you’ve ever wondered what airsoft is, here’s a brief look into one of the most poular games in the world.

A lot of people out there are curious about a game that is sweeping the world of extreme sports. Its a game of chance and adventure. Its a game where you can be a spy or special agent. Heck, you can even be an army or navy commando. If its a taste for combat without the blood, then Airsoft is the extreme sport for you. But there are a lot of people out there who don’t know what the game of airsoft is. Weel, if you’ve ever wondered what airsoft is, here’s a brief look into one of the most poular games in the world.

Introduction to Airsoft

You lead a normal every day routine, but in your wildest dreams you are a member of a SWAT team, a green beret or a navy SEAL armed with all the necessary weaponry. Airsoft gives you the opportunity to role play these dreams by taking part in competitive combat with your friends and fellow team mates.

So if you go down to the woods today …

What is Airsoft?

It all began in the early 1980s in Japan. At this time, the ownership of firearms was illegal but due to a significant interest, a company started manufacturing replica weapons which were spring powered and fired plastic pellets (known as BBs) propelled from the guns by compressed air. This outdoor sport quickly spread to neighboring countries and throughout the 1990s, the game appeared in Europe and North America. It is now a thriving modern combat sport attracting players from all walks of life.

The Game Itself

Some compare the airsoft game to paintballing but airsoft is a much more military style game creating a feeling of excitement, action and suspense. The aim is to eliminate your opponents by shooting at them using replica firearms and tactical accessories. There are different types of firearms for the individual roles played. Once you are hit (which at worst feels like a sharp nip), you should shout hit, and leave the combat area with your hand raised. As there is no residue mark left by the pellets, the game relies on honesty and should you be found to be cheating, you will eventually be escorted from the site.

The Equipment

In order to partake in the sport of airsoft you will need some standard items of equipment such as a gun and ammunition. Most airsoft guns are powered by compressed air, spring, gas, or electricity. The AEG (Air Electric Gun) being the most popular version comes with rechargeable batteries to power the air pump. The gun fires plastic pellets weighing from 0.12g to 0.43g. Depending on which site you use for your airsoft game, you may or may not be allowed to use grenades and smoke as additional tactical gear. The wearing of eye protection is mandatory and items such as hard lens goggles or glasses have set down standards and use of anything less just will not be tolerated. Although being hit on the body causes little or no discomfort, taking a hit in the eye or area can result in quite serious injury. It is also advisable to protect the mouth as teeth can easily be chipped by the pellets when hit in this area. When taking part in the game, you should wear army style camouflage clothing, head wear, gloves, and suitable footwear. You should also carry spare socks, a compass and a wrist watch. Although it cannot be used in the game-play, its a good idea to have a combat knife as part of your survival kit. These type of knives are useful as they have lots of different tools attached, all of which fold neatly away for safe carrying.

Digging a Little Deeper

You can check out where you can play airsoft in your area by using the local phone book or searching on the internet. You can also visit airsoft forums for the latest buzz and techniques in the airsoft community.

So … if after learning just a little about the airsoft game, you are interested in living out your fantasy, go ahead, get started and enjoy!

Table of Contents:

I. Why a Shadow Priest?

II. Talents

III. Skills

IV. Gear %2B Instances

V. Strategy

VI. Leveling 1-80

I. Why would I level a Shadow Priest?

If you were to ask 100 World of Warcraft players how much fun it is to level a priest, 98 of them would tell you they would rather kill themselves. They picture a priest as a Fortitude spamming, flash healing drone who is completely incapable of slaughtering mass quantities of mobs (and maybe you do too!)

The other two would probably tell you that it is the most fun class to level, that Shadow priests have the highest damage per mana ratio of any class, that their dps is always at the top of the charts, that they don’t need good gear to chain pull and slaughter mobs by the dozen.

My priest was the easiest to level to cap out of any character I have ever leveled, and it is because Shadow priests have an incredible array of talents that allow them to deal immense amounts of damage very quickly for very little mana, while draining the life out of your foes. How would you like to be able to group fear five mobs and kill two of them before they reach you? This is the power of a Shadow Priest.

Oh, did I mention you can heal yourself?

So, I’m assuming you’re interested by now. What exactly makes them so powerful. By the end of this guide, I hope to have you convinced by now that it’s worth giving a Shadow priest a try. It’s time you made an alt that you will stick with, or your first 80, right?

