Or “How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Run and Hide”
by Vreenash of Dragonblight (US)

Shadowmeld has changed. Previous uses of this ability involved hiding from mobs while outside of combat or getting out of combat in Arena, sitting to drink, and using Shadowmeld to hide from your opponents. Now however, thanks to the powers that be, this Night Elf racial can remove you from combat and even temporarily from the hate list – permanently if you happen to be alone. We can all see the obvious advantages of Shadowmeld in a PvE dungeon setting, but you might be underestimating its full potential. Let’s consider a few additional uses:

While in a PvE dungeon setting (5-man only), use SM to take you out of combat mid-fight to:

• Drink or Eat: Even in a heroic dungeon where downtime is low, you can find yourself an 8-second quick drink (think of it as another mana pot).
• Revive: Yes, you can use our 10 second resurrection mid-battle (good luck finding those 10 seconds, though).
• Gear Change: If you have Itemrack or another gear-swapping mod installed, a Boomkin could switch over to healer if the healer goes down.

In PvP:

• If Shadowmeld is paired up with Nature’s Grasp via macro (neither is tied to the global cooldown and will therefore activate at the same time), the pursuer will drop you from their target list and will need to reacquire you. In such a situation, you will most likely be running and will break Shadowmeld immediately. The first attack after the pursuer reacquires you will most likely be an auto-attack and not a stun, thus entangling your opponent and giving you some breathing room.
• Outdoor PvP holds a cheeky benefit. If you’re being ganked, use Shadowmeld to take you out-of-combat, hit Swift Flight Form, and high tail it to the nearest bed and breakfast.
• There is currently a bug in Wintergrasp that will keep you in combat for long periods of time, even though there is no battle to be seen. Using Shadowmeld will break you out of combat so you can mount up.
• You can still use Shadowmeld to drink in Arenas, though it’s more challenging since your stealth will break once you’ve started drinking. Alternatively, you could use it in the same manner as before, running to get out combat long enough to sit and drink then activate Shadowmeld. However, given the now longer cooldown on the ability (3 minutes), you only get one shot at this in most matches.

Can you think of any other uses for this revised ability?

Related Posts

• Night Elf is to Ninja as Tauren is to Giant, Stompy Cheeseburger
• Natural Perfection No Longer Triggers from Crits while Sitting
• Line of Sight in Arenas

Taking a cue from Leafshine, I’d like to take this opportunity to take a look back at 2008 for Resto4Life.

Top 10 Posts as Measured by Page Views

As I would have expected, among the most popular articles to reference were guides, including 2.4 mana regeneration and how to pick from the plethora of trinkets available in TBC. Andrige is also directly responsible for more than 120,000 of my page hits in 2008 with his sharing of a female hairstyles preview (which continues to receive lots of inbound links) and his customized shapeshifting skins.

1. Wrath of the Lich King Female Hairstyles
   This post alone has brought in more than 100,000 visitors. I imagine the companion piece over at BBB has had similar results.
2. Calculator: Mana Regeneration (from 2.4)
   This will eventually be updated for Wrath, but I’ve been reluctant to invest the time with all the blue talk about wanting to nerf mana regeneration (an action that could significantly change the formula used).
3. 2.4 Mana Regen: The Basics
   Without a doubt, one of my most complex series of 2008.
4. Andrige’s Shapeshift Skins
   Clearly, forms customization is high on the priority list for Druids! Hopefully 2009 will see some innovative and inspiring new forms for Druids of all shape.
5. Mailbag: WotLK Item List
   This was my original “I filter WoWHead so you don’t have to” list. I’m going back and writing more detailed posts by groups of slots now.
6. Grid: Thinking within the Box(es)
   Not surprisingly, many people had follow-up questions to my post on customizing this often overwhelmingly complex addon.
7. Talent Spec: Leveling Restoration/Balance
8. The Belkin Nostromo N52 TE
9. 2.4 Mana Regen: Regrowth as the New Raid Heal
   As far back as 2.4, I totally called the awesomeness of Regrowth.
10. Arrrghhh!!! Trinkets!!!
    This is another post I intend to rewrite for Wrath at some point, though if ever stop posting, it’s a good guess that I didn’t make it through writing it!

