Not To Say "I Told You So", But...

I was reading Nibuca's post regarding haste over at the MC, and, as usual, she has done a wonderful job explaining the maths behind the game. It got me thinking, hey didn't I write an article about this same topic once upon a time? Yes, I did, well over a month ago.

Now, I'm not trying to say "I told you so" here, but Nibuca points out another very valid reason why haste is becoming the new hotness for Warlocks everywhere. For those of you counting, the reasons are:

1. Stat stackings on Warlock Specific Gear - The old analysis from the Warlock's Den that I linked in my original article was looking at this. Apparently, Warlocks should get more than their fair share of haste on the items that are made specifically for us. This should pop a flag in your head.
2. The new Spellstone now adds haste - When Blizz, reworked the way our stones function, they added a healthy dose of haste to our Spellstone. The flag should be fluttering a bit.
3. One of our new deep affliction talents is Eradication - This talent was recently added as well and also deals in healthy haste bonusfor us. Is the flag waving yet? See a trend here?

Haste is cropping up more and more, especially for warlocks. You can draw your own conclusions, but here is how I'm valuing stats on gear at the current point in time: Hit (until cap) > Spell Power > Haste > Else. Honorable mention goes to Stam, because I will give stam some priority if I feel too squishy in raids. Spirit and Intellect are nothing to scoff at either, as they can give you SP and Crit respectively (which also indicates crit isn't all bad either). However, by the time I get done looking at those first three, I'm usually pretty confident whether the item is an upgrade or not.

If those stats don't make it clear, or I feel I need more balance, I will stray from that selection guideline, but that is why it is a "guideline" and not "the ultimate word from the creator".

Also, I haven't filled out Eradication yet; it will be the last thing I do with my talent points as I wanted to get other first. However, I DO believe it deserves the points now, despite my earlier doubts.

Nibuca's fine math proves the benefits here. Especially when you think not only of the basics like GCD and S-bolts, but start thinking about haste improving your channelled spells and AoE's as well. It's going to make everything faster, and faster means you can fit more in, and more spells means more DPS. Huzzah!

I left a comment to this effect over at the MC, but felt that it justified a post of its own. Thus, Viola, a post!