Tales of a Priest Resources Page… it is located at the top of the page here. It currently houses the following:

• Derevka’s Holy Priest Guide for MoP
• Derevka’s Discipline Priest Guide for MoP
• Haste Breakpoints
• Racial Bonuses
• Weak Aura Strings for 5.0.4 and MoP

Here’s a sneak peak as to what other resources and guides that are coming soon:

• Weak Auras sorted by both Holy and Disc
• Healing Priest Macros
• Mana Regeneration Tools and Guide
• Theorycrafting 101
• Healing Simcraft Guide

Also, I want to underscore a resource that we all should be using: The HowToPriest.com forums. I have been friends with Veiled for a long time, and have partnered with her to really ramp up the Healing Forums on H2P. I urge you all to stop on by, check out the forums, ask a question, and register.  Whatchu waiting for!?

Hope you guys enjoy this new page at the site, a lot of work is being put into it!

Mists of Pandaria: Resources is a post from: Tales of a Priest

On the coattails of Edge’s 5-year anniversary, Edge officially retired as a 25-Man Raiding Guild.

Edge slew Heroic Ultraxion, and capstoned an amazing run with 3 years of being top 100 US and 2 years of being in the Top 50 US.  I would be remiss not to personally thank all those in Edge, past and present, for an amazing place to call home on Garona. The officers have done an amazing job, and welcomed me into their midst as an unknown Priest and made my way to officer myself a few of months ago.

Meloree, our Main Tank, Raid Leader, and really backbone of the guild should be commended on his stalwart loyalty and drive to push the guild to do what he knew we could. Mel is more than just a great RL, he also is a great friend. Thank you, sir… you should be proud of what you’ve helped Edge do.

While I am sad to see <Edge> retire after an amazing 5 years of raiding, I am glad that I was lucky to make some great friends there… thank goodness for Real ID!

But wait… there’s more.

This post does more than memorialize Edge, it also highlights a new chapter in my raiding life.  As of Wednesday, I am officially an Applicant with Something Wicked on the US-Whisperwind server.  I am excited at this new opprtunity, the folks there so far seem like a great group. I am really excited to get the chance to raid with some existing friends I’ve met through the WoW Blogging/Twitter Community as well as a former guildmate from my first-ever Raiding Guild.

My first raid was last night, and things seem to be off to a good start. I’m learning how the other healers heal, how the tanks take damage, and how the guild formulates strats. We made quick work of Heroic Ultraxion and fast repeat kill of Heroic Blackhorn… and now onto Heroic Spine. I welcome the challenges of working with a new team during my trial, figuring out how to gel in the healing core as a unit, and hopefully move onto Pandaria as a strong healing core.

Here we go!

An Update and a Word for Posterity is a post from: Tales of a Priest

Why? Honestly… it is because of the readers who have either stayed in touch with me, or who have reached out to me over these last 8 months and have asked questions, engaged me in conversation, or simply said they missed ToaP! I missed the involvement with the community. I mean that in a way that is on a deeper level than a forum thread, or a Twitter conversation. There is still more that I want to say and more opinions that I want to share with the community.

I simply can’t play the game, and not be outspoken. I can’t keep my damn mouth shut! So, hopefully, people will continue to like to hear what I have to say!

There have been several other healing and priest blogs out there that I’ve been following, and many of those have done an good job leading the healing and priest communities through a very difficult tier for the healers. (I’m looking at you, Firelands). I must salute and tip my hat to those blogs and sites. I won’t go naming names… but so many have done an amazing job this Tier:  You kept me thinking, you kept me engaged, you kept me wanting to contribute more…

So with that— I am back.

A brief update as to what I’ve been up to in game over these last many months. I am still raiding competitively in the 25-Man Heroic Guild, Edge. I have been raiding in my Discipline spec; primarily Tank Healing. We are 7/7 HM 25 and are very much excited towards the challenges coming in 4.3 and what was previewed at BlizzCon regarding Mists of Pandaria.