The best part about leveling a priest to 80 is you will always be in incredibly high demand. Naxx runs require a Shadow priest for boss fights, and every instance run needs priests as healers. With a quick respec and gear switch you can fill two different roles at 80, based on your liking.

Now, if I’ve convinced you that building a Shadow priest is worthwhile, open up worldofwarcraft.com and follow along on my extensive talent breakdown, and you will see exactly why Shadow priests are so powerful.

II. Talent Breakdown

In this section, I’ll break down each talent you should fill, level by level, and give you a brief explanation of how effective it is. If you haven’t already, you should open up worldofwarcraft.com Priest talent tree and look over the talents I recommend so you can see how simple it is to boost your damage and lower your mana costs.

Level 10-12: Spirit Tap 3/3

Gives you a 100% chance to gain a 100% bonus to your Spirit after killing a target that yields experience or honor. For the duration, your mana will regenerate at a 50% rate while casting. Lasts 15 sec.

This is arguably the best tier 1 talent for leveling in the game. What exactly does this do? Basically, after every kill, your mana regen rate will double, and if you are casting, you will still regen mana at your normal rate.

Spirit Tap means no downtime. Many will argue that Blackout is equally effective. Blackout grants you no added bonus for leveling, and will actually hurt your ability to use one of your most important abilities later (Mind Flay) since its range is so tiny. With Spirit Tap and plenty of spirit from gear, you will rarely have to stop fighting to drink and recover mana. My favorite leveling talent… and you’re still only level 12!

Level 13-14: your choice:

Improved Spirit Tap 2/2

Your Mind Blast and Shadow Word: Death critical strikes increase your total Spirit by 10%. For the duration, your mana will regenerate at a 20% rate while casting. Lasts 8 sec.

This talent is an investment in the future, when your Mind Blast crit rate will be much higher. However, it will not do much for you until your late 40’s, so for those of you who cannot live without Blackout…

Blackout 2/5

Gives your Shadow damage spells a 4% chance to stun the target for 3 sec.

An extremely powerful PvP talent, Blackout will save your skin in a few tight PvE situations. However, its use in PvE is very limited. I strongly recommend you pick Improved Spirit Tap.

Level 15-16: Improved Shadow Word: Pain 2/2

Increases the damage of your Shadow Word: Pain spell by 6%.

Your talents are already beginning to inflate your damage, and what better place to start than your primary DoT, Shadow Word: Pain? Helps you chain pull more effectively and helps eliminate runners (not that they are a problem for you). The effect will be more potent at higher levels.

Level 17-19: Shadow Focus 3/3

Increases the chance to hit with your Shadow spells by 3%, and reduces the mana cost of your Shadow spells by 6%.

6% mana reduction means your mana pool is effectively 6% larger. Enough said.

Level 20: Mind Flay 1/1

Assault the target’s mind with Shadow energy, causing 45 damage over 3 sec and slowing their movement speed by 50%.

Your most important damaging spell as a Shadow priest, and the most damage per mana efficient spell in the game. As soon as you get this spell, get as much spell power as possible. You want the dps of this spell to be HIGH! At first, it will probably cost too much mana to be used repeatedly in a single fight, and your wand might do just as much damage. Just wait, this skill will increase in strength very quickly.

Level 21-24: your choice…

Improved Mind Blast 4/5

Reduces the cooldown of your Mind Blast spell by 2 sec.

This talent is very nice later on when you might want to use Mind Blast twice in a fight (vs. elites, etc). However, it won’t do much for you now, as you probably (unless you’re really geared) don’t have the mana pool to use it twice per fight. This is recommended, however, if you find yourself needing to use Psychic Scream to survive…

Improved Psychic Scream 2/2, Improved Mind Blast 2/5

Reduces the cooldown of your Psychic Scream spell by 4 sec.

Reduces the cooldown of your Mind Blast spell by 1 sec.

This combo will help your survivability, however it will limit your dps vs. elites and PvP foes later on in the game. If you need to use Psychic Scream often to survive, go with this build, however, I don’t recommend it.

Level 25-27: Shadow Weaving 3/3

Your Shadow damage spells have a 100% chance to increase the Shadow damage you deal by 2% for 15 sec. Stacks up to 5 times.

This is the first of many talents that will give you +10% Shadow spell damage. A must have for any Shadow priest.

Level 28-29: Shadow Reach 2/2

Increases the range of your offensive Shadow spells by 20%.

