Jun 30

World of Warcraft’s default UI updates your action bars when you learn a new rank of a spell. For example, when you train from Wrath rank 1 to Wrath rank 2, the button where Wrath rank 1 was located on your action bar automatically becomes Wrath rank 2. It’s important to note that each rank of a spell, each training level of a skill, etc. has a unique ID number. So when the UI updates your action bar from Wrath 1 to Wrath 2, it’s replacing the spell ID 5176 on that button to spell ID 5177. Same thing for professions; when you move from Enchanting (Apprentice), spell ID 7411 to Enchanting (Journeyman), spell ID 7412, you actually unlearn the former spell and learn the latter one. WoW automatically updates your action bar for you.

However, WoW does not update the action bar for your second spec. I leveled through my 60’s mostly healing instances on my priest. Almost every time I visited the trainer, I was in my healing spec. During those visits to the trainer, I learned all my new spells, not just my healing ones. So, when at level 68 I finally switched back to my shadow spec, none of the action bar buttons for this spec had the correct rank of the spell on them. I did not notice for a level or two, after I was becoming frustrated with how hard it was to kill mobs.

So remember–if you’re leveling up with dual specs, each time you train, it’s worth it to switch to your alternate spec and check to see if any of the skills you just learned need to be updated on that particular set of action bars.

This public service announcement is brought to you by BinaryMuse.

Related posts:

1. Dual Specs Not Dead Yet
2. Clarification on Dual Specs at the Class Panel
3. The Death of the Epic Mount Quests
4. My Day as a Tree
5. Double-Specs Not Dead Yet

Jun 16

I found a forum post in my Blue Tracker yesterday that I got a kick out of.

Stonewhisper from <The Rat Pack> on Scarlet Crusade:

Mounts are 20, flight at 60… this is insane. Pure insanity. There’s no other way to describe it. All those months, years of grinding and leveling, farming gold, silver, copper… rendered meaningless. Everything I know about life now… soon to be gone. Just with this simple announcement.

So yesterday, resolved to my fate, I spent the day with the wife and kids, trying to keep up a strong appearance but knowing inside everything I held dear was coming crashing to a halt. Last night, as I kissed them all goodnight I silently wept at the losses I was about to suffer for this injustice. Eventually nature asserted itself and I drifted off to my final sleep as a whole being, as a man of pride and honor.

I awoke early but was afraid to open my eyes and face the desolation that my world had most assuredly become. But then… I felt a movement. Daring myself to peek at the horror that awaited me (dear God… mounts at 20…), instead… I see my daughter in bed next to me! Next to her, my wife was still here as well! I gasped in stunned disbelief as I noticed a brightening outside the window… the sun! It was indeed rising yet again! The sun… my son… wait, he wasn’t here! Fearing the worst, I burst into his room, and there he lay, still sleeping, still here… all was well!

Could it be… could it be true?! Is it possible that people getting mounts sooner and easier than me really won’t affect my life or… wait! The game!

It seemed an eternity as the computer booted up and the game loaded. Finally, the character screen… they’re all there! Can it be? Yes! Nothing is changed! No missing gold, mounts, honor… all of it still the same!

Can it be true? Can people have things a little easier than I did and my world not end? I dare now allow myself a glimmer of hope…

TL;DR: In no way, shape or form does allowing people to have an easier path to things today diminish or negate what you have already accomplished. You have nothing to cry about.

While people who disagree with his point will use his severe sarcasm to dance around the point, I find that he makes an excellent statement. I don’t fully understand why people have such a sense of entitlement–”I couldn’t have this nice thing so neither should anyone else.” Play the game, have fun, and leave everyone else alone. As stated by Zarhym: “Mount change announcement not ruining your life? We must fix this bug in an upcoming patch.”

Related posts:

1. Patch 2.4
2. Why do We WoW?
3. Playing with Others
4. New Life Tap Getting Another Look?
5. Letter from War: A New Threat