With Harmony being such a benefit to our overall healing, it will be very important for us to track this buff, and to know when to refresh it.  As such, I’ve set up two Power Auras for Harmony: one that lets me watch the remaining time on the buff and one to let me know that the buff has fallen off.  Because I think that they will be useful, I thought that I’d go ahead and share them!

Please don’t hesitate to let me know if you have any questions or have trouble getting them to work.

Harmony Active

Version:4.21; b:0.1686; icon:Spell_Nature_HealingWay; buffname:Harmony; r:0.0667; x:-101; texture:142; alpha:1; mine:true; size:0.18; y:-13; timer.h:0.95; timer.enabled:true; timer.cents:false; timer.y:-14; timer.x:-101

Harmony Has Dropped

(Note that this circle will spin to draw your attention to the fact that harmony has dropped very quickly!)

Version:4.21; b:0.1686; anim1:11; icon:Spell_Nature_HealingWay; buffname:Harmony; r:0.0667; x:-101; texture:142; alpha:1; mine:true; combat:true; size:0.18; y:-13; inverse:true

I’ve had a few people ask me if I use a power aura to track Power Torrent procs.  The answer is: absolutely!  Since I’ve had a few people asking about it, I thought it would probably be relevant to go ahead and share the aura I’m using to track my procs.  In doing so, however, I just want to take the time to re-iterate that while it’s ideal to innervate while power torrent is proc’d – do not wait an extensive amount of time for a proc before innervating.  You will actually end up doing more harm than good, and not maximizing your innervates!

I generally follow a 10 second rule.  Once my innervate is off of cooldown, I will give it 10 seconds for power torrent to proc – if it’s not up in that time I will innervate regardless (assuming I am in need of the mana, which I usually am!).  I also have set a 70% mana rule as well – meaning that if I hit 70% mana I will utilize my first innervate even if I do not have a power torrent proc.  That being said, I can usually time my first innervate to go out on a proc by forcing the first proc while pre-hotting the tank (assuming he pulls straight away) and setting up the ICD timer on the proc. I’ve generally found that if I do this my innervate cooldowns line up fairly nicely with subsequent procs.

(It is the very subtle star burst just above my nameplate.)

Power Torrent Proc

Version:4.12; icon:Ability_Paladin_SacredCleansing; buffname:Power Torrent; x:-184; texture:22; alpha:1; size:0.35; y:-15

I hope you find it useful!  Please don’t hesitate to let me know if you have any questions!

One thing that we did this expansion is make Power Auras a required mod for our progression raiding team.  One of the reasons that we did this was because, as a team, we have historically struggled with situational awareness in our raids and we decided that we wanted to improve this.  Now, Power Auras will not fix all problems – and people who are prone to stand in the bad will still generally stand in the bad, but this has helped a lot of folks learn encounters quicker and become more focused on key aspects of an encounter that could potentially lead into a wipe.

Now, please note that folks will absolutely still need to know what is going on around them, and Power Auras cannot play a person’s character for them.  But they can help quite a bit, especially when learning a new encounter.  In fact, we sometimes would stop a few minutes during learning phases to create an aura that we think would be helpful going forward.

For us integrating Power Auras into our raid team has been highly beneficial.  We’ve gotten a lot of positive feedback from our raiders on how much it has helped them on Boss Encounters and with learning new mechanics.  And outside of that, we have also now have a lot of our raiders looking at what else Power Auras can provide them and creating and sharing their own auras amongst their classmates to help boost performance, which I think is fantastic.

Now, before I share the Auras that I created for our boss encounters, I want to talk about them for just a moment.  First and foremost – you will see that many of them look identical.  This is because we wanted the warnings to be simple and now overly complicated.  We wanted them to be OH GOD THE BAD!  And we wanted to brain to process the information quickly.  Where the auras can be intuitive, I tried to make them as such.  I think simplicity is important when creating Boss Auras because there is already a lot going on in encounters that your brain needs to process, without added another level of complication.

