Vivid Dream Emerald - Useful for Moonkins?

When patch 4.0.6 came out, there was one new green gem added to the game that is centered around PvP, the Vivid Dream Emerald.  The Vivid Dream Emerald provides + 20 resilience and + 20 spell penetration.  In PvE, our blue gemmed slots will be gemmed with the Purified Demonseye, which is +20 Intellect and + 20 Spirit.  So the major question, would this gem be more useful than Purified Demonseye for PvP.  The answer is possibly depending on your situation.  I'm gonna break this into two different categories:  moonkins with offspec other than restoration and moonkins with a resto offspec.

In addition, if you are going for spell penetration cap, the cap is 228.  There is an enchant that will get you 70 spell penetration for your cloak.  There is also a PvP cloak, Vicious Gladiator's Drape of Diffusion that has 201 spell penetration.  It makes it look like you could hit the cap with just these two items, but you don't want to sacrifice hit for spell penetration, which depending on your gear, you might be doing.

Moonkins with Other Offspec -  Looking at the moonkin's vicious 5 pieces for PvP, this is the slot breakdown.

1 Meta Socket - Meta Gem of Your Choice (See prior blogs for my PvP choice)

3 Red Sockets - Use Brilliant Inferno Ruby

2 Blue Sockets - Usually Purified Demonseyes

2 Yellow Sockets - Usually Reckless Ember Topazs

If using PvE gemming strategy, you would end up with + 200 Intellect, + 40 Spirit, + 40 Haste.  If you take out all the blue and yellow sockets and replace them with Vivid Dream Emerald, you give up 40 Spirit and 40 Haste for + 80 Spell Penetration.  Even with the enchant on a cloak, you still wouldn't hit the spell penetration cap.  To hit the cap, you would also have gem with the Vivid Dream Emerald in your pristmatic slot in your relic, in your belt buckle slot, and in 2 red sockets, which means now you are giving up 80 intellect (assuming you would have used Brilliant Inferno Rubies for all those slots) as well to hit the spell penetration cap.

All this math comes down to a single fact.  If you are just building a moonkin PvP set, you will need to get the Vicious Gladiator's Cloak of Diffusion.  Once you do that, you won't need to gem with the Vivid anyway.  If you need the Vicious Gladiator's Cloak of Meditation for being hit capped (since it has Spirit on it), you will need to gem with the Vivid Dream Emerald to hit the spell penetration cap, but be prepared to give up a lot of helpful DPS stats to get it.

Moonkins with Resto Offspec - First thing that is necessary is knowing spell penetration does nothing for heals at all.  It has no benefit.  A few blog post ago, I mentioned that you can switch out 2 of our moonkin 5 piece to get the resilience bonus for your restoration spec and pick up more spirit.  The two pieces in particular were the shoulders and the chest.  The two blue gem sockets and one of the yellow gem sockets are still around.  So now, you have 60 spell penetration in a restoraton set that doesn't matter about it. 

If you are a moonkin with a restoration offspec, you should never gem spell penetration in your gear, which means you can forget about the Vivid Dream Emerald.  You can save up your Conquest points and get the Vicious Gladiator's Cloak of Diffusion to use just for moonkin alone and get the spell penetration enchant.  But have it as a seperate equipment set, not as a part of the shared set.

So all in all, the biggest advice I could give is go for the Vicious Gladiator's Cloak of Diffusion and forget about using Vivid Dream Emeralds entirely.    However, remember, don't sacrifice hit for spell penetration.  It is useful, but not more useful than hit.

PvE vs. PvP Moonkin Rotations - Yes, There is a Difference

I just recently got promoted to a rated BG leader in my guild, Conquest. (Yes, usual disclaimer.  We are recruiting for both our PvP division and PvE division.) Another BG leader and myself were talking after rated BGs last night and we were talking about DPS and how to increase it in a BG setting.  When you hear DPS rotations, you mostly think about PvE enviroments where you stand, cast spells in a certain order, and then accomadate movement.  However, when it comes to PvP enviroments, there may or may not be rotations based on the situation.  There are some things that are similar, but there are a lot different.  Here are just a few things that I thought of that are different between a PvE and PvP rotation for moonkins.