Top 10 Posts as Measured by Comments

These are the posts that got visitors talking. I worked hard in 2008 to ensure that I responded to as many comments as I could, but these posts were the ones that gave me a definite run for my money!

1. Direct Healing in Wrath (73 comments) 
   Interestingly, the original post on this subject written during the WotLK beta (since unpublished to avoid confusion) generated 27 comments of its own!
2. Ghostcrawler: Wild Growth May Receive 6-Second Cooldown (65 comments)
   This is a very recent post that generated a lot of discussion about whether such a cooldown was necessary and how much it would affect us if so.
3. Grid: Thinking within the Box(es) (63 comments)
4. The Belkin Nostromo N52 TE (63 comments)
   I was very happy with the amount of interest this post generated. Still waiting for my free Belkin Nostromo N52 TE to give away as part of a site contest, though! /peers Belkin
5. Andrige’s Shapeshift Skins (61 comments)
6. Blue: Mana Regen Complexity and Restoration Scaling (60 comments)
7. Bornakk: Druids Not to be “Big Green Blobs” (59 comments)
   I’m still waiting for the Druid- or multi-healer-oriented blog named “Big Green Blob.”
8. 9014 Nerfs and Ghostcrawler Responds to Resto Concerns (55 comments)
9. Build 8962 Changes (51 comments)
10. Ghostcrawler: Healers Not to be Interchangeable (51 comments)

Surprisingly, many of the top-commented post were related to blue posts or posts about upcoming changes to the class and spec. This would seem to indicate that a large number of visitors like to get their Druid-related (or at least Resto-related) news here and might even prefer discussing it here to discussing it on the forums.

Most Popular Shirt Designs

I love adding new designs to the shirt shop. Here were the top performers in 2008 (these results are obviously biased based on the time they were added):

1. HoTs Girlfriend and HoTs Boyfriend
2. Positive Carbon Footprint
3. Restoration Cloud
4. Resto4Life Logo
5. Restoration Wreath

Other Stats of Interest for 2008

• There were 234 total posts.
• Visitors made a total of 3706 comments.
• I made a total of 650 comments.
• Resto4Life.com received a total of 665,410 visits and 1,355,119 page views.
• Visitors spent an average of 3 minutes on the site per visit.
• There were 29 Community Spotlight posts or an average of 2.4 a month.
• I received (and hopefully responded to) more than 450 e-mails, not including those related to Arbor Day or Turkey Day.

Thank You!

Thanks to everyone who visited and contributed and helped make 2008 an awesome year for Resto4Life! I am looking forward with excitement to 2009 and hope you are, too!

Related Posts

• Resto4Life Closing Its Doors
• Work Complete!
• More Work?

Now through January 16th, save 20.09% on all Resto4Life Tree-Shirts with a minimum purchase of $20. This is a great time to pick up a shirt you’ve had your eye on!

U.S. citizens can enter the promotional code NEW19, while Canadians can enter code CADNEW19.

Also, be sure to check out the recently added children’s clothes featuring a two-tone vinyl print of “Critter Form” as graciously designed by Valenna.

Related Posts

• Community Spotlight
• Shift Happens Submissions!
• Tree-Shirts Are Here!

By repeated request, here is a listing of pre-raiding gear to help you prepare for Naxxramas, organized by item slot and roughly ordered by my preference/recommendation. Because this is so lengthy, I’m breaking this article into two parts. Part II will include wrist, back, fingers, neck, and waist.

