Burning Crusade Classic DPS Rankings PvE Tier List for the Phase One of TBCC

which class to play in Burning Crusade Classic as well

Welcome to The Burning Crusade Classic DPS Tier List for Phase 1. We TBCC Class Writers have gathered and compiled a tier list of DPS Classes in Karazhan Magtheridon's Lair, and Gruul's Lair, all Phase 1 raid content from Burning Crusade Classic. If you're the type of player who would select your class based upon its power for the present raid. This goes over the most powerful DPS specifications currently available in the raid tier , along with an explanation of why this is the case the class is recommended by our Class Writers.

 


If you're a brand new or returning player, you may be unsure of which class you should pick with your level 58 boost this list could help you choose which class to play in Burning Crusade Classic as well.


Disclaimers Regarding This Tier List


This Guide was made to provide you with a general overview of how each DPS Specialization and class can perform in Phase 1 of Burning Crusade Classic. This Tier List was created for players who prefer to select their class based on its potential as the DPS position, based upon mechanics and boss encounters in Karazhan Magtheridon's Lair, the Gruul's Lair.

 


This Guide will rank DPS Specializations and classes using an tier list format which ranks them on a scale ranging from the top (S Tier) to non-viable (F Tier) according to the requirements of throughput, utility and defensive value of Phase 1 raid content in Burning Crusade Classic.

 


These rankings were made in part by the Class Guide Writers, who are experts on their particular specs, however, the rankings are ultimately still their opinions. There is a chance that you disagree with some of their opinions, since every person views things different.


DPS The Tier List of Phase 1 in Burning Crusade Classic


This Tier List This is the way we're grading each DPS spec in Phase 1 of Burning Crusade Classic:


S: Valuable on every occasion, it provides high throughput, extraordinary sturdiness and universal use.


A: Excells in most situations, however, it has some weaknesses on some occasions with your throughput, survivability or utility.


B: Solid choices, that might have a place on occasion, but don't have the durability, throughput or utility of the more powerful classes.


C: Built-in, however without high throughput, endurance or utility.


D: Suffers from multiple weaknesses , and are only favored only when there aren't other alternatives available.


F: Generally thought to be to be unviable.


DPS Rankings and Explanations of Phase One of Burning Crusade Classic


S Tier Specs


Zephan said:


Overall Rating Overall Rating


The Warlocks of the overall game of Burning Crusade Classic bring some of the most powerful damage in the game for single target as well as multi target or AoE, as well for their great utility. Warlocks bring curses, Master Healthstone, Ritual of Summoning, wipe prevention in the shape that of the master Soulstone crowd control, and Fear and Banish.

 


In the Burning Crusade, Warlocks get Seed of Corruption that has a high AoE cap, and can be criticize (which removes the cap) comes with a 15-yard distance to explode, and can be cast from an uninvolved distance, making it one of, if certainly not the best, AoE spells to be found in.

 


Warlocks can choose from a myriad of options for specializations in raiding, each shining in its own manner.

 


Destruction Warlocks


Shadow Destruction is the ol' reliable specialization closest to the current game from WoW Classic It offers strong single-target DPS aswell with amazing AoE.

 


Do you have a mage buddy? Or maybe a mage decides to start a fire? Incinerate is now your most trusted companion. It allows you to go Fire Destruction, and thanks to the Improved Scorch debuff , you'll surpass Shadow Bolt casting warlocks. On top of that you don't even require to have a Soul Shard to get your Demonic Sacrifice buff!

 


Demonology Warlocks


Another option would be to go the path of a demonologist--Felguard goes SMASH! Have you ever thought of doing some solid damage during movement or cc encounters? Whilst you are running around or incapacitated , your next best buddy will be chasing the boss , whooping and kicking.

 


Your Felguard is able to take 50% less harm from bosses Area of Effect damage spells and is positioned behind targets , which leads to increased sustenability and higher DPS because bosses aren't being in a position to block or parry by using their butts. Additionally the pets have now been able to increase our stats. Demo will shine in plenty of battles such as Magtheridon as well as Gruul in the first phase, where you, as a player, are unable to deal damage, while your pet can just happily keep smashing. However, you must keep your pet alive . If the pet dies, you'll suffer a massive reduction in the damage you deal until you get it back.