Now, many of you might be asking “What am I going to expect from Tales of a Priest?” It should be more of the same you’ve seen before. I will continue to try to analyze priest game play in an ‘out of the box’ sort of perspective, but also in a practical manner. I’ll continue to share my gameplay style and analyzing (read: nit picking) our talents, specs, and gearing. I will continue to be asking questions, and (hopefully) engaging folks in the comment threads here as welcome folks to challenge both myself and eachother.  I will continue to develop content here that should make us think as well as address issues and concerns that the community might have about our class.

I have already spent some time on the PTRs playing in both Discipline and Holy specs. On top of that, my guild is participating in some of the PTR Raid Testing. That said, I plan on providing guidance on both specs as we prepare for 4.3.

Over the next few days I’ll also be updating the Power Auras and UI pages to be sure the information there is up to date and as current as possible.

I only ask of you, the readers, the same I always have– if you like what you’ve read (or don’t like) participate in conversation in the comments, share the URLs with your fellow guildmates, and help push and challenge ourselves to play better.

You can always reach me here through the Contact page, on Twitter (@derevka), and through the many forums I participate in.

Here we go again!!!

Tales of a Priest is Back is a post from: Tales of a Priest

Something about Brett Favre… is a post from: Tales of a Priest

The time has come for me to permanently close the doors here at Tales of a Priest.

I’ve had a great run over the last several years here with the blog running for 2 1/2 years. From this little project, I’ve met some great people… these people can be other bloggers, Twitter Personalities, Podcasters, Forum Goers, and some general great players. That is really what I’ll take from these last few years… meeting some great people I wouldn’t have met otherwise.

If you haven’t become active in the community, I strongly suggest you do it. Join the Forum Discussions at the plethora of websites that house them. Create a blog and write about your experiences. Read a new blog!  Join Twitter and tweet, twap, chirp… whatever about random WoW things and whatever is on your mind in 140 characters. Start a podcast– listen to new one!

Why?

That is a hard question— some of it is work related. My job has started to demand more and more time from me, and frankly I do not have the time I want to put into writing posts. Could I continue writing? Probably… but they would be half-baked and half-assed attempts; and frankly that is something I do not want to litter ToaP with. I’ve prided myself on having only concrete and well thought out posts here. Thought provoking stuff— discussions and thoughts through the eyes of a Hard-Core Progression Raider. Sure there are other blogs out there that discussed stuff, but I’ve always prided myself on providing a slightly different perspective. I want to end ToaP on my terms and not just half-ass stuff, and have it slowly fade into something less than what it is, and what the readers deserve.

Am I quitting WoW?

No, not at all. I really like the game and the challenge it provides. It just is time to close the blog chapter; and I plan on continuing my WoW “career”.

There are other factors that, have pushed me towards closing the doors. One of which is Ava quitting the game and moving to Rift. Part of the fun of writing here was having a partner in crime who was the ying to my yang… and the insanity to my sanity. Losing that kind of resource did remove some of the fun. (She is my WoW “Bestie”… even though she’s an insufferable witch! <3 )

I’d be remiss not to include a small factor that has been bothering me, but there is an undeniable certain something in the WoW Community that just feels negative. I strongly urge those of you who are blogging, forum going, or even just lurking on blogs: RESPECT EACH OTHER. At the end of the day, we’re all here to play a game… and pissing on eachother, nit picking comments, and being overly pretentious is not worth the time. Enjoy the game with each other– a fleeting moment of e-fame or ‘winning’ a forum fight is meaningless in the grand scheme of things.

Will I Be Contributing Elsewhere?

Yes, this isn’t the last you’ll see of me. I’ll likely keep my UI updated on WoW Interface. I’ll still visit and participate at PlusHeal and the other forums I troll. Maybe I’ll even dust off my ElitistJerks username from the shelf… I usually just read, not post there. We’ll see.

I’ll still respond to the many emails I get asking for help on a boss strategy, or random priesting question. I’ll still happily participate with many Community related events. My friend and guildmate (barring me failing my trial period), Papapaint, creates videos for TankSpot so  you might be seeing my Fraps’d video footage being used by him in some strategy guides— who knows?

I’ll be around.  My email address derevka(at)talesofapriest.com will still be working. My Twitter Account will still be active with me rambling about Warcraft, Gay Gaming, and other nonsensical rubbish. You can’t get rid of me that easily!

