The Queue: Action Pose

I take a lot of screenshots, no matter which game I’m playing, and WoW is, of course, no exception. I have an excessive amount of screenshots of various games saved on my drives. I guess taking cool screenshots is the main reason I do transmog.

It’s even better when weird stuff like graphical glitches happen (even if they’re minor, like your transmog showing both your 2H and dual wielding weapons at the same time). That’s the kind of stuff that’s fun to post about the moment it happens, and also fun to remember later.

This is The Queue, our daily Q&A column where we encourage everyone to make their toons look good and find the perfect angle.

That’s a good idea, even though I’m afraid it would make the Imbue effect too slow to compete with other decks in the current meta. The truth is that although it’s still good overall, the winrate for Imbue Druid is, as predicted, already going down. Nerfing it from two spells to Imbue to three spells to Imbue would be its death knell, I suspect.

Does it really need a huge nerf? I’m not convinced. I think a minor nerf would suffice. I’d hit specific cards, like Felwood Treant (a powerful, easy-to-activate ramp card), Crystalspine Cub (which can lead to very powerful early games when combined with Innervate and even The Coin), and one card that some variations are now using as a finisher, Hatchery Helper (which made the migration from Aggro Druid to some Imbue Druid lists). Minor nerfs like increased mana costs or slightly worse stats would probably suffice.

I really don’t like it when decks are nerfed to the point of being rendered unplayable. It’s good that the game offers Imbue Druid as a cheap option for players who don’t have a large collection. It should be touched so that it’s no longer oppressive, but still viable.

I’ve never been to a convention, but I’ve wanted to. I think the deciding factor for me to go would be something that made that event truly unique, something that I could only find there. A voice actor or developer I like being there and doing a panel and/or signing things, a concert from a good band playing songs from games/shows/whatever, the opportunity to try some new game or console in advance, things like that.

It hasn’t really impacted me because I’ve made a deliberate decision a while ago to try not to fall victim to FOMO. There are a few instances where I will chase something because it’s limited or temporary or whatever, but I rarely (if ever) go out of my way to grind things or engage in gameplay patterns that I don’t want just so I don’t miss out. I try to only chase things that I actually want to have and can see myself using.

And even for things that I do want, sometimes the grind is so bad that I’ll opt out. A great example is the black coat from Darkfuse reputation in Undermine. I want that thing. I want it bad. But it’s way too much of a grind for me these days. Thankfully it doesn’t count as FOMO since it’s not getting removed from the game, but the same logic applies. I also rarely chase those meta achievements that ask you to do everything in a zone (a good example that comes to mind is Mechagon, which I only saw everyone complaining about doing — heck no).

With all of that said, I did get a ton of stuff in both Mists and Legion Remix that I wouldn’t have gotten otherwise, and that did give me a pretty nice “easy catch-up” feeling, so I definitely understand where you’re coming from. Maybe now that I’m more aware of it, I’ll be even less willing to do annoying grinds than I already was.

That’s an excellent question. If we’re talking strictly tier, I’ll have to go with the Warlock’s Corruptor Raiment (tier 5). It’s one of the most classic tier sets I can think of, it looks amazing, I’ve used it (and its recolors) many times, and I’d love to see it remastered.

If we’re allowed to pick any armor set, not just tier, however, there are at least three other sets that quickly come to mind. Two are PVP sets, funnily enough.

First is the Raiment of the Farseer set for Shaman, from the Legion class hall. I’ve used that particular set a lot (sans helm and shoulders, I admit), but it’s already showing its age. I’d love to see an updated version.

Then, we have the Evangelion-inspired Malevolent Gladiator’s Dreadplate Armor for Death Knights. You’re an Evangelion. Get in the robot, Koltira. Hell yeah, give me an HD version of that.

And finally, we have what has always been my absolute favorite armor set in the game, Cataclysmic Gladiator’s Scaled Armor for Paladins (especially the red “Elite Recolor” version, which was only briefly obtainable, to add insult to injury). It’s simply a masterpiece of design, and I’ve never found any other armor set in the game that comes close to that level of sheer coolness.

If it’s between those two, you should definitely start with Tank Valeera. They’ve improved the tanking abilities of your companion a lot when compared to the last expansion: there are now ways to heal tank Valeera even as DPS, with the new “Valeera’s Agony” mechanic, which spawns an anguish doppelganger of her that you can attack to heal her. Plus, her damage is actually decent.

As you gear up, you might graduate to DPS Valeera eventually, but things will probably hit hard at first. When it comes to survivability, Shadow Priest seems much squishier in Midnight than it felt in the past few expansions, sadly. So make sure you only try it when you’re ready and geared up — or don’t, and just keep using your handy Rogue Tank.

With that said, also consider giving Healer Valeera a try! You might actually have an easier time taking hits yourself while getting her heals than not having mobs eating your face but having to keep her alive. And healer Valeera does decent DPS too. You should try all three roles (though probably not DPS to start), but I’d definitely lean towards Healer instead of Tank at first.

I’m definitely guilty of “save scumming,” lol. Yep, I will absolutely abuse reloading to get a better outcome.

This was far more prevalent back when I used to play a lot of games on emulators. Since you have quick save and quick load at the press of a button, you can often correct mistakes or attempt to get better outcomes. I guess the longer it takes to save/load, the less likely you are to do it — and many games implement autosave precisely to avoid this kind of behavior.

The truth is that sometimes gamers must be saved from themselves.

This has been The Queue. I hope you have a wonderful weekend, and take lots of screenshots, with or without minor glitches. It’s the cool action pose that counts!