Now that the early wave of pugging has subsided with many folks headed back to school soon, the quality of players using the LFG tool is starting to slide.
It's no secret that there are some DPS queing as tanks in order to move faster up the chain.
Usually this issue is not a problem on Kir, who is overgeared for just about anything. It becomes a liability on Ciras, who is still trying to shed the last remains of her Naxx gear through doing pugs.
So, Dhoom and Ciras are trying to gear up when we realized that our tank in UP is clearly not a tank. Yes, he was a DK but he was unholy. Now, before you start yelling at me that Unholies can be tanks, let me say that it is probably possible but more than likely doesn't happen.
So, Ciras is PoMin and Shielding like crazy, making use of her Glyph of Prayer of Mending like a mad woman because our group didn't get one but three tanks. Yes, the dps warrior and retadin are also tanking because the Unholy can't hold agro for jack.
The icing on the cake? You know that broken stairway before the boss? Not only did the pally fall down but the warrior as well. To the "tank"'s defense, he was trying to hold the mobs that we were supposed to be on, while the other bozos decided to fight the packs instead of dying like good morons.
After we wiped, the melee's blamed the tank for their failure. I quickly rushed to Unholy's defense and said that he was fine, they were the idiots. I surprised myself because just minutes before, I was cursing at this guy for being a fail-tank. Then, I realized that the rest of group was more stupid than he.
Moral of the story...
Yes, tanks are probably DPS who didn't want to wait for a que. But, if they are indeed trying, don't be afraid to exercise your healing powers and tell the idiots what's what. All it takes is a little push on your part, because frankly, they don't want to go back into another 15 min wait.
Just use your powers for good, not evil.
Saturday, December 26
Wednesday, December 23
What a long, strange trip it has been.
It has been a long trip. Not the achievement but rather journey that a few of us began long ago.
Zul'Aman
The tale begins at the last remenant of the Amani empire as we sought to defeat its challenges with alacrity. As a reward, we were to be granted an Amani War Bear. Without upper class armor and weapons, we struggled to do our best as we ran through our enemies with precision. As we fought to get each member of our expedition team a trophy of their own, we were only able to retrive one before Thrall called us away to Northrend.
Naxxramas
The call to Northrend provided a distraction from the fact that our efforts fell short in Zul'Aman. There were new foes and dangers lurking in this snowed area, and soon enough, our eyes looked to the sky and the floating citadel of a lich.
Alexstrasza tasked us with the defeating the enemies within Naxxramas and Obsidian Sanctuary. Some of us from the bear hunting days came in to try for the Reins of the Plagued Proto-Drake. Some, we found along the way as we explored the reaches of Northrend. As before, we fought hard through not only the frustrations of the task before us but an impending deadline. We got close to completing the challenges, but Sartharion proved to be our bane. Alas, as the leaders of Alliance and Horde asked their people to defeat Yogg-Saron, we had to put away our ambitions for a while. It was disheartening and we could only hang our heads as we set off to explore new areas.
Ulduar
Our next challenge came from an unlikely source: Brann Bronzebeard. Surely, a dwarf wouldn't spend his time seeking out Horde adventurers, right?
So we had to ask ourselves some tough questions. Did we even want to go through another set of seemingly impossible tasks only to have our efforts fall short yet again? Some said yes for the challenge of it, some agreed to go for chance at glory and fame.
Shortly after we started, rumblings of ill feelings went through our friends. They started seeing us go into to Ulduar at the same time every week and felt they were missing out on things. There were many reasons why we couldn't take everyone but were difficult to explain. We started to look elitist and exclusive, which was sad because as we were being pushed to our limits we did not feel like we were part of a special club. This was a difficult journey to complete; an onerous task on our shoulders.
Later, we started to see cracks in our resolve. People started failing to arrive at the designated times or began to lose their composure and their focus. Matters only got worse when Tirion called for us in his arena. Were we going to fail yet again?
Months went by. One by one, they started to go down. Freya, Mimiron, the General, until finally we met Yogg-Saron. Brann assured us that we could keep trying, despite forces being marshaled at the foot of Icecrown Citadel. However, we had been through this before and knew it only a matter of time before we would be forced to shift our focus again.
One Light in the Darkness
And so, the tale comes to a close. Did we succeed?