Additionally, all of my auras have auditory queues.  This is because even with an OMG HUGE RED SKULL in your face, sometimes you just miss it.  But it’s a little harder to miss a cackle or SHING! coming out of your computer.  I find that auditory queues help a lot of people.

You may find other things that you’d like to add auras for on different boss encounters – this is just the list of auras that we’ve found beneficial to date.

Now – let’s take a look at what Auras we’ve put together!

I know that when a lot of healers ask about “how” you heal, frequently the response that comes back is “get grid and clique” or “get VuDho”, or something very similar in nature. However, what you don’t see a whole lot of information about is exactly what you can do with an addon like Clique, or how different healers might set up their healing binds.

I thought it might be worthwhile to take a few minutes to go over how I have my bindings set up, so that those that have never bound actions to their mouse before, or even those that have and are looking for some new binds, might be able to get some suggestions on what can be done.

As I go through these, please keep in mind that not all bindings will feel cohesive for everyone. Additionally, keep in mind that the only way to get used to a new binding is to play with it. Don’t expect to change a binding and be 100% comfortable with it straight away! Give it at least a week to see if your motor reflexes get used to a new setting before tossing it in the trash. In the end, everyone will use what works for them, and that is perfectly fine!

Since my original Power Auras post is one of my most frequently visited pages, and because I’ve also had several queries as to what, if any, Power Auras changes I made since Cataclysm, I thought that it was ripe to offer an update on my Power Auras settings since my original post.  That, and, uh, I also use this as a dump/back up for my exports in case I ever lose them!  Prevents me from having to re-create the wheel 🙂

Before we get into the pictures and exports, I want to comment on my style. When I was learning Power Auras, the person that helped me learn the mod had told me that he tends to use icon settings so that he remembers what each setting is for, indicating that when he just used auras and squiggles and what not, he tended to forget what each “aura” indicated.  As I went on my Powa journey, I found that this was true for me as well, so all of my settings will mirror icons.

Now, there is no “right” way to do this, so if you prefer “auras” and that works better for you, you should set those up!  Everyone will find that something works different for them, and should experiment until they find something they feel comfortable with.  For those that are interested in seeing how other druids utilize Power Auras, you can find some alternative settings from Jaslya, Keeva, Kae and Angelya.

And now…here are my exports:

When Blizzard announced/introduced their very own version of Power Auras into the default UI I was very skeptical. Were they going to be customizable? Will they show what I want them to show? Will they be adjustable at all? The answer was largely “no”. When I got into the PTR with Beru, and then subsequently into 4.0.1 when that went live, the first thing I wanted to know was how to turn the god awful things off.

They interfered with my current UI, I couldn’t move them, and about the only thing they show for resto druids was Omen of Clarity. Where was my low mana warning, and Innervate Ready, or Swiftmend Reminder? The bottom line was that, for me, the default auras were useless and in the way. I was going to continue to utilize my beloved, and highly customizable, Power Auras Classic. And after disabling the default auras I didn’t really give them much more thought. 

So, I don’t know about all of you, but one of the worst things about getting raid ready after a big patch is sorting out addons. What works, what doesn’t what will never work again. So I thought I’d do my small part to help my listing a status of addons that I use that have been updated, or have not been updated. I will also try to indicate if they are still working, regardless of not being updated, once I am able to get logged in and test what’s broken for myself.  If you find an updated for one of my addons or have any alternatives, please feel free to leave a comment so that I can add the link to my list! Of course…you will get everything updated and then have to wait, and wait…and wait, to get logged in and set everything back up 🙂

NPC Scan

NPC Scan Overlay

AtlasLoot

Bartender4 Alternative: Dominos

Beacon Countdown – No Longer Maintained (?)

Blood Queen – Not Expecting Update.

Clique

CT Raid Tracker – Not Yet Updated.