1) Most DPS Does Not Come From Nukes - In rated BGs, you don't have the luxury of standing there and just endlessly casting your usual moonkin rotation.  That is why good DPS in PvE are around 15k DPS, but good DPS in PvP are usually around 3-5k.  There are several factors behind this.  One of the biggest is resilience lessens any damage that occurs anyway.  However, the second is that no opposing player is going to let you stand there while you cast away killing their teammates.  We also shouldn't be standing in stuff like Death and Decay, Consecration, Ring of Frost, etc. while PvPing.  This means being able to do DPS while mobile is more important.  While I haven't done in depth analysis, I'm almost certain most of my DPS in BGs come from 4 spells.  Those spells are Moonfire/Sunfire, Insect Swarm, Starfall, and Starsurge on Shooting Star procs.  Now don't get me wrong.  If the opposing team is cool with me just standing there and casting my usual moonkin rotation to kill their players, I will do it all day long until they stop me.

2) Wild Mushrooms Are Much More Useful - Since I haven't done any PvE after patch 4.0.6, I don't know how reliable they have become in PvE, however, in PvP they are useful.  However, it is not necessarily for damage.  It is more useful if you have Fungal Growth and can slow their players down.

3) Thorns: The Silent Killer - I cannot tell you how many times I have seen rogues, warriors, and DKs kill themselves because I popped Thorns on myself.  It is incredible to see them just continue to hit you and whack at you while you are not dying but they are slowly losing health. 

4) Typhoon is Not for Damage - Typhoon has never been meant to do enough damage to kill a player.  It is meant to either keep players off of flags or get melee off of you so you can root them and kill them.  In addition, if you see an enemy Efforvescence or Healing Rain or Healing Circle, you can use Typhoon to knock them out of it so you can kill them as well.  Of course, if you can knock players off of ledges with Typhoon, it is kind of fun.

5) Treants: A Minor Annoyance - Treants should be used on cooldown, but for two different reasons than in PvE.  One, they are affected by Fungal Growth, which will still slow people down.  Second, they are almost like a gnat.  They won't hurt anything, (unless you use them during a Solar Eclipse) but they will be annoying as hell.  Also, it is just additional damage they may help take something down.

6) Our 4S9 Bonus - Yes, I'm trying to set up a new nomenclature to match PvE's 4T11.  Our 4 piece bonus for Season 9 is almost necessary for moonkins.  While 400 more resilience would be great for PvP by doing 2 piece balance, 2 piece resto, the ability to gain Solar and Lunar Energy from people attacking us is incredible.  This also plays a role if we actually get to do our moonkin rotation because it determines which nuke to actually cast. 

7) Moonfire/Sunfire Do More Damage When Moving - This is the major reason why it is in my top 4 damage causing spells in PvP.  If I have to move, they will do more damage if they are on a target or if I'm spamming it while moving.   Plus, having that and Insect Swarm increases the chances for Shooting Stars.  If it is in an Eclipse, even better since its damage is increased by Eclipse.

8) PvP Rotation - Although technically a misnomer, I do have a certain rotation I like to use when going against opponents in PvP.  Usually, if there is a caster, I will try to roots and solar beam them, especially if they are the kill target.  Why?  Because other casters can be controlled by Cyclone better.  With the new 8 second duration, we can kill a healer while a caster is just watching us.  If it is melee, typhoon then roots.  Also, if my Solar Beam is on cooldown, I will try to DoT up anybody in the area.  The main reason is that if the healer is focused on healing everybody else, he might just forget to heal himself which will lead to his death.  Starfall does a very similar process.  Starfall alone won't kill anybody, but it will hit everybody and put them in a panic.  If Shooting Stars procs, use the instant Starsurge on the kill target.  If everybody is controlled or left with just a few targets, I will start my PvE moonkin rotation. (DoTs, Starsurge, move towards the closest Eclipse with Wrath or Starfire, re-DoT, move back towards the other eclipse.)

9)  Reasons and  Counters for Why You Are Not DPSing - There are just a few reasons why you shouldn't be DPSing targets and there is a counter for each of them.  The most obvious is that you are silenced.  If you are in  Solar Beam, move out of it.  If it is a spell, ask for a cleanse.  Also, you may be locked downed with CC.  You may want to invest in the trinket for your faction to help you get out of movement impairing effects.  Also, cleanses may work as well depending on what it is.  Snares can be shapeshifted out of because you are a moonkin.  The only other reason you shouldn't be on a kill target is you are CCing something.  This is where having good timer mods comes in handy.  I personally recommend Forte Exorcist because you can set it up to list the player's name and tells you how long you have left on the cyclone.  That way, you can DPS the kill target and keep him CCed.  Using some sort of focus frames helps a lot with this too so you can switch targets quickly.  Set your focus on your kill target and switch to the CC target when CC is up.  Also, when you hit diminishing returns, call for another CC unless your CC target is now the kill target.