Crucial talent for making Mind Flay more effective, as its normal range is only 20 yards! This is absolutely necessary for grinding and PvP. You will notice yourself getting hit less and pulling from longer ranges after you grab this beauty.

Level 30-32: Focused Mind 3/3

Reduces the mana cost of your Mind Blast, Mind Control, Mind Flay and Mind Sear spells by 15%.

Now you see why Mind Flay is the most mana-efficient spell in the game. This saves you 15% on two of your most important spells, and by now you should easily be able to use Mind Flay twice per fight without having to drink too often.

Level 33: Vampiric Embrace 1/1

Afflicts your target with Shadow energy that causes you to be healed by 15% and other party members to be healed for 3% of the Shadow damage you deal for 1 min.

Level 34: Improved Vampiric Embrace 1/2

Increases healing received from Vampiric Embrace by 33%.

These talents will save your life and save you time and mana. You shouldn’t ever have to heal, just drop Vampiric Embrace on a mob and go with your normal sequence of spells.

And now, for the big time talents:

Level 35-39: Darkness 5/5

Increases your Shadow spell damage by 10%.

I think Blizzard didn’t realize how unfair this would be. Free 10% spell damage.

Level 40: Shadowform 1/1

Assume a Shadowform, increasing your Shadow damage by 15%, reducing physical damage done to you by 15% and threat generated by 30%. However, you may not cast Holy spells while in this form. Your Shadow Word: Pain, Devouring Plague and Vampiric Touch abilities deal increased percentage damage equal to your spell critical strike chance.

Between levels 35 and 40, you just became a superhero (or supervillain, if that’s how you roll). 25% increased damage from Shadow spells, plus additional damage to Shadow Word: Pain. In addition, you take less physical damage!

The only problem with Shadowform is getting used to it. Where healing yourself used to be cheap and quick, now it costs an immense amount of mana, as you will now have to recast Shadowform after you heal. Try to keep your health up with Power Word: Shield and Vampiric Embrace at all times. Shadowform takes some getting used to. In emergency situations, don’t be afraid to cast a heal on yourself, however, you WILL have to stop and drink after doing so.

Level 41-44: Shadow Power 4/5

Increases the critical strike damage bonus of your Mind Blast, Mind Flay and Shadow Word: Death spells by 80%.

This is a nice damage bonus to Mind Blast and Mind Flay, two of your primary damage spells. Expect this to proc at least every other fight.

Level 45-47: Misery 3/3

Your Shadow Word: Pain, Mind Flay and Vampiric Touch spells also increase the chance for harmful spells to hit by 3% lasting 24 sec, and increases the damage of your Mind Blast, Mind Flay and Mind Sear abilities by an amount equal to 15% of your spell power.

Another crazy boost to your Mind Blast and Mind Flay damage. By now you’re definitely roasting mobs in groups of two and three. Blizzard is just unfair sometimes, aren’t they?

Level 48-49: Mind Melt 2/2

Increases the critical strike chance of your Mind Blast, Mind Flay and Mind Sear abilities by 4%.

Can’t go wrong with crit chance for two of your primary abilities. Compliments Shadow Power nicely.

Level 50: Vampiric Touch 1/1

Causes 495 Shadow damage over 15 sec to your target and causes up to 10 party or raid members to gain 0.25% of their maximum mana per second when you deal damage from Mind Blast.

Another uber-powerful DoT to add to your collection of ridiculously powerful spells. Opening with this will now give you mana back! With this ability, you are going to start to feel like a PvE god. Nothing can really slow you down at this point…

Level 51-53: Pain and Suffering 3/3

Your Mind Flay has a 100% chance to refresh the duration of your Shadow Word: Pain on the target, and reduces the damage you take from your own Shadow Word: Death by 30%.

A great talent for long fights, such as elite quests, which you are probably soloing more of by now.

Level 54: Shadow Power 5/5

Finishing off this talent is a nice addition at this level.

Level 55-59: Twisted Faith 5/5

Increases your spell power by 10% and your damage done by your Mind Flay and Mind Blast is increased by 10% if your target is afflicted by your Shadow Word: Pain.

Another unfair talent. 10% bonus damage plus 10% spell power. Just plain rigged.

Note: don’t get dispersion! While it is a nice talent for tight situations, you can do better things with your points, such as…

Level 60-64: Twin Disciplines 5/5

Increases the damage and healing done by your instant spells by 5%.

