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Survival Hunter, Ulduar Items and 3.2 Excitement!!
Thursday, June 25, 2009

Well this was probably the most requested gear ranking of all time, and it's now complete: the Survival Hunter Gear Rankings just went live!! Please check it out, put it through its paces and leave feedback via the form on the right sidebar like usual.

There are only a few Ulduar items that have not yet been added to the site (a couple of Algalon and Yogg-Saron hard drops are the only ones remaining). The sheer number of items added in 3.1 was amazing, and yet we have a new instance right around the corner!

Patch 3.2 just went on the PTRs. When put live, this new patch will house a new 10 and 25 man raid arena - think Ring of Blood on steroids. Tier 9 items will be found here along with a raft of other items being added from badges and crafting. As these items are announced I will be adding them with a "ptr" tag as I did for 3.1. So stay tuned for that!

Gold Guide Updated for Wrath - Side note here, but the gold guide I recommend has been fully updated to include Northrend and Wrath of the Lich King. While the sale of these guides does help a bit toward my hosting costs, I read them thoroughly and don't make these recommendations lightly! So, I highly recommend Warcraft Millionaire as it's definitely the best I've seen. So if you're planning on getting one and also want to help out maxdps, I recommend getting it now!

- Nuuga

Moonkin fully updated for 3.1.2
Tuesday, May 21, 2009

I've finally updated the Moonkin model from BC to Wrath. This change includes all the new relevant talents, abilities, and even idols. Also, the spell cycle was drastically changed due mostly to how Eclipse is now needed to maximize DPS which is outlined on the ranking page. So, head on over to the Moonkin Gear Rankings to check out the new model. I do hope to update feral and rogue soon, however melee models almost always take longer to create!

Also, almost all Ulduar items are now accounted for. There are a very small number that have not yet been added to the wowhead database (which I need for the tooltips). Also, all Season 5 PVP items and Argent Tournament items were added a few weeks ago. If you notice any glaring item omissions be sure to let me know.

Full Wrath leveling Guide - The Zygor leveing guide I have been recommending for over a year has their guide Fully Updated for 1-80 in Wrath! I personally use this in-game guide recommend it without hesitation! :) Anyway, like I've been saying, I don't make these recommendations lightly, and know it will help you get your alts to 80 very quickly! Check it out.

- Nuuga

Patch 3.1.0 is Live!
Tuesday, April 14, 2009

Ulduar is finally here! - Well, it's been a long wait for all WoW players, but patch 3.1.0 and the massive new raid instance, Ulduar, is finally here. I've been busy adding items as they've been discovered on the PTR, but there are still roughly twice as many to be discovered on the live server. Blizzard estimated that the number of new items in Ulduar is around 800 and these will all be added as they are released.

Besides the much anticipated dual-spec functionality added with this patch, there are also a vast number of class changes announced. Some are already complete, and I will be updating the remaining models to reflect these changes over the next couple of days. I also will still be releasing more updates for classes that have yet to be modeled for Wrath in the coming weeks.

So, keep checking back for these updates, it's an exciting time again in WoW, as it's been 5 months since the release of any new content. See you in game!

- Nuuga

More classes launched
Thursday, February 12, 2009

Happy New Year everyone! I hope everyone out there is enjoying raiding in Wrath and is not too bored of Naxxramas yet ;) As soon as Ulduar items are released expect to see them in the gear rankings. I know I for one can not wait to see the new raid dungeon!

Death Knights: - I released the two "main" Death Knight specs - Blood and Unholy - a few weeks ago, each spec based on a set rotation for maximum dps. Since this release, Blizzard has made some changes to Frost which makes it a viable spec now as well. Hopefully I can get this spec launched fairly soon as I know everyone is enjoying playing this new class.

Holy Priest: - Yet another healing class. The new holy priest rankings is based around the new 6 second Circle of Healing with the ability to rank the importance of filler healing spells as well as mana regeneration versus healing per second (HPS). Please check it out and let me know what you think.

- Nuuga

Happy Holidays!
Monday, December 22, 2008

Various Changes: - I have been hard at work on a number of things that may not be immediately apparent. First, all classes that were updated to their Wrath models now have level selection which changes rank of abilities used as well as combat ratings. Also, I've been working hard on getting all trinkets modeled. Still a few left but the vast majority are in place

Armory Import - The Armory import should now be much more stable and also accepts non-standard character sets. Please test it out and let me know if you notice any more issues.

Class Updates: - Still working on getting some classes converted from their BC model. I have updated Elemental Shaman and more should be out soon. Keep an eye out for these over the next few weeks.

- Nuuga

Level up with MaxDPS and Zygor, new classes, and last minute changes
Tuesday, November 11, 2008

MaxDPS in Wrath:

I have been working hard to get the site as ready for the Wrath launch which is less than two days away. Some things you'll notice are new Item Options including Wrath zones, emblems, reputation rewards and more. I also have added Wrath gems, so item rankings will change when you select these to be your default gems. Also, soon level input will be available in the Input Your Stats section so that your abilities/stats will change as you level. Also, all quest and dungeon rewards are now ranked, so you can easily find gear upgrades as you level!