*Cue gnome-like happy dancing*
Oh my goodness, I just feel this huge sense of relief and sense of accomplishment. I didn't even want the mount in at the start (ok, the bear mount I did want, really really badly), but what was a bird going to do with a drake? Hell, even when we got our drakes in the mail, I had almost forgotten it meant a 310% bird speed. Of course, this led me to fly over Dalaran repeating "310 bird, 310 bird" in sing-song.
Many people contributed to this achievement. Thank you:
Glye/Shalto, Rizz, Grey, Relg, Korth, Gel, big D, Kryss, Alindy, Jerke, Luminas. Thank you to those who started out with us on the bear mounts. Thank you to those in Naxx. Thank you to those who filled in for us in Ulduar when others were called away for real life things. Thank you to those no longer with the guild: Perf, Crass, Nicci, Kire. Thank you Arkage, I am sorry you cancelled your account just shy of seeing Yogg downed.
And finally, the biggest thanks to Anti for starting all off, keeping us together, and providing the chance to take me along on the most challenging experiences I have ever had the pleasure of being a part of in any gaming experience. Only took, like, forever, right?
Zul'Aman
The tale begins at the last remenant of the Amani empire as we sought to defeat its challenges with alacrity. As a reward, we were to be granted an Amani War Bear. Without upper class armor and weapons, we struggled to do our best as we ran through our enemies with precision. As we fought to get each member of our expedition team a trophy of their own, we were only able to retrive one before Thrall called us away to Northrend.
Naxxramas
The call to Northrend provided a distraction from the fact that our efforts fell short in Zul'Aman. There were new foes and dangers lurking in this snowed area, and soon enough, our eyes looked to the sky and the floating citadel of a lich.
Alexstrasza tasked us with the defeating the enemies within Naxxramas and Obsidian Sanctuary. Some of us from the bear hunting days came in to try for the Reins of the Plagued Proto-Drake. Some, we found along the way as we explored the reaches of Northrend. As before, we fought hard through not only the frustrations of the task before us but an impending deadline. We got close to completing the challenges, but Sartharion proved to be our bane. Alas, as the leaders of Alliance and Horde asked their people to defeat Yogg-Saron, we had to put away our ambitions for a while. It was disheartening and we could only hang our heads as we set off to explore new areas.
Ulduar
Our next challenge came from an unlikely source: Brann Bronzebeard. Surely, a dwarf wouldn't spend his time seeking out Horde adventurers, right?
So we had to ask ourselves some tough questions. Did we even want to go through another set of seemingly impossible tasks only to have our efforts fall short yet again? Some said yes for the challenge of it, some agreed to go for chance at glory and fame.
Shortly after we started, rumblings of ill feelings went through our friends. They started seeing us go into to Ulduar at the same time every week and felt they were missing out on things. There were many reasons why we couldn't take everyone but were difficult to explain. We started to look elitist and exclusive, which was sad because as we were being pushed to our limits we did not feel like we were part of a special club. This was a difficult journey to complete; an onerous task on our shoulders.
Later, we started to see cracks in our resolve. People started failing to arrive at the designated times or began to lose their composure and their focus. Matters only got worse when Tirion called for us in his arena. Were we going to fail yet again?
Months went by. One by one, they started to go down. Freya, Mimiron, the General, until finally we met Yogg-Saron. Brann assured us that we could keep trying, despite forces being marshaled at the foot of Icecrown Citadel. However, we had been through this before and knew it only a matter of time before we would be forced to shift our focus again.
One Light in the Darkness
And so, the tale comes to a close. Did we succeed?
*Cue gnome-like happy dancing*
Oh my goodness, I just feel this huge sense of relief and sense of accomplishment. I didn't even want the mount in at the start (ok, the bear mount I did want, really really badly), but what was a bird going to do with a drake? Hell, even when we got our drakes in the mail, I had almost forgotten it meant a 310% bird speed. Of course, this led me to fly over Dalaran repeating "310 bird, 310 bird" in sing-song.
Many people contributed to this achievement. Thank you:
Glye/Shalto, Rizz, Grey, Relg, Korth, Gel, big D, Kryss, Alindy, Jerke, Luminas. Thank you to those who started out with us on the bear mounts. Thank you to those in Naxx. Thank you to those who filled in for us in Ulduar when others were called away for real life things. Thank you to those no longer with the guild: Perf, Crass, Nicci, Kire. Thank you Arkage, I am sorry you cancelled your account just shy of seeing Yogg downed.