Switch over to the discipline tree and start pumping it. This talent does apply to your most important spell, Mind Flay, and I would rather have this than Dispersion.

Level 65-67: Improved Inner Fire 3/3

Increases the effect of your Inner Fire spell by 45%, and increases the total number of charges by 12.

A very nice talent that will increase the spell power bonus of Inner Fire by 45%, as well as make you more survivable.

Level 68-69: Unbreakable Will 2/5

Reduces the duration of Stun, Fear and Silence effects done to you by an additional 6%.

Nice talent for higher level mobs with those annoying Stun and Silence mechanics.

Level 70-72: Meditation 3/3

Allows 30% of your mana to regenerate while casting.

Saves you plenty of mana, especially now that your Spirit is boosted from Northrend gear.

Level 73: Inner Focus 1/1

When activated, reduces the Mana cost of your next spell by 100% and increases its critical effect chance by 25% if it is capable of a critical effect.

Very useful once in a while for a quick Mind Blast crit or a quick crit heal. Use in PvP situations as much as you can.

Level 74: Unbreakable Will 3/5

Nice extra point here to keep moving up the discipline tree.

Level 75-79: Mental Agility 5/5

Reduces the mana cost of your instant spells by 10%.

By now, you’re in full grind mode to hit level 80, so this extra 10% will save you tons of downtime and allow you to chain pull more effectively.

Level 80: Divine Spirit 1/1

Holy power infuses the target, increasing their Spirit by 17 for 30 min.

First off, congratulations on reaching level 80! It was a lot of work but I’m sure it was well worth it.

This talent will make you a PvE machine. Go grind and see how long it takes you to regenerate mana with Spirit Tap. You will literally never have to drink, and you’ll be in high demand for raids and instances since you now have two incredibly powerful buffs.

III. Skills

1. Shoot - wands are greatly underappreciated, and your wand will be one of your primary sources of dps until around level 20-25. Try to always pick up the highest dps wand before level 25, after level 25 try to get one that will boost your stats, as you will use it less and less.

2. Shadow Word: Pain [SW:P] (Level 4) - your only DoT until level 50, use it in EVERY fight. Always watch how much time is left on your SW:P, and keep refreshing it on your opponent when it goes down. It is an invaluable source of dps.

3. Power Word: Shield [PW:S] (Level 6) - your protection from death as a Shadow priest, a discipline skill which can be used even in Shadowform. This is among the most powerful instant heals in the game. In addition, it will prevent enemies from interrupting your spell casts while it is up. The main drawback is it costs a ton of mana, try to avoid casting it very frequently. At higher levels, you should be able to cast PW:S, pull two or three mobs, and drop them all before the shield goes down. If you do that, you can keep Spirit Tap going and save yourself the cost of recasting this every fight.

4. Mind Blast [MB] (Level 10) – your “nuke” spell. High damage and moderate mana cost. When you get it, it should become your “opener,” and the only non-instant spell you will use until you get Vampiric Touch.

5. Inner Fire [IF] (Level 12) – this is your protection from physical death. Without this talent you will quickly die to a high damage melee dps. IF increases your damage reduction by about 12%. At higher levels, it will also grant you spell power.

6. Psychic Scream [PS] (Level 14) – a.k.a. “fear bomb.” PS is the most effective PvE fear in the game, as it sends multiple enemies fleeing. As with any fear, be careful not to get yourself into more trouble by using it… You might end up as dinner for some ugly ogre and his wife.

7. Mind Flay (Level 20) - your main source of dps as you level. This is the most mana-efficient dps spell in the game, and it can be channeled indefinitely. It also slows melee foes as they try to charge you down.

8. Shadowform (Level 40) – increases damage done and reduces damage taken. Beast mode for priests.

9. Vampiric Touch (Level 50) - a new DoT that will restore your mana and contributes a very high amount of dps.

IV. Gear and Instances

The most important stats you will need as a Shadow priest are, in order, spell power, Spirit, Intellect, and Stamina. After level 40, your spell power will start to take off and your Intellect and Stamina will begin to decrease, since you will have Shadowform and won’t need as much Stamina to survive. Before then, however, pump Spirit, Intellect and Stamina all as much as possible, with emphasis on Spirit.