Newly launched/updated classes:

Protection Warrior - My first try at a tanking spec! It uses a a full rage model and threat model to determine Threat per Second (TPS). Also using a modified tank points formula to determine avoidance/mitigation. There's even a slider to let you determine what level of threat versus avoidance you want. Definitely looking for feedback on this as I plan on trying protection paladin at some point in the future.

Restoration Shaman - My second healing class to be released. Similar to the holy pally rankings, where you can determine your weighting of pure healing versus mana regeneration.

Holy Paladin - Fully updated for wrath talents/buffs.

- Nuuga

Beast Master and Enhancement ready for Wrath. Stat Changes and more.
Monday, October 27, 2008

Newly launched classes:

Beast Master Hunter - A few big changes to Hunters. First off, steady shot not clipping auto shot made the class much easier to model. In terms of itemization the big change is the talent Careful aim now giving intellect one AP per point. Also, there were big changes to pets, and you can now select the relevant pet talents for Ferocity.

Enhancement Shaman - Lots of changes here as well. Flametongue is now viable with certain setups especially when the new spell Lava Lash is considered. The Maelstrom Weapon talent allowing for instant Lightning Bolts also spices up the class.

Stat Changes: - Between healing changing to spell power and the consolidation of spell hit and hit, spell crit and crit, and spell haste and haste, alot of changes have been made to items. I think I've successfully changed all of my models and items to reflect these changes, however if you notice any weirdness with some of the rankings on items with new stats, please let me know!

- Nuuga

Patch 3.0.2 is here! Updated Class Rankings List.
Tuesday, October 14, 2008

The patch everyone has been eagerly awaiting is finally here! I've been extremely busy updating the talents and models for many classes in preperation for this patch, and also for the expansion which will be released in less than one month. Here's a list of the classes fully updated for 3.0.2 including talents, ablities, rotations and buffs:

Fury Warrior - Huge changes here. I've implemented a full rage model with Heroic Strike as the rage dump and an optional Execute after 20% option. I think this is much more accurate now. Based on a Bloodthirst, Whirlwind rotation with Instant Slams thrown in on Bloodthurst crits with Bloodsurge talented. And of course, Titan's Grip!

Arms Warrior - Like fury warrior, a full rage model has been implemented. Currently modeled assuming the warrior is staying in Battle Stance and using overpower on dodges and taste for blood procs, and Executes on Sudden Death procs. There will be further changes to this model as Blizzard has stated some things will change.

Retribution Paladin - Wow, massive buffs for ret pallies in this expansion. Added the news seals and added Consecration and Divine Storm to the dps rotation.

Affliction Warlock - Added Haunt to the rotation. With the new talents this class will finally be a viable raiding spec.

Fire Mage - Added Living Bomb and Instant Pyroblasts on Hot Streak procs to rotation.

Frost Mage - For awhile it was looking like Ice Lance may be added to the rotation, but now it's just a standard rotation with instant Fireballs on Brain Freeze procs (increases dps and mana efficiency slightly).

Shadow Priest - All new talents added. Blizzard recently said they will be getting a buff to DPS soon, so keep an eye out.

Almost Complete:

- Enhancement Shamans, Combat Rogues, Assassination Rogues, Beast Master Hunters and Marksmanship Hunters will all be released within the next couple of weeks. The others will follow shortly, with hopefully a surprise or two before Wrath of the Lich King is released on November 13th!

- Nuuga

Arcane Mages, Feral Druids and Beta Love!
Friday, September 12, 2008

Feral Druid - This has been live for a week or so now and I'm still looking for feedback. It's currently modeled using a raid dps cycle of Mangle, 4 x Shred and then Rip. I would also like to add a soloing cycle and other raid dps cycles. So if you have any suggestions let me know.

Arcane Mage - I hadn't planned on adding this class before expansion hit, however, there was high demand. The big caveat with Arcane Mage spell cycles is that they are so dependent on good mana regeneration that numbers are often inflated on the rankings. For instance, the arcane blast spam cycle results in large dps (and shows the power of haste with arcane blast), however, the conditions needed to allow for that over a 10 minute fight be not be possible. Anyway, I'd appreciate some feedback on that class and other applicable dps cycles as well.

Beta! - A big thank you to Steve, one of my loyal users, for giving me a beta key! I'm been able to get in and test some classes at level 80 (only three pre-mades allowed sadly) and also play around with my Titan Gripped warrior main. With the expansion approaching quickly, expect to see some class rankings having Wrath versions before the expansion even hits. Also, you'll notice that I'm constantly adding new items as they are released from the beta.

- Nuuga