And finally, the biggest thanks to Anti for starting all off, keeping us together, and providing the chance to take me along on the most challenging experiences I have ever had the pleasure of being a part of in any gaming experience. Only took, like, forever, right?
Saturday, December 19
Rocket packs are not toys.
So, it's been another rousing week of raiding in Icecrown, doing both the 10 man and 25 man versions.
Looking back, there are a few things I would like to share.
Curses!
For goodness' sake, please stop yelling in vent you have the curse. By the time it reaches my ears, I have already taken it off you. STFU.
If you have the curse, and can remove it, try it. It just might work.
FFS Listen!
When the person giving instructions says "Ok, wait for Lum (our main tank) to go over to the other boat, then when he says to, follow." he means just that. Somehow, that was translated into something like "Hey, there's the boat, weeeeee!" followed by death, which ensued the comment akin to "I died from something horrible."
Or, after explaining the strat for the third time for the instructional impaired, the raid leader asks "Are there any questions?" we hear: "No, but I have a comment. I am on top of the boat!" /facepalm
But before all that...
"I have to stand right next to Lum or I die." Which led me to think to myself, Funny, you die next to Lum, so maybe there's a flaw with this strategy.
/rage
More Five Man Stuff
Despite having other alternatives, I have been farming HoR for the off hand with no luck. We brought a warlock who has been away from the game for some time and needed gear ups.
Me: "If you roll against me on [the heart] I will hunt you down and kill you."
Warlock: <--- Not afraid
Luminas: "I am going for coffee while the tree vents her murderous rage."
Sadly, the lock got a wand, and the Shriveled Heart didn't drop. Here's to hoping something comes out of ToC later.
Songs from Icecrown
Here are some tunes to infect your group mates with...
For Halls of Reflection, Gauntlet: I Ran by Flock of Seagulls
For the trash before Lord Marrowgar: Shout by Tears for Fears
(Works best if the raid calls "Shout!" and you respond with "Let it all out!")
And finally, courtesy of Anti and our gmotd: All my ex's live in Nexus
Looking back, there are a few things I would like to share.
Curses!
For goodness' sake, please stop yelling in vent you have the curse. By the time it reaches my ears, I have already taken it off you. STFU.
If you have the curse, and can remove it, try it. It just might work.
FFS Listen!
When the person giving instructions says "Ok, wait for Lum (our main tank) to go over to the other boat, then when he says to, follow." he means just that. Somehow, that was translated into something like "Hey, there's the boat, weeeeee!" followed by death, which ensued the comment akin to "I died from something horrible."
Or, after explaining the strat for the third time for the instructional impaired, the raid leader asks "Are there any questions?" we hear: "No, but I have a comment. I am on top of the boat!" /facepalm
But before all that...
"I have to stand right next to Lum or I die." Which led me to think to myself, Funny, you die next to Lum, so maybe there's a flaw with this strategy.
/rage
More Five Man Stuff
Despite having other alternatives, I have been farming HoR for the off hand with no luck. We brought a warlock who has been away from the game for some time and needed gear ups.
Me: "If you roll against me on [the heart] I will hunt you down and kill you."
Warlock: <--- Not afraid
Luminas: "I am going for coffee while the tree vents her murderous rage."
Sadly, the lock got a wand, and the Shriveled Heart didn't drop. Here's to hoping something comes out of ToC later.
Songs from Icecrown
Here are some tunes to infect your group mates with...
For Halls of Reflection, Gauntlet: I Ran by Flock of Seagulls
For the trash before Lord Marrowgar: Shout by Tears for Fears
(Works best if the raid calls "Shout!" and you respond with "Let it all out!")
And finally, courtesy of Anti and our gmotd: All my ex's live in Nexus
Wednesday, December 16
2009 Year in Review
I have seen this meme floating around. Was I tagged? No. But I like the topic so much that I would like to keep it going around. I orginally found it here at Tree of Life.
What did you do in the World of Warcraft in 2009 that you'd never done before?
Make Moonkin my off spec. After being feral for years and starting out the game as resto, I told people many times that I would never be boomkin. Never ever ever. Opps.