 Quick Links

• Head
• Shoulder
• Chest
• Hands
• Legs
• Feet

Head

1. [Helm of Anomalus] – Anomalus in the Nexus (Heroic)
   Leather, both a meta socket and a yellow socket, and among the highest Spell Power for an ILevel 200 helm make this my first choice of hats pre-raiding.
2. [Crown of Unbridled Magic] – Cache of Eregos in the Oculus (Heroic)
   I consider this to be pretty closely tied with the similarly itemized [Forgotten Shadow Hood] (they essentially trade Intellect and Spirit). I prefer the socket bonus on this one (12 Stamina vs. 8 Haste Rating). Contains meta and yellow sockets.
3. [Forgotten Shadow Hood] – Salramm the Fleshcrafter in The Culling of Stratholme (Heroic)
   Slightly less attractive than the [Crown of Unbridled Magic], this is the higher Spirit and lower Intellect of the two. Contains meta and blue sockets.
4. [Elder Headpiece] – Elder Nadox in Ahn’kahet: The Old Kingdom (Heroic)
   No socket on this item but a very respectable 91 Spell Power and astounding 77 Intellect make this a good choice.
5. [Cowl of the Dire Troll] – Trollgore in Drak’Tharon Keep (Heroic)
   No socket on this helm either, but an excellent 78 Spirit.

Compare these items

Shoulder

1. [Silent Spectator Shoulderpads] – Svala Sorrowgrave in Utgarde Pinnacle (Heroic)
   These shoulders are the only ILevel 200 option in leather, have the highest Spirit of all three, and include a blue socket.
2. [Runecaster’s Mantle] – Utgarde Keep (Heroic) Zone Drop 
   A yellow socket (worth approximately 16 Intellect for a blue-quality gem) makes this slightly more attractive than the [Mantle of Deceit] .
3. [Mantle of Deceit] – Dark Runed Chest in the Culling of Stratholme (Heroic)
   Although this shoulder piece lacks sockets, it has seven more Intellect and fourteen more Stamina than the [Runecaster’s Mantle], at the cost of 2 Spirit.

Compare these items

Chest

1. [Heroes’ Dreamwalker Robe] – 80 x Emblem of Heroism
   Leather, sockets, and half of the way there to the 2-piece set bonus! If you can get this, do so!
2. [Moonshroud Robe] – Tailoring (BoE)
   A perfect balance of stats with no itemization points wasted on spell crit or spell haste. All wrapped up in a pretty blue, belly-bearing package! The downside is definitely the cost. If you have the patience, it’s better to save your Heroic badges for the [Heroes’ Dreamwalker Robe].
3. [Ymirjar Physician’s Robe] – Utgarde Pinnacle (Heroic) Zone Drop
   This item is essentially a watered-down, leather version of the Moonshroud Robe with 12 less Intellect, 12 less Spirit, and 14 less Spell Power. Still, you can likely pick this piece up for around 200 gold which is substantially less than you can expect to pay for [Moonshroud Robe].
4. [Bauble Woven Gown] – Quest Reward from Junk in My Trunk
   If you prefer to gear up through questing and instancing, this is a good option. Has 13 less Intellect, 24 less Stamina, 21 fewer Spirit, and 24 less Spell Power than the [Moonshroud Robe].
5. [Raiments of the Titans] – Loken in Halls of Lightning (Normal)
   Similar to the [Bauble Woven Gown], this item trades 3 Intellect and 9 Spirit for 8 Stamina and a yellow gem slot.
6. [Wildscale Breastplate] – Leatherworking (BoE)
   The Wildscale Breastplate is sadly lacking on Stamina and has itemization points wasted on critical strike. Included here because so many Druids also happen to be leatherworkers.