10) Remember Your Goal - Your goal is to win the BG.  If you are DPSing when you should be protecting a node or carrying a flag, then you are failing.  There is a time to DPS, but it is not all the time.  Sometimes, it is just a matter of keeping people off of a flag carrier so they can get to your base and be protected or even cap it. 

While all of these tips are more moonkin specific, there are things for every DPS that can help improve your DPS in BGs.  You just have to find the differences between how you play your class in PvP and PvE.  The best way to do that is to do some random BGs to get used to your PvP rotation in a setting where it won't hurt your rated team.

Moonkin PvP Tricks in Isle of Conquest

In the final part of my PvP series, I go through the last of the battlegrounds, Isle of Conquest.  While it is a mix of Arathi Basin and Alterac Valley, there are some specific things you can do as a moonkin.

1) Starfall At Docks Is Win - One of the most commonly used strats in Isle of Conquest is to have stealther go over to Docks, let the other team purposely take it, then destroy the catapults and glaives that come up.  Then once you kill them, you kill the other team and then capture the node.  Starfall allows you to hit all the catapults and glaives at once which makes it much easier to destroy stuff.

2) Typhoon at Hanger - Since Hanger has a nice drop off right near the flag, you can use your Typhoon to knock people off.  It may or may not kill them, but you can keep them away.

3) Wall Strategy - The big question is where should you be as a moonkin when it comes to taking down the wall.  My personal preference is to be inside the keep and running bombs.  This is for a few reasons.  One, you can be the bomb protector and prevent the enemy from disarming the bombs, usually by using Typhoon.  Two, you can graveyard camp and have a chance to get some extra honor.  Three, once the wall goes down, you are right there to help kill the boss.  The most ideal way to get in is the hanger and parachuting into the keep.  However, if you are at the docks, just get a catapult and catapult yourself over the wall.

4) PvE Gear Once Enemy General is Open - You can change gear in the middle of a BG.  Once the bosses room is open, if you have PvE moonkin gear, you might want to use it here.  Main reason is that a lot of Isle of Conquest becomes who can kill the other general quicker, something that is not even true in Alterac Valley.  Seconds may determine the winner and the loser.  In that case, you want to maximize your damage.  This is even regardless of the enemy being around because the enemy is going to focus on tanks and healers to try to wipe the group.

5) Typhoon Down the Stairs - If the enemy decides to rush your team in their general's room, you can give your team a few extra seconds by Typhoon down the stairs.  This will knock them back down and give you a few seconds to possibly finish off the boss.  Wild Mushrooms on the stairs also works incredibly well, especially when combined with Fungal Growth.

And that is is.  If you noticed trroughout this series, I very rarely talked about how to PvP, but just things we can do as moonkins.  Unfotunately, there is no blog post I can write to tell you how to PvP.  I can give you tips and tricks to use, but you have to just practice PvPing and honing your skills.  Just like you don't know every boss mechanic until you step into the raid, you won't recognize situations until you PvP.

Moonkin PvP Tricks in Alterac Valley

Part 6 of the moonkin PvP tactics takes us into the first 40 man battleground, Alterac Valley.  There are a lot of tactics you can use here to help you win in terms of protecting flags, capturing flags, etc. that have been covered already, but there are a few things moonkins can excel in with this battleground.

1) Remember Your a Druid - You can stealth all the way to the other base and capture the closest graveyard.  In fact, if you are in pre-made AV groups, you will be told to stealth all the way and take the closest graveyard to the enemy general.

2) AV Rezzing - AV may be the one battleground where you can get away with rezzing a teammate.  Especially if you are on the opposite end of the battleground.  If you see people go down, tell them not to release and you can rez them right there.  The only case where you couldn't is if somebody takes their insignia which despawns their body.

3) Choose Your Role Before Hand - If your group needs a tank or healer, you can't change specs when the BG starts so you have to do it before hand.  You can change your gear out at any time though.

4) Typhoon in Towers - It may not kill the enemy, but it will keep them away long enough to either capture or recapture a tower.  The best way to do it is to go into the flag room and stand with your back against the wall so you can see people coming in.  This is also one of the best places to use Wild Mushrooms + Fungal Growth.

5) If You Are a Recaller, Recall in Cat Form - Main reason is that you may need to stealth as soon as you recall in order to go get your bunkers back.  If you protect the bunkers/towers, your general is stronger and will take more people to kill.