 


Warlocks with Affliction


Then, there's Affliction, the utility bot. Dots! Every single dot--in Burning Crusade the debuff cap increases between 16 and 40 so Affliction Warlocks are allowed to use more of their damage-dealing buffs. Affliction's advantage is being in a position to "preload" its damage using dots, allowing for minimal DPS loss when incapacitated or moving.

 


Malediction, as well as Shadow Embrace are another reason the Affliction Warlock will be summoned. These boost raid-wide DPS and also give the tank more breathing room to outfit offensively. Additionally, Blood Pact can be supplied to the tank.

 


Affliction can also be a lot of fun on multi-targets, since it is possible to load all targets using dots. Remaining aware of which targets to refresh is an interesting test.


Overall Rating Overall Rating: S


Hunters within TBCC have two specializations and both are very top-of-the-line in their individual ways. The one is Beast Mastery, a chart-topping single target DPS selection due to new abilities such as Steady Shot as well as Kill Command. The second one, Survival, brings arguably some of the most powerful options for raids, in the shape of Expose Weakness. The only weakness we have would be the consistent damage from AoE since we're still limited to Multi-Shot and Volley which do not compare to classes like Warlocks as well as Mages.

 


Damage production of Beast Mastery hunters will be at the top of damage meters throughout all of Phase 1 thanks to few new abilities and talents. Steady Shot is able to bridge the gap that hunters had to endure in Classic. New talents such as Ferocious Inspiration, the Beast Within, and Serpent's Speed give us huge boosts. Our pets now scale with a percentage of some of our stats, which makes utilizing the pets we have and keeping them healthy important since they're now responsible for approximately 30percent of the total damage output. The next major contributor to our Beast Mastery damage is the Beast Lord Armor. This set's 4 piece bonus gives a 100% increase in the amount of Armor Penetration to 600 which gives a significant DPS boost. The other reason Beast Mastery damage output is the S-tier is Melee weaving. With TBCC the dead zone is eliminated and the melee swing timer is separate from our ranged swing timer. So, we are able to easily change direction and move out of the way for a fast Raptor Strike.

 


While the Survival Specialization suffers from less damage output due to not having the skills Ferocious Inspiration and The Beast Within, and Serpent's Swiftness, Survival Hunters make up the difference in top-tier raiding by providing an extra boost to the physical damage dealers of the raid, with the ability to expose weakness. This talent should have an uptime of nearly 95%, which makes Survival Hunters Survival Hunter a valuable asset to all raid teams.

 


Hunters' damage output increases significantly during Burning Crusade Classic, and our defense and utility remain important. We are now able to use the new skill Misdirection which can be an incredible asset in pulling targets to tanks with designated targets and aiding with attack from the beginning. Freezing Trap as well as Frost Trap remain solid abilities to control crowds. Our signature aggro dump with Feign Death remains a great way to keep threat under control but you can no longer use Feign Death to withdraw from combat in boss fights to swap trinkets.


Overall Rating: A

 


Elemental Shaman begin extremely robust when they play Burning Crusade Classic, as they gain a huge amount of Spell Hit and Spell Crit from their abilities. This extra hit permits them to reach that Spell Hit cap very early and not have to go further to buy Spell Hit gear. Also, they can benefit from the new Bloodlust / Heroism effect which does not result in a debuff in Burning Crusade Classic and is the prime ability to stack during a min-maxing raid.

 


They're the ideal assistance for groups of casters providing the caster equivalent of Strength of Earth Totem and Windfury Totem, Wrath of Air Totem and Totem of Wrath, which both increase the damage done and reduce the Spell damage that their group is required to. They also have a potent DPS cooldown in Elemental Mastery, which can be used in conjunction along with Chain Lightning to create massive flashes of damage at the touch of a button.

 


They also carry a range of other tools that are useful in a particular situation that can be useful in a variety of situations, such as Tranquil Air Totem, Purge, Tremor Totem, Earthbind Totem and Grounding Totem, as well as poison and disease removing totems which can speed up the process during fights in which the debuffs are applied consistently to your team.

 


The primary problem with Elemental is the fact that it is not scalable in gear when compared with the best DPS classes of Burning Crusade Classic. The requirements for casting time on the main damage spells also hinders mobility and makes Elemental susceptible to disruptions and pushback spells.