Always keep a good wand on you through level 25. Here are my recommendations:

- Lesser Magic Wand, Requires Level 6, 11.3 dps

- Greater Magic Wand, Requires Level 13, 17.5 dps

- Cookie’s Stirring Rod, Requires Level 17, 22.3 dps: this wand is a pretty rare drop from the Deadmines, but if you happen to pick it up it will be incredibly helpful.

Never worry about buying gear from the AH. Your quest and instance drops will sustain you, and after Level 40 the drops will be just plain rigged. As soon as you hit Level 58 head for the Outlands, as the green quest rewards there will double your spell power in just a few levels. After 70 your gear will be greens and blues from Northrend quests and you won’t have to worry about gear until 80.

Here are the instances I would recommend you run for gear. WARNING! Running instances may require you to sacrifice your Shadow capabilities and heal.

- Deadmines (Level 18-22): Corsair’s Overshirt, Cookie’s Stirring Rod, Emberstone Staff, Gold-flecked Gloves, Lavishly Jeweled Ring, Staff of Westfall (quest)

- Scarlet Monastery (Level 30-40): (graveyard) Necrotic Wand, Blighted Leggings, Ghostshard Talisman, Embalmed Shroud, (library) Robe of Doan, Mantle of Doan, Hypnotic Blade, Illusionary Rod, (cathedral) Hand of Righteousness, Triune Amulet, Whitemane’s Chapeau

- Zul’Farrak (Level 41-51): Bad Mojo Mask, Jumanza Grips, Lifeblood Amulet, Zum’rah’s Vexing Cane

After level 50, your quest drops will grant more spell power and you should no longer be dependent on instances for gear or leveling. Most instances other than these are very difficult to find a good group. These are the only three instances I do when leveling quickly, and when powerleveling I skip these completely unless I have someone to run me through.

You can survive without top-notch gear as a Shadow priest. Quest rewards will do just fine.

V. Strategy

In this section I’ll give you a brief outline of the spell sequences I used to fight mobs at certain levels and with certain skills. Skills in brackets [] are optional.

Level 1-3 ( Smite – Smite – Melee )

Level 4-6 ( SW:P – Smite – [Smite] – Melee )

Level 6: get a damn wand!

Level 6-9 ( PW:S – SW:P – [Smite] – Wand )

Level 10-20 ( PW:S – Mind Blast – SW:P – [Smite] – Wand )

Level 20-49 ( PW:S – Mind Blast – SW:P – Mind Flay – [Wand] ) – Wand here if you need to save mana.

Level 50-80 ( PW:S – Vampiric Touch – SW:P – Mind Blast – Mind Flay – [Wand] )

After level 30, I usually cast Mind Flay 2-3 times consecutively or just until my target drops, then move on. If you are pulling a group, start by casting SW:P on every mob in the group.

One of the most crucial for all classes of the game is the First Aid. When the class is a healer or a one who has healing skill, first aid would allow shielding yourself from hit points. The first aid is extremely effective when a one runs out of health potions too! The numerous benefits that it offers make it highly crucial for any step.

With the use of First aid you can heal yourself or raid members. In the highest level, you would have the option of making Heavy Frostweave Bandages. It can heal 5800 damage within a span of 8 seconds.

First aid is highly popular among the caster classes and rogues. They possess a lower hit points and a bandage is all that they need so as to make up for a majority of their health lost. This makes them heal faster without the assistance of healing spells.

First aid is highly cloth intensive, and there exists only a couple of ways with which you may obtain the cloth required, so as to skill up first aid. Looting and hunting from the enemies or monsters you kill, or by buying it from the auction house are the only options. It makes it extremely expensive and causes delay when you need to hunt up the cloth by killing enemies.

There are a few extremely useful side products in First Aid. Anti venoms is considered to be one of the best when levelling up incase you do not have skill or a spell that has the capability to cure poison.

Player versus player is an excellent place to use bandages. A player can make use of a bandage on a target only once every minute. In Player versus player, you have the option of moving to a hidden area or into your group of players. This way you can heal yourself without having to rely on other players.

“PVP” or Player versus player holds an extremely high feeling of everyone for themselves. You might be required to work as a team to attain a common set of goals but players tend to look only for themselves. This makes many people rely on first aid especially among those who know nothing about way to heal.

When you use first aid so as to fight, it would mean nothing more than waste of time. It would provide you the 1 minute cool down to trigger; wasting time within that one minute once you obtain the complete continuous bandage benefit.