All CT Mod Updates –  (It seems that all CT Mods have been updated and can be found on the link provided).

CT View Port

FF Check – Not Yet Updated.

Gatherer

Item Rack – Not Yet Updated. Alternative: Outfitter Item Rack is completely non-functional on live.

LightHeaded

Livestock – Not Yet Updated.  Seems to be functioning on live.

Loggerhead

Mik Scrolling Battle Text – Not Yet Updated. Alternative: Scrolling Combat Text.  Mik’s seems to be functional on live.

MiniMap Button Frame – Seems to be mostly functional on Live.  There is a strange glitch with the “map” button, but most things seems to be gathering.

Omen

OmniCC

oRA3 – Not Yet Updated.

Pally Power

Plagued

Portal Box – Not Yet Updated.  Seems to be mostly funtional on live.  I am having an issue where a random minimap button is appearing in the far left corner that I cannot move.

Power Auras Classic

Quartz

Quart Procs – Not Yet Updated.

Rank Watch – Unlikely to be Updated.

Rating Buster – Not Yet Updated.  Seemed to be working on the PTR, but imagine may still require an update to remain relevant.

Satrina Buff Frames – Not Yet Updated.  Is completely non-functional on live.

Shadowed Unit Frames – No Longer Being Maintained.  Simplistic Unit Frames is the “new” ShadowedUF.  It has been picked up by a new dev and is updated – There are still a few bugs that the dev is trying to tweek before releasing a non-“experimental” version.  Alternatives:X-Perl; oUF and oUF Svelte; Pitbull 4.  ( I am actually looking for a good alternative to Shadowed if anyone has one. I will probably go back to X-perl for my target/focus/party frames until I find something I like 😦 )

Skada – Updated.

<a href="http://www.wowace.com/addons/grid/files/7206-r1368/ – GRID IS UPDATED. Alternatives: VuhDO (Probably what I will try to tide me over until Grid gets back up and running) or HealBot.

Grid Plug-Ins – Not Yet Updated, but for my own reference.

• Corner Icons
• Corner Text
• Side Icons
• Mana Bars
• Side Indicators
• AFK
• Status Hots
• Satus Lifebloom
• Status Mending
• Status PWShield
• Status RaidDebuff
• StatusRaidIcons
• StatusRez
• StatusTankCooldowns

Ace2 – Phanx suggests that most Grid Plugins will work if you install Ace2 seperately, while the modes are working on updating to the Ace3 coding.  (Source: http://forums.wowace.com/showthread.php?t=2525&page=322 )
Tidy Plates

Threat Plates

Titan Panel – WoW Interface is listing this as “updated for 4.0.1, but I’m not seeing any recent updates.  That leads me to believe that the latest “live” version is still functional in 4.0.1.  ***I am having an issue where titan panel is “eating” my guild notifications.  I can hear people logging into the game, but I am not receiving a notification for them logging on/off.  Is anyone else having this issue?

Deadly Boss Mods

As the day progresses, and I am able, I will try to keep track of what is updated and where.  Additionally, if there is anything that you’d like me to add to my list or that you know to be working without an update, please just leave a comment below!  May the force be with you…as well as your patience!  And may the addon gods smile upon you tomorrow 🙂

Last Updated: 1:40 PM (PST) 10/14/2010

Continuing on with my Power Auras exports, I thought I would share those I have set for my paladin next.  Very similar to how I had Beru’s set up, they are fairly basic, but provide me with the information that I need to know, and even in their simplicity work very well for me.

Before we get into the pictures and exports, I want to comment on my style. When I was learning Power Auras, the person that helped me learn the mod had told me that he tends to use icon settings so that he remembers what each setting is for, indicating that when he just used auras and squiggles and what not, he tended to forget what each “aura” indicated.  As I went on my Powa journey, I found that this was true for me as well, so all of my settings will mirror icons.