 


But, spells and interrupts pushback are of little concern in PvE. In the first phase the gear available is limited. The majority of the progression in raiding will be done mostly in blues, which makes Elemental a powerful tool with only a few downsides.


Overall Rating Overall Rating

 


In Burning Crusade Classic, Mages are among the most efficient damage-dealers to any group or raid with some of the best DPS in the game along with unique and powerful functionality. When it comes down to pure damage, Mages fall behind only the two strongest classes: Warlocks and Hunters. But, they're capable of holding their own and even compete with their counterparts. This is the case throughout all Phases.

 


In Phase 1 the most effective spec to use for Mages is Fire It is the one that delivers the greatest damage with the available gear. In later phases, Arcane also becomes a possibility. In any case, a normal raid group is always looking for at least one Mage , due to the damage-per-hit and the utility.

 


Mages offer some of the most valuable utility options in the game. They are able to control mobs using Polymorph or Frost Nova, buffing Intelligence through Arcane Intellect, and supplying the raid with food conjured by the wizard and water. Food and water are now an all-in-one pack in TBC using the Conjure Refreshment Table! The expansion also grants Mages the ability to use a new and exciting trick in Spellsteal, which is even essential to the High King Maulgar combat in Gruul's Lair.

 


The damage dealt by a Mage is high , both in single target and AoE fights. The damage output is high all throughout a fight, but Mages really shine in the 'execute' phase, in which a target has less than 20 percent health. This is due to the Molten Fury which increases damage by a whole 20%. If you combine it with other weapons like Combustion and Icy Veins, the blast can become quite awry.

 


Mages also excel in AoE combat due to their huge AoE toolbox. A variety of powerful spells like Flamestrike and Arcane Explosion, Blizzard, Cone of Cold, and Blast Wave are available today as well as another powerful AoE spell called Dragon's Breath is being introduced in The Burning Crusade. If you're facing a group of mobs, Mage is one of the best classes to take the mobs down.

 


In addition, Mages also have strong tools for survival. The class is quite soft by itself, but it does come with some potent spells that can help keep you alive, the most notable being Ice Block which makes a Mage completely immune to damage (and isn't limited to just Frost!). The new spell Invisibility can be used to stay out of sticky situations. Of course, there are other alternatives like Mana Shield, which is costly, but it can aid in your survival.


Overall Rating A


In Burning Crusade Classic, the Enhancement Shaman gets a facelift. These changes, along with the benefits that shamans can bring in general, make the class desirable for all raid comps. Enhancement gets some notable improvements: Dual Wield allows shamans to utilize two One-Handed weapons, and Stormstrike has been adjusted to support Dual Wield using a strike with both weapons. Shamanistic Rage is our 41-point ability to give needed mana regeneration.

 


Shaman is among the most desired classes (if not the most desirable class) of Burning Crusade Classic, regardless of their spec. Shamans are the most sought-after class in the game. Shaman can bring the totems ( Windfury Totem, Strength of Earth as well as Grace of Air and so on.) which boost their group. Once they reach level 70 , all shamans will gain Heroism+ Bloodlust, a game-changing ability. Every raid will want a Shaman to offer totems and Bloodlust/Heroism to help unlock their group's full potential. Additionally, Enhancement Shamans also provide Unleashed Rage to their party (which will likely be another physically-based DPS).

 


Shamans of Burning Crusade Clsasic just have an overall amazing Spell Book: Earth Shock is an interruption on a 6-second cooling time, Grounding Totem to prevent an enemy spellcast, Tremor Totem to dispel the effects of fear from your group members, and Fire Elemental Totem and Earth Elemental Totem to serve as an DPS cooldown as well as a defensive cooldown respectively. The sheer amount of utility Shaman can provide to the raid is astounding. Shaman brings to the raid


Overall Rating Overall Rating


The three specializations in the talent of Rogue focus on dealing with damage, and that's all there is for Rogue players. Rogues are very gear dependent, needing powerful weapons and armor to deal with a great deal of damage. In the initial phase of Burning Crusade Classic, equally-skilled Rogues generally fall behind other classes that deal with damage like Hunters as well as Warlocks. In later phases with better gear, Rogue damage output improves drastically, and the class can become an increasingly popular raid addition. There's a valid reasons to add a Rogue to a raid during Phase 1 , however the ability to Expose Armor with the ability Improved Expose Armor can be a very powerful debuff to reduce armor that many raids wish to have. This gives a good boost to the physical damage output of all raiders!