However, the biggest piece of advice I can offer is find a good pre-made.  This BG is the equivalent of trying to herd cats unless you have a great pre-made group.  On AV weekends, I usually try to run with a group called QueueQ, which runs pre-made BGs across servers which helps to get 40 people doing the same thing.  I don't know what their win percentage is, but it has to be in the high 90%.

Also, I have not forgotten about the prizes for the header winners.  Hopefully, by the end of this week, I will have it at least announced.

Moonkin PvP Tricks for Battle of Gilneas

In part 5 of my moonkin PvP series, I talk about some of the tricks for Battle of Gilneas 10 man battleground, which is my favorite 10 man BG of all of them for some of the same reasons that Arathi Basin is my favorite 15 man BG.  Unfortunately, there are not as many tricks for Battle of Gilneas as there are for Arathi Basin, but I have a few tips.

1) Keep Them In the Water in Waterworks - Seeing the enemy coming trough the water at Waterworks is basically watching your enemy and loling at them.  Unless they have waterwalking, they are not going to cross that stream quickly.  Typhoon them backwards if you can.  Since Waterworks is set up on a slight incline, you can attack without them attacking you. 

2) Stealth Is Your Friend - The difference between a loss and a win in Battle of Gilneas may be a ninja cap.  I have been behind by 500 points in Battle of Gilneas and have come back to win by capping two nodes and holding them.  Use the fact that you are a druid to ninja cap.  And heaven help the enemy who is by himself holding a node.  If he is melee, I'm going to stealth behind him, Typhoon him away from the flag, entangling roots  him, and then capture the node.  If caster, add a Solar Beam in.  From there, I will proceed to kill him.

3) Roots and Cyclone on the Road - In most BGs, you are told to explicitly not fight on the roads.  Battle of Gilneas may be the exception to that rule.  If the group is using a zerg strategy, they can easily capture a node.  This is where roots can help you lessen their zerg numbers.  If you see them moving as a group, try to roots a few members.  Their delay in showing up may be the difference between keeping the node and losing it.

And that is it for Battle of Gilneas.  This BG is alot more about coordination of your group.  The more coordinated you can be on kill targets, etc., the easier this BG is.  Tomorrow, I will be talking about tips on Alterac Valley and on Wednesday will be talking about Isle of Conquest.

Moonkin PvP Tricks in Strand of the Ancients

For the third part of my moonkin PvP tricks, I round out the 15 v. 15 battlegrounds with Strand of the Ancients.

1) Strand of the Ancients Isn't About PvP - This is a general rule, but it relates to specifically what we can do as moonkins.  Your focus should very rarely be on players in Strand of the Ancients.  If on defense, your focus should be on killing the demolishers.  If on offense, you should focus on keeping players off of your demolishers.  This means more than nukes, moonkins should be using slowing and controlling players and demolishers.

2) The Moonkin Typhoon Demolisher Weapon - On offense, one of my favorite tricks is to get on a demolisher and turn backwards.  Given the speed of the demolishers, the defense will always be chasing you.  This means the more you can keep them off of you, the better it is.  Typhoon is perfect for this.  The demolisher is shooting forward, I'm typhooning backwards.

3) Entangling Roots + Solar Beam = Control - Melee is fairly easy to keep off of demolishers when you are offense.  You Typhoon plus Entangling Roots and you can keep them controlled.  Casters are a little more difficult.  If you see a caster just destroying your demolishers, you can still Typhoon them for a snare and may push them out of cast range.  However, you can Roots plus Solar Beam to keep them silenced.  And since Roots won't break until damaged, you don't have to damage them and keep them there.

4) Fungal Growth Helps - When you are trying to slow demolishers on defense, you will need all your tools that can slow.  You can roots the demolisher.  Typhoon can add a snare effect.  However, having the talent Fungal Growth helps a lot.  One, you can send your treants on the demolisher and when they go away, they create an area that snares.  Two, you can use your Wild Mushrooms to cause damage and create and area of snares.

5) Remove Corruption - There is a spell that is in your spellbook that you may not use to often, especially as moonkin.  However, if can be used to help your demolishers.  Of course the defense is going to throw up DoTs on the demolishers to kill them.  Remove Corruption can remove a poison and a curse from the demolisher.  It is not as powerful as what resto druids can do since it will also remove magic effects, but  it may be the difference maker.

And with that, we are done with the 15 vs. 15 battlegrounds.  Next week, hopefully I will get to the 10 vs. 10 battlegrounds and the 40 vs. 40 battlegrounds.

Today is the final day for voting for the Header contest.   The winners will be announced over this weekend or Monday.