So with that, I’ll end this post with a rather snarky RuPaul-inspired comment:

Keep your tanks and your raid team alive, kill some bosses, have fun…

…and don’t fuck it up!

Cheers,
Derevka

The Time Has Come is a post from: Tales of a Priest

The Power Auras Pages as well as the UI page will be updated in the next couple of weeks to better utilize the new layout, and the top section of the site… well, we have something interesting coming there. Hopefully folks will like the treat going in there!

Brian and Brandon did a great job, and I am excited about this new look. Some minor changes will continue to occur over the coming weeks; and I think the cleaner and much more easier to read and SEO Friendly design will be well received.

New Blog Design is Live! is a post from: Tales of a Priest

This is probably one of the most difficult posts to write. To most of us, World of Warcraft has become a huge part of our life: we talk about it, blog about, we even have get-togethers focused around it. Giant Nerd label or not, I’m sure we can all admit that even though the game was frustrating at one point or another, the benefits far outweighed the cons.

Perhaps that’s why it’s so painful to finally come to this conclusion, but my World Of Warcraft career has come to a close. No, it’s not a protest to the state of the game or a statement about what I think of Cataclysm – it’s really nothing more than ‘it’s time to move on’. I’ve been here since the game’s original beta – that’s over 6 years. The last few months, perhaps even the last year, I’ve been struggling with the game. Not in difficulty, but with keeping interested. Again, not the fault of the game, but simply life changes. I’ve struggled with health issues for quite some time and recovery is difficult. I’ve gotten involved in other things. My career has begun to take on more responsibility. Unfortunately, there’s only so many hours in the day, and when my interests begin to lie elsewhere, playing the game & writing about it seem to be more like a chore than a hobby – and that’s not fair to you guys.

Bloggers should be enthusiastic & passionate about the game. I loved writing for ToaP. Not only was it a great way to work out issues and theories in my head, it was an absolute blast to discuss it and help out the healing community. My entire career has been one of a progression raider, even when it meant a 40 man raid. We’ve killed the Old Gods,  slaughtered the denizens of Original Naxx, landed world ranked kills of Vashj, KT, Archimonde, Illidan, KJ, Algalon, Anub, and even Heroic LK. Through out of it, sharing what I’ve learned and discovered was the highlight of my day. But as that passion cools, so does the enthusiasm; I began to feel obligated to write & play, and it’s at that point I decided to hang it up.

Don’t worry! Derevka and Tales of a Priest is not going anywhere! He started it without me and he’ll continue without me. I think you all know he’s an extremely intelligent player – that’s the reason I recruited him to my guild 2 years ago. I’ve glad that I convinced him to bring the site back, and I’m proud to have helped it become a top site for priests in the community. I think we brought some great perspectives from an end game raiding POV, and ToaP will continue to do just that in Cataclysm.

I know my brass, drunk and obnoxious personality isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, but I hope I brought some humor and bit of fun and the occasional bit of intelligence into your gaming experience.

*hic*

If there's a crude joke, I'll find it

So what’s next for me? Lots of things!!! Increasing work responsibilities & health issues aside, most are aware of my other passion, Horror, and I’ve taken on many exciting projects to promote it lately. I’ve taken writing jobs at Horror Extreme & Bloody Good Horror, I signed on to do the weekly horror segment for the Slash 2 podcast, and I’ve thrown my hat in with the Chicago Horror Society and Zombie Army to organize local horror events such as haunted houses, film fests, and even films. It keeps me extremely busy, but I love it.

We also have something in the works for an adult gaming community, Drunk Tank Gaming, as a way for gamers to keep in touch and play games outside of WoW. We’re still building the site, so look for more information soon!

So to all the people that have made this easily the best gaming experience of my life – I thank you. My guild for the majority of my WoW career, Dark Nemesis & my Horde Alter-Ego Dark Pact – Thank you. The podcasts that have supported us, such as RaidWarning, Slash 2, Rawrcast, Dregcast, Outlandish, Outcasted -THANK YOU. For the fantastic support of such great sites like Curse- THANK YOU. The bloggers and community members who have been pivotal in discussions, discoveries, and good times – THANK YOU. To all the amazing people I have befriended & met because of this game – THANK YOU. And of course to you, the readers and contributors here – THANK YOU THE MOST. Oh and Derevka – fuck you. Kidding, kidding – thank you too. The friendship we’ve developed through this is one of the best things I’ll take away from this game, and I’m glad it will continue without the game. Without you, I couldn’t justify all my homophobic jokes.