 


The damage output isn't great however, and Expose Armor is all there can offer in terms of raid-wide buffs, Rogues do have additional advantages that are worth mentioning. Rogues possess a myriad of useful and defensive capabilities, including Evasion as well as Vanish Sprint and the brand new (and truly amazing) Cloak of Shadows. Smart use of these abilities will help Rogues gain more involvement in combating enemies, avoid damaging the mechanics of the raid, and controlling their own danger when the situation is out of control. These capabilities will make a skilled rogue less of a burden to the raid , in terms of healing or dispelling compared with other classes that deal with damage.

 


The ability to damage enemies with AoE are almost nonexistent, only being able to strike two targets with Blade Flurry for 15 seconds at a time every two minutes. The fact is, Rogues are very capable of dealing intense damage. with powerful abilities such as Blade Flurry and Adrenaline Rush and replenishing themselves with Thistle Tea, they can cause a massive amount of damage within a brief amount of time.

 


All combat heroes can avail the powerful new Combat Potency. This talent places Combat well ahead of Assassination or Subtlety and the abilities in those trees simply cannot compete with Combat Potency. For those who love the dagger style, swordsmen are the champs for Burning Crusade Classic -- they're not quite as good as it was in Classic. The old Sword Specialization gets an important mechanical update that makes it significantly stronger. In Classic it was the case that whenever Sword Specialization activated, it would disrupt your auto attack currently in progress and re-start the timer of your swing. In Burning Crusade Classic, Sword Specialization operates independently of your auto attack's timer and doesn't interfere at all. This boost in power really puts Combat Sword Rogues a good way over Combat Daggers.


Overall Rating B


Imagine your Shadow Priest as a leaky vessel. While in Classic the mana-liquid of the gods dripped into oblivion, In Burning Crusade Classic, not only does it flow into the vessels of an entire party, but it also returns to its source! Vampiric Touch offers insane amount of mana replenishment for your entire group, including yourself. It adjusts according to your damage output, meaning that the further you get into Burning Crusade Classic content, the more effective it becomes. It's not quite powerful enough to offset chain-casting mana expense, but with other tools for sustenance (including the brand-new Shadowfiend) the mana issue is not nearly as bad as they were in Classic.

 


Talent tree revamp sees Shadow Weaving somewhat nerfed, from 15% to 10%, but by introducing Misery the debuff is back at 15% while also giving 5% boost to the other magic schools. Vampiric Still generates a lot of threat, but with no debuff cap , it could be useful in heroics and later on in the phases.

 


With better scaling and a better scalability, Shadow Priests can be considered a top meta specs in the phase 1 PvP. A combination with a Warlock is a great way to create a thrilling 2v2 game! If you'd prefer the game of Shadow in PvE and then change your spec to arena. Discipline is equally good as in a PvP-specific spec and is in the meta game throughout the expansion.

 


With single target as well as AoE damage slipping behind as the mages and Warlocks have high crit gear that Shadow Priests can't use to the fullest extent, and also the limited AoE power, this spec is unfortunately slightly short of scoring S. Bear in mind that, while Warlocks and Hunters are sought after for their DPS and crit, Shadow Priests are mandatory for raids because of their effectiveness and thus guaranteed to be in the game. 1200 mp5 (assuming 1200 DPS and 60 mana per second for each of the four healers within the party) basically makes for a healer, while still providing an impressive DPS. If that is not enough, a fantastic output boost is especially great for Warlocks but all casters require at least one Shadow Priest in every 25-man group (and a much loved addition for Kara Runs.)

 


Damage over time's AoE output is limited by default. The limiting factor is cast time, which is limited to an arbitrary number of targets, as well as long-ish time to ramp up. While AoE output is existent and substantial in the long-term, it is not quite as powerful as other caster classes.


Overall Rating: B


Retribution Paladins in Tier one are extremely tough, and are a nearly mandatory raid location for both Gruul's Lair as well as Magtheridon's Lair due to the Improved seal of the Crusader and moderately high damage for a melee slot; however, they're not ideal for Karazhan. Retribution Paladins bring a plethora of buffs that help as you get more people, including another Blessing, as well as the capability to ensure that another Paladin's judgements are focussed over the boss. This permits Holy Paladins to keep pumping healing to the main tank. Exorcism is also able to deal more damage during the Magtheridon's Lair fight. They also increase the damage to their party members by 2 percent from Improved Aura of Sanctity. Aura which is small , but practical.

