November Q&A
Over the past month I’ve received a number of questions from readers via email, several different forums and various other sources. Many of the answers that people are looking for are on this site somewhere, but they may be in older posts, and some answers I don’t know if I’ve ever explicitly stated here. So I’m gonna go through the list of the questions I’ve been asked, pull out the most popular ones, and answer them here. If there’s enough interest, I’ll turn it into a regular monthly article.
What does AOE/ DPS/ LFG/ LFM/ WTS/ WTB/ FTL/ FTW/ GG/ DOT/ Farming/ Mob/ PUG/ Main/ Bio/ AFK/ Aggro/ Proc mean?
What is the schedule for the chest in Gurubashi Arena?
The chest is dropped every three hours - 12, 3, 6, and 9 AM and PM server time. Read my Gurubashi Arena Guide for more information on it.
Is buying gold the best way of getting a mount?
Absolutely not. In case you haven’t been made aware of this elsewhere, buying gold is a violation of the TOS and Blizzard will ban your account if they find out that you did it. It would really suck to get your first character to 40, purchase a mount with the gold you just bought, and then get banned from playing that character anymore, wouldn’t it? Go check out my Gold Guide to learn how to afford a mount legally.
Should I level my Warrior as Protection?
No. Go Fury. Arms is OK, but go Fury.
Should I level my Priest as Holy?
No. Go Shadow. You’ll still be able to heal fine and you can switch to Holy when you hit 70.
What spec should I choose to level my Paladin?
Ret is usually considered the best (fastest) leveling spec for Pallies. You can read more here.
But wait?!?! What about that retnoob thing you keep talking about?
Retnoob, as I’ve mentioned before, is a somewhat derisive name that other players use to say that only noobs would choose to spec Ret. However, just because some people think that Ret is a bad talent spec doesn’t make it true. Ret is definitely the best leveling spec and can be effective at 70 as well. The only way to decide this is to try Ret out for yourself and see what you think.
What’s the best talent tree for a Warlock?
Any of them. We’re awesome no matter what. But I’d go Affliction or Demonology for leveling and Destruction for end game DPS.
Can Druids wear shields?
Short Answer: No
Long Answer: No, they can’t. They don’t need them. In Bear Form, Druid’s armor is pretty much equal to that of a similarly geared Warrior or Paladin.
What race and/or class should I choose? and What are each races’ special abilties?
Read this. And then read this.
What talent tree should I choose to tank as a Druid?
Short Answer: Feral.
Long Answer: At lower levels (40ish and below), talent spec matters less than gear for Druid tanking. Just about any properly geared Druid can tank any instance regardless of spec. At the middle and higher levels, if you want to be a dedicated tank, then go Feral.
What exactly are addons and are they legal?
I’m a poor little lowbie Hunter and I really want a ravager as a pet. How can I get one?
Check back next week 
Subscribe to DrainingSouls.net.
If I answer (partly) one of your questions, could you expand one of your answers?
As for a Ravager as a pet, if you’re alliance, head to the Dreanai starting areas. North-east end of Azuremist Isle, and between the Naga and the Void-walker look alikes on the east beach of Bloodmist Isle hangs out a series of lower leveled Ravagers. No idea where you’d find them on Hoarde side tho…
Okay, now with that out of the way, I gotta ask something. Your answer about the Pally was to go to the Retribution tree… But wait, back in your class comments, AND your glossary, the term “retnoob” came up as a reference to the fact only noobs would choose a Retribution Paladin…. Can we get some clarification on this?
Sure thing, Polecat. The term retnoob is a derisive nickname that some people use to criticize Retribution Paladins, while others use it somewhat affectionately. I mentioned it in my Talent Spec article and Glossary just to let people know that it exists and what it means.
Personally, my feelings on Ret are somewhat mixed. Like I mentioned in my Talent Spec article, it’s generally considered the best leveling spec. Pallies usually have little downtime and spec’ing Ret gives them some needed offensive capabilities. At the level cap, I think Ret is an OK spec. I don’t really think it’s the best use of a Pally, but it’s certainly not a useless spec. Also, rumor says it’s gonna get a big buff in Patch 2.3, which may improve things significantly.
So to sum up, if you’re leveling, give Ret a try. I think you’ll like it. At 70, stay Ret if you want to, but just be aware that you might take some ribbing about it.
I’ll change the wording of the question above to perhaps clarify things a bit.
Edit: I’ve also added this to the article in case others had the same question.