GvG Card Reveal: Crackle, Steamwheedle Sniper
Jaina Week Starts Monday!
Armory Stats - Mists of Pandaria Proving Grounds, Blue Tweets, Blizzard Art
Tuesday will have its usual maintenance, starting at 3 AM PST (every time zone) and ending approximately at 11 AM. Not a lot of people on the live game right now, since most of you are having fun on the PTR, but still something to keep in mind.
Originally Posted by Blizzard (Blue Tracker / Official Forums)
We will be performing maintenance beginning on Tuesday, December 2, at 3:00 AM PST and we expect it to be complete at approximately 11:00 AM PST. During this time the game and many web services will be unavailable.
Thank you for your patience.
Jaetch has put together a great set of tips for Wizards who mostly play solo and want to get Greater Rift keys level 38 to 40. Great information that should be useful to anyone who doesn't have a dedicated group for farming keys. Check the video as well to see it all in action.
Haven't really found any reliable resources on this, so I decided to make a post about wizard Trials.
I get that with all the talk about "L2P" and how it isn't that difficult to clear GR38+ with average Firebird gear, one of the biggest obstacles some players face is obtaining those GR38+ keys, especially players who run virtually 100% wizard in all their play time.
So for the solo players who cannot employ the services of a team or use a geared M6 DH to solo the trials, here's probably one of the better options:
Demo Video
Spec Used
Core gear:Recommended gear include a fire/CHC/CHD/socket amulet either as part of the Endless Walk set (Traveler's Pledge, Compass Rose) or a Hellfire Amulet. If not the Endless Walk set, then another high DPS ring, such as a CHC or CHD fire SOJ.
- Smoldering Core
- Five Firebird pieces (helm, shoulders, gloves, pants, boots)
- Ring of Royal Grandeur
- Cindercoat
You want as high fire DPS as possible. No need to worry about elite damage in a Trial Rift.
Optional items include Reaper's Wraps for AP management. It really helps toward the higher waves when enemies don't die after a few Meteor Shower casts.
Notes: The spec is pretty gear intensive. I tried with lesser gear before and the keys obtained were in the mid-30s, like 36/37 pretty consistently. Somewhat more optimized gear and extra Paragon points can push a little further. In a batch of 10 Trials, I obtained one GR40 key, four GR39 keys, four GR38 keys, and one GR37 key.
RNG obviously plays a factor. If you get Golgors, Exorcists and Armaddons late (e.g. wave 40+), it gets really difficult because of their natural high HP. Also, it's not possible to perma-lock enemies at higher levels simply because of AP issues. As soon as you miss a Meteor cast, mobile enemies like Exorcists, Phasebeasts, Winged Assassins and Lacuni Huntresses will scatter in every direction.
I would advise watching the video because it's easier to show than explain how the Trials go. It's a little L2P, but it's pretty straightforward.
Early waves (<30) can be completed with just Mammoth Hydra and scattered casts of Meteor Shower. A periodic Spellsteal helps. Cast Blizzard wisely because it's AP-intensive.
Mid waves (30-35) will require the mix of Spellsteal and Blizzard to hold enemies in place and buff subsequent spells. I usually prep with Spellsteal before Blizzard a split second before the wave starts to hold enemies in place.
Late waves (36-40+) will require all of the above with much more aggressive casts of Meteor Shower, repositioning of Hydra, character repositioning, as well as the utilization of health globes if Reaper's Wraps are included.
If anyone out there has similar gear and obtained low to mid GR40 keys, let me know if there are any changes you recommend.
The tweaked Marauder set will require requires that your hero cast a Hatred spender in order for Sentries to cast them as well. Echoen uploaded a short video showing the new mindblowing range Sentries have on the PTR. Check it out!
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