 


The Retribution Paladins have very robust defensive abilities. They are immune to much of all AoE damages that Gruul unleashes during his Ground Slam; Divine Shield protects them from damage intake and the Slow as well as Blessing of Protection is able to avoid the damage component , and Blessing of Freedom avoids the Slow. They are also able to help with cleansing during adding part of Magtheridon's Lair, stunning adds, fearing Infernals, and even tanking the initial add that gets blown up and removing the need for more tanks than you actually need.

 


This is where the benefits that a Retribution Paladin has come to an end and is further exacerbated with the reality that nearly 50% of the time you spend in a raid in Phase 1 will be spent doing Karazhan. The Retribution Paladin should be in the melee group, getting access to Windfury Totem and the attack power buffs from Both Battle Shout or Unleashed Rage to be truly efficient. It's extremely unlikely to be able to access all three these advantages in your Karazhan group. They're not able to have the power of a 10 man when compared with the Protection Paladin. As a minimum, you'll be relegated to performing off-tank tasks, and although you will perform them outstandingly but you're not on similar level to an Feral Druid to be able to multitask effectively.

 


In the end, there are few general problems with a Retribution Paladin. The group comp requirements have been stated previously, however they're a melee slot as is and Melee in the initial phase of Burning Crusade Classic will be far behind Ranged for a variety of reasons. Melee do not get the access they need to Tier 5 equivalent gear in crafting or a set of dungeons. Melee are often abused by Cleave and other unfriendly mechanics, both of which really make ranged far more beneficial than melee in general during the 4th level. Their AoE damage is restricted only to Consecration which costs an absurd amount of mana, and does not scale with the gear. Also, you should never take more than one Retribution Paladin into the raid. Although they provide lots of value and value, having more than one slot is a chance which could have been used to another melee class that could provide additional value to your other classes, meaning that you'll be able to use fewer raid or melee group buffs.


Overall Rating B


Balance is placed in a strange position in Burning Crusade Classic. What was once considered a meme-spec in Classic is now coveted by raid teams during Burning Crusade Classic as a essential support class. While it's unlikely to be a top contender on in the list of damage, it does bring a vast array of usefulness to raids.

 


In addition to the usefulness that every Druid can bring to raids like Innervate and Rebirth, Faerie Fire receives a sizeable upgrade deep in the Balance talent tree. A better Faerie Fire increases the chance that the target will be hit by melee or ranged attacks by 3% when completely talented. This is an impressive raid-wide buff. Moonkin Form also receives an enormous boost, increasing from the 3% spellcrit level to 5 percent which makes Balance an ideal addition to your Warlock group.

 


The expansion of limits on buffs and debuffs implies that Boomkins will also get to use their debuffs like Moonfire or Insect Swarm. This significantly improves the game's playing style, the rotation and damage. Yet, Boomkins continue to struggle for mana and maintaining their DoTs can get way too fast. Balance's damage output is arguably better than as seen in Classic but isn't without its own struggles. A great Boomkin who invests the time and effort will show a significant increase on the meters than one who just serves as a buff bot.


Overall Rating Overall Rating: C


DPS Warriors truly fall from grace in Classic and are in a much lower need in Burning Crusade Classic. The raids will no longer be packed using DPS Warriors; instead your raid is likely only going to have room for one or two at most. As opposed to Classic and Classic II, you'll be able to use both DPS specs to run raids on Burning Crusade, but in Phase 1, they don't have the proper gear scaling to enable them to take on those damage meters.

 


Arms Warriors are going to be the most prevalent spec you'll see in raid groups because they actually bring a raid debuff in shape of Blood Frenzy which can increase the physical damage caused by the entire group. Even though the debuff is very good, you only need one Warrior to maintain the debuff to the enemy, so there's no incentive to recruit multiple Arms warriors to your group. This means raid spots are likely to be extremely competitive. Arms Warriors are also somewhat obliged to use two-handed swords as a result of their Sword Specialization talent, so if you end up playing Arms in a raid, you are filling an extremely limited role.