Compare these items

Hands

1. [Heroes’ Dreamwalker Handguards] – 60 x Emblems of Heroism
   Between this and the [Heroes’ Dreamwalker Robe] (purchaseable with 80 Emblems of Heroism), you can start raiding with the 2-piece T7 set bonus and halfway to the 4-piece bonus to Nourish. The stats are great, too!
2. [Gloves of Token Respect] – Grand Widow Faerlina or Gluth in Naxxramas (Heroic)
   These are actually statistically superior the [Heroes’ Dreamwalker Handguards] but the set bonuses from the Dreamwalker set make them my first choice.
3. [Overlook Handguards] – The Prophet Tharon’ja in Drak’Tharon Keep (Heroic)
   Nearly identical to the [Moonshroud Gloves] (but much cheaper to acquire).
4. [Moonshroud Gloves] – Tailoring (BoE)
   Have lots of money and no time or interest in running instances to gear up? These gloves are nearly identical to the [Overlook Handguards] .
5. [Gloves of Glistening Runes] – Keristrasza in the Nexus (Heroic)
   While these gloves do have a bit of wasted critical strike rating, they also include a red gem slot which is clearly OM NOM NOM.
6. [Grotto Mist Gloves] – Hadronox in Azjol’Nerub (Heroic)
   The only leather option, the [Grotto Mist Gloves] include a red socket with a +4 Spirit socket bonus.
7. [Sterile Flesh-Handling Gloves] – Ebon Blade Revered
   These have the highest Intellect and Stamina values of any of the ILevel 200 gloves and share the highest Spell Power value with [Gloves of the Crystal Gardener].
8. [Gloves of Distorted Time] – Chrono-Lord Epoch in the Culling of Stratholme (Heroic) Includes a yellow socket, ideal for an Intellect or Intellect/Spell Power gem. Unfortunately, the socket bonus is +4 Stamina.
9. [Gloves of the Crystal Gardener] – Ormorok the Tree-Shaper in Nexus (Heroic)
   High Spirit and great spell power from an easily farmable boss make these a good choice.

Compare these items

Legs

1. [Earthgiving Legguards] – Leatherworking (BoE)
   Easily the best choice for a Restoration Druid just beginning Naxxramas, you can generally find these on the Auction House for around 1,000 gold.
2. [Kilt of the Forgotten One] – Herald Volazj in Ahn’kahet: The Old Kingdom (Heroic)
   Your only leather option of the ILevel 200 legs, the [Kilt of the Forgotten One] has a good amount of Stamina and Spell Power as well as the highest Spirit value.
3. [Breeches of the Caller] – Ingvar the Plunderer in Utgarde Keep (Heroic)
   While these pants have the lowest Spell Power of any of the ILevel 200 legs, they have the highest Intellect, making them a good choice to bolster mana regeneration. As a bonus, they also include red and blue gem slots.
4. [Cyanigosa’s Leggings] – Cyanigosa in the Violet Hold (Heroic)
   These legs have nice, well-rounded stats. They are probably slightly easier to acquire than the [Opposed Stasis Leggings] (whose stats are identical) because of the easy access to and lower completion time of the Violet Hold instance.
5. [Opposed Stasis Leggings] – Commander Kolurg or Commander Stoutbeard in the Nexus (Heroic)
   Identical to [Cyanigosa’s Leggings].

Compare these items

Feet

1. [Arcanic Tramplers] – Alexstrasza’s Gift in The Eye of Eternity (25-Man)
   Despite dropping in a raid instance, these boots are BoE and can be picked up off the auction house. More Intellect, Stamina, and Spell Power than the [Earthgiving Boots] (though 6 less Spirit), and the smidge of haste won’t kill you (just don’t tell the Tree League).
2. [Boots of Septic Wounds] – Patchwerk or Gluth in Naxxramas (25-Man)
   With a +16 Spirit gem in the blue socket, these would be slightly better than the [Earthgiving Boots], though the difference is such that you might base your decision on which you could buy cheaper.
3. [Earthgiving Boots] – Leatherworking (BoE)
   Epic leather. ‘Nuff said.
4. [Boots of Transformation] – Gal’darah of Gundrak (Heroic)
   These are pretty close to the [Footwraps of Teleportation], having a red slot instead of a yellow and preferring Spirit over Intellect. These, however, are leather and so are ranked higher in desirability.
5. [Footwraps of Teleportation] – Xevozz in The Violet Hold (Heroic)
   Has a yellow slot and plenty of Intellect. May be more difficult to acquire than the [Boots of Transformation] given the random assortment of bosses that can appear in Violet Hold.
6. [Aurora Slippers] – Tailoring (BoE)
   While these only have an iLevel of 187, I’m including them because they’re probably going to be pretty cheap to acquire.

Compare these items

Related Posts

• Pre-Raid Gear: Back, Waist, Wrist, Neck, and Fingers
• False Idols
• Mailbag: Zul’Aman Healing Chests