Now, there is no “right” way to do this, so if you prefer “auras” and that works better for you, you should set those up!  Everyone will find that something works different for them, and should experiment until they find something they feel comfortable with.  And now, to the pictures and exports!

Please note that this post has been updated for Cataclysm. You can find my new auras here. I’ve added several new auras, as well as updated all of my old ones! I would recommend disregarding this post and referring to the Cataclysm update. ~Beru

I’ve received a few requests for me to post my Power Aura settings, so even though they are almost embarassingly basic, I thought that I’d go ahead and share them.

Before we get into the pictures and exports, I want to comment on my style. When I was learning Power Auras, the person that helped me learn the mod had told me that he tends to use icon settings so that he remembers what each setting is for, indicating that when he just used auras and squiggles and what not, he tended to forget what each “aura” indicated.  As I went on my Powa journey, I found that this was true for me as well, so all of my settings will mirror icons.

Now, there is no “right” way to do this, so if you prefer “auras” and that works better for you, you should set those up!  Everyone will find that something works different for them, and should experiment until they find something they feel comfortable with.  For those that are interested in seeing how other druids utilize Power Auras, you can find some alternative settings from Jaslya, Keeva, Kae and Angelya.

And now…here are my exports:

I don’t usually do Moonkin posts, largely because I just don’t spend that much time as a moonkin.  That and while I do decent DPS standing at the target dummy, when I try to lead a raid everything is so foreign to me that I either do a shit job of raid leading or a shit job of DPSing.  So, I tend to let others DPS and I just stay where I’m comfortable…healing!  Now, I don’t claim to be an expert on moonkining, or even a very good moonkin, but I do my research and try to keep on top of things in case there is a night when I am asked to DPS in my raid.  But, this is also why I don’t often give a lot of moonkin advice…I just don’t moonkin much!

However, last night there was a conversation going about Moonkining, and eclipse tracking and comments were made about how Squawk and Awe was buggy for some people.  Since this was I problem that I had with that particular add on (things not updating, tracking being off, etc), I switched to a Quartz Module at the time that was called “Quartz Eclipse”, which has since been replaced with a new module: Quartz Procs.  I mentioned it, and it seems that a lot of people had never heard of the module, so I thought I would take a minute to highlight the addon.  While I, personally, prefer it to Squawk and Awe, in large part because it’s just less buggy for me, I will let others decide for themselves if they think it will work better for them 🙂

Here is the basic Interface for the module once you have downloaded it.  One very cool thing to note is that it does proc tracking for ALL classes (and specs), not just druids!  So some folks out there may find it useful for things other than Eclipse procs 🙂  There are also a number of customization features that I don’t utilize, but I am sure will also a few changes.  Once you’ve downloaded it, you want to make sure to go in and enable starfire and wrath eclipse (along with anything else that you may want to use the module for!).

Here is what it looks like with an eclipse proc, while the other is not on Cooldown.  Please note in these screenshots that the giant Sun/Moon are from Power Auras not Quartz Procs!  Remember that part where I said I had a hard time DPSing and Raid Leading?  Yea…those giant eclipse reminders are for me.  The basic “hey dummy!  Time to cast something else now” 🙂  On the right side of my casting bar you can see my DoTs, FF, etc that need to be tracked for uptime.  On the left side of the casting bar is where you can see the eclipse procs.  It will show you 1) The duration left on your current eclipse; and 2) The time on the internal cooldown before another eclipse of that nature can be procced.

Here is what it will look like when both eclipses are on Cooldown.  Again, you can see DoTs, etc. on the right side of the casting bar, and your procs and proc cooldowns on the left.

Things that I really like about the addon is that it tells me which eclipse is available, and it puts the information some where that I am already focused: My Casting Bar.  It is very similar to Squawk and Awe, at least to my recollection, it’s just a different alternative.  I didn’t play with any fancy settings, so there are likely things that can be done beyond what I have done with my own.  So for those of you that were curious about what I was talking about, now you know!  If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to ask and I’ll do my best to answer them.