 


Fury Warriors are merely damage dealers who don't bring any debuffs to raids or any sort of exceptional ability to boost raids to invite them, which puts them in a bad spot. As a Fury Warrior will be pretty wonderful job if you are able to find a group of raids to take you (which is entirely possible if your guild's min/maxed to the max), since you get to fully benefit from Blacksmithing for both PvE and PvP. You will also be able to make Dragonmaw along with Deep Thunder in Phase 1.

 


All in all, DPS Warriors in phase 1 aren't exactly the kind of class that we've seen in the last couple years of Classic. They can deal serious damage, and Arms provides a nice buff However, they're not the stars of the show.


Overall Rating: C


Feral Druids can be the best position to tank during Burning Crusade Classic, but as an DPS specification, Feral is lackluster. However, on the positive side Feral DPS is notably enhanced in comparison against other melee types in Burning Crusade Classic, and the performance gap between a Warrior or Rogue and a Feral Druid decreases from more than 30% within Classic and less than percent for Burning Crusade Classic. This is due in large part to the absence of world buffs, that disproportionately benefit Warriors as well as Rogues in Classic because of their higher scaling. In addition, Burning Crusade Classic adds Mangle (Cat) to the Cat rotation, which provides 30% more damage to almost every yellow damage type, including both Shred (the primary generator of combo points) along with Rip (the principal final move). In addition to the pure DPS boost from Mangle, Burning Crusade Classic is also able to fix the mana issues which Cats had to contend with during long fights in Classic. The greatly expanded debuff limit permits regular use of Judgement of Wisdom in raids. The new talent Intensity lets mana replenishment while powershifting and the introduction to Fel Mana Potion (the debuff is irrelevant for cats) gives a much more potent consumable, which makes mana issue even in longer fights. In addition, Feral itemization in Burning Crusade Classic is vastly upgraded over Classic which has real Tier sets as well as much more durable offset pieces.

 


Improvements aside, Feral DPS is still not as good as "pure" DPS specs such as Hunters, Warlocks, and Fury Warriors. It's not necessarily a negative thing, as several hybrid specs that are included in TBC are likely to perform better than Ferals: Shadow Priests Balance Druids and the Retribution Paladins to name a few. But, these classes and specs provide valuable raid and group utility which justifies having them included in raid comps: Shadow Weaving and Vampiric Touch from Shadow Priests, Improved Faerie Fire from Moonkins, Improved Seal of the Crusader and Improved Sanctity Aura along with Blessings and Seals from Ret Paladins and more. In contrast,"Leaders of the Pack" by Feral Druids is a far weaker buff, as it is only beneficial to a single party and the Mangle buff is primarily beneficial to the feral with only a minor impact in Rogue and Warrior DPS. As a result, the lack of a strong raid utility makes it difficult to justify the use of a pure DPS Feral in a competitive raid game, given its average DPS output. In a speedrun environment, the difference between the Feral Druid and a DPS Warrior is further accentuated since Cats don't have any the cleave that they need, which is a major limitation to their multi-targeting capabilities on trash (which is the majority of the time during a speedrun).

 


Another problem with Ferals when compared to similar melee DPS classes is the lack of tools to deal with raid mechanics which are known to be particularly harsh for combat in TBC. Cats aren't equipped with defensive cooldowns such as Cloak of Shadows, which could be used to counter certain mechanics, and also lack offensive cooldowns like Recklessness and Death Wish which can compensate for reduced fight uptime by concentrating damage output over moments of high-uptime. Likewise, Rogues can draw energy from their enemies and expend it later to minimize the impact on moving away from the melee range. On the other hand, Cats expend energy at the same rate, while powershifting with The Wolfshead Helm and Furor thus there is no advantage to pooling energy when they're not in a position to attack or even use it, as the reduced time to recharge is an unrecoverable DPS loss. However, Ferals can use Feral Charge and Dash to get into to melee distance in a short time.

 


It is important to note that the above rankings pertain to Feral Druids in an entirely DPS role in raid. If used as tanks, Ferals have by far the highest DPS production of the tank specifications even when they are not actively tanking because Cat DPS vastly outclasses Protection Warriors/Paladins. The lack of a Cleave for Cats is also irrelevant when the Feral can be used as a tank rather than an DPS on garbage.




Tom Anni

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