The guide would help you in getting from 1 to 450 most efficiently and extremely fastest. The guide takes care that the resources are made the maximum use. First Aid becomes easy to skill up with the help of the guides, if you fail to follow the proper steps you would end up losing extra gold and also resource department.

Discover how you can level from 1-80 in under a week by reading our Ultimate WoW Guide Review. For more information about WoW, including how to earn more than 200 Gold/Hour, read Seth’s Warcraft Millionaire Review.

Choosing your leveling spec in World of Warcraft is one of the first decisions you will make. If you are a hunter, your choice is simple. Beast Mastery is the best hunter leveling spec in the game.

The Beast Mastery talent line, as you can imagine, is all about your pets. Quite a few talents will help your pets out in one form or another. Endurance Training increases her stamina, Bestial Discipline increases her focus regeneration, and Serpent’s Swiftness increases her attack speed. There are other talents that will help you care for your pet, like Improved Mend Pet. As you can see there is a lot of love for your pet.

However, Beast Mastery is not all about your pet. Many of the talents that help your pet, will also help you in some form. For example, Endurance Training will increase your HP on top of your pet’s stamina. Other talents will increase your ranged attack speed. In fact, Beast Mastery is as much about your attack speed as it is your pet.

When choosing your pet, you will need a pet that dishes out a bit of damage. You also need one that can take a ton of damage. My personal preference is a cat. Cats are a hybrid pet, as they can do respectable damage as well as take it. Cats are easy to find as they are available at most level ranges. I still use a cat at level 80 on my hunter, and use it as my general purpose pet, typically switching to a scorpid only for PvP.

Another good option for your pet is a bear. Bears do not do the damage that a cat or wolf will do, but they can take some serious damage before things get rough. Some people prefer a turtle pet, but they simply do not do the damage needed to keep aggro off of your hunter.

As important as your choice of pet, is your choice of weapon. As a hunter, you are as good as your bow or gun, so always keep it upgraded. The most important quality for a Beast Mastery hunter is weapon speed. Beast Mastery is not about the big numbers, it is about consistently nailing the low numbers. The consistent damage is more friendly to your pet, who is taking the mob. In many cases you can simply auto attack and kill very quickly (something you will do when you need to regain mana, but want to keep up the killing.) Avoid doing this all the time, as using your mana for your shots will greatly increase your experience gain.

Role playing games are by far my favorite and I have been playing FFXI Online for almost two years now. The one thing that I have noticed is that most players don’t solo. They’re always looking for a party. Don’t get me wrong, I see nothing wrong with partying. Even I party at times. I just don’t understand why someone would stand around for hours just waiting, when they could be somewhere fighting and gaining experience while they are waiting. I have actually seen players wait for eight hours or more. Don’t they realize that they could have gained a level or two during that time? Do they think that soloing is too hard?

Why is everyone in such a hurry? This game goes on and on, so why not take your time and just enjoy it? After all, it is just a game.

Anyone who knows me, knows that I am a true soloer. Think about it for a moment. When you are on your own all you have to worry about is yourself. You can do whatever you want, go where ever you want, fight any way you want, and only worry about keeping yourself healed. You have no one that you need to converse with, so this gives you more time. You can fight, fight, and fight some more! You will be totally surprised how much fun this can be and how much exp you will gain.

When going out on your own you just need to be careful where you go. Go where you can fight easy preys and decent challenges. Pull one mob at a time and keep your eyes open. It is important to take your time and not be in a hurry. Always keep yourself healed in between fights. Don’t take chances. I know it takes time to heal, but it is much better than keeling over and losing all that exp.

Final Fantasy has made it even easier to solo and gain exp. They increased the amount that you get from mobs and they have also added field manuals by the outposts. These manuals give you five pages to choose from. When you complete a page you receive an equal amount of gil and exp (plus what you gained out on the field) along with tabs which are ten percent of the exp. You can use the tabs at the field manual to purchase certain food items and get buffs. Utilize these field manuals and have a blast while you’re doing it!

There is one thing about soloing that you will notice and that is your skills (with the exception of magic) don’t go up much. That is because the mobs you are fighting need to be stronger. I don’t worry about this because I know that they will go up when I am partying.

You can learn a lot from soloing. You will become better in every aspect of the game. Learning from soloing will make you a much better partier. Oh, and don’t have too much fun now, LOL!

Happy soloing!