As I said, I’m still around and can be found in numerous outlets if you’re interested: Twitter, Facebook, even my personal blog of obnoxious randomness. The best part of this game has been the people I have met from it, and I have no intentions of leaving them behind. It has been a pleasure writing for you all, and good luck in where ever your WoW path takes you!

Until we meet again...

Avalonna Rides Off into the Sunset is a post from: Tales of a Priest

CYPHAN? Sounds like a venereal disease, doesn’t it? I assure you, it’s not. It’s a new Midwest Scifi/fantasy convention for costumers, collectors, gamers and fans located in the Chicago Suburbs, and it’s happening this weekend.

One of the weekend seminars is a World of Warcraft discussion, and a last minute change of plans (or desperation) has planted yours truly as one of the speakers. It’s nothing hardcore, raiding or even healing related – more of an intro to the game for new and newer players. We’ll be covering such things as choosing a faction, race, and class, leveling, gold making, guilds, dungeons, & etiquette. So if you’re in the area, and need something to do this weekend, come check out the convention! The seminar is scheduled for Saturday at 11:00 am, so come join us and share your experiences with newer players….and you can say ‘hi’ to me. I don’t bite. Hard.

Check it out here and hope to see you there! Oh, and yes – they do server liquor there. That’s the only reason I agreed to do this.

See you at CYPHAN! is a post from: Tales of a Priest

These guys are a blast, so check out their previous shows if you haven’t!

Healing Drunk & Pantsless on “/2″ is a post from: Tales of a Priest

That being said, we’ve been busy. We completed Glory of the Icecrown Raider on 10-Mans and got our very sexy Frost Wyrms. They’re almost as frigid as Derevka, but way cooler.

Would you say Derevka is riding a boner?

Currently, our ten man groups are at 11/12 in ICC heroic, and we’re plowing along in ICC 25 Heroic. We just downed Heroic Sindragosa(25), putting us at 10/12 with only Professor Putricide and The Lich King Himself left to round out our heroic 25 man romp. While I enjoy the strategy of these new heroic fights, the planning that goes into them, and the feeling of accomplishment & camaraderie we get with each new boss kill, it makes me wonder: With only 2 Heroic 25 man bosses left, & one Heroic boss in ten….what the hell do we do until the expansion? I don’t see the Ruby Sanctum occupying raiders for very long. I guess we’ll be doing alt runs until we vomit again! Wheeeeeee! Maybe my totally KICKASS warrior, Dazana, can get a Shadowmourne……

And SPEAKING of Shadowmournes – we finally completed our first one. It was the #7th in the world, and the #3rd US….granted, not much of an accomplishment when the fragments are completely dependent on RNG, but still pretty cool! Congrats to our GM, Amisaalia. He’s the same special individual that wore his chef’s hat during our first TOTGC25 Tribute to Insanity (And I’m going to lose all my DKP for bringing that up.) But it’s pretty damn  neat looking. And to say his DPS increased is an understatement. This thing is amazing.

Who is that Priest with the fine ass to the left?

This thing attracts people like bugs to a light

So that’s enough horn tootin’ for now.  We’re excited to be closing in on the end, but saddened at the same time. I strongly urge those of you to make the foray into heroic modes as soon as you can; you will enjoy it!

I’m also aware many of you are approaching the Lich King fight, or are attempting it, based on the tweets & emails I receive (and we LOVE getting them!). I apologize – I meant to have a “how to heal the LK” post awhile ago, but I’ve been swamped at work, leaving very little free time (And yes, this post is another way of me skirting a deadline….I wonder if Derevka noticed). You have my word: You’ll see it this week. I can’t let Derevka have all the fun around here.

A Dark Nemesis Gratuitous Self-Congratulatory Post is a post from: Tales of a Priest