What was your favorite new place that you visited?
Grizzly Hills. I started almost all my characters over on that side of the continent and fell in love with the zone. The music, the trees, the landscape are all just lovely.
What would you like to have in 2010 that you lacked in 2009?
With the many changes they have made over the year, I'm hard pressed to come up with anything. Probably a new tree form. I would like to look less like the trees in Charred Vale and more like the trees in Nexus, or even something completely new for Cataclysm.
What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Putting together the anniversary celebration for our guild. Many people came on board to help with prizes and ideas, and I think those who participated had lots of fun. It came at a time when folks were getting stressed or burned out and it was a needed break from the weekly routine. I look forward to repeating it and even maybe expanding on it next year.
What was your biggest failure?
Not speaking my mind enough or being honest about my feelings on certain subjects.
What did you get really, really, really excited about?
Dual specs. It has not only helped the guild out as far as flexibility but increased the fun factor for many people. It came with its fair share of headaches but overall I think it has improved the way our guild handles raids.
What do you wish you'd done less of?
Cursing over vent. I think I scarred a number of kids.
What was your favorite WoW blog or podcast?
Resto4life. It got me started on blogging and became the go to for all things leafy. In the ashes have come some remarkable blogs that I would not even have stumbled upon like Tree Bark Jacket, Dreambound, Swiftmend, Restokin, I Like Bubbles and many many others. I look forward to finding new blogs and seeing the great plethora of personalities and talent that is in this little community.
Tell us a valuable WoW lesson you learned in 2009.
I am going to echo Keredria thoughts on guild drama and people behind the screen.
Some raiders treat their guild members as just co-workers. And sometimes, that is a good way to go if the personalities don't mesh. As an officer though, I have learned that people are people and want to enjoy their time on the game as much as I do. Sadly though, being an officer is kind of my job in this little hobby called WoW and I have learned to separate the officer from the friend. I have made some wonderful friends in the game, and some nights I have to change hats and say "Well, the officer part of me needs to say this..." and hope that the person on the other end respects that.
That's it. I would like to see this passed on and grow so please feel free to write your version and link it in the comments!
What did you do in the World of Warcraft in 2009 that you'd never done before?
Make Moonkin my off spec. After being feral for years and starting out the game as resto, I told people many times that I would never be boomkin. Never ever ever. Opps.
What was your favorite new place that you visited?
Grizzly Hills. I started almost all my characters over on that side of the continent and fell in love with the zone. The music, the trees, the landscape are all just lovely.
What would you like to have in 2010 that you lacked in 2009?
With the many changes they have made over the year, I'm hard pressed to come up with anything. Probably a new tree form. I would like to look less like the trees in Charred Vale and more like the trees in Nexus, or even something completely new for Cataclysm.
What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Putting together the anniversary celebration for our guild. Many people came on board to help with prizes and ideas, and I think those who participated had lots of fun. It came at a time when folks were getting stressed or burned out and it was a needed break from the weekly routine. I look forward to repeating it and even maybe expanding on it next year.
What was your biggest failure?
Not speaking my mind enough or being honest about my feelings on certain subjects.
What did you get really, really, really excited about?
Dual specs. It has not only helped the guild out as far as flexibility but increased the fun factor for many people. It came with its fair share of headaches but overall I think it has improved the way our guild handles raids.
What do you wish you'd done less of?
Cursing over vent. I think I scarred a number of kids.
What was your favorite WoW blog or podcast?
Resto4life. It got me started on blogging and became the go to for all things leafy. In the ashes have come some remarkable blogs that I would not even have stumbled upon like Tree Bark Jacket, Dreambound, Swiftmend, Restokin, I Like Bubbles and many many others. I look forward to finding new blogs and seeing the great plethora of personalities and talent that is in this little community.
Tell us a valuable WoW lesson you learned in 2009.
I am going to echo Keredria thoughts on guild drama and people behind the screen.
Some raiders treat their guild members as just co-workers. And sometimes, that is a good way to go if the personalities don't mesh. As an officer though, I have learned that people are people and want to enjoy their time on the game as much as I do. Sadly though, being an officer is kind of my job in this little hobby called WoW and I have learned to separate the officer from the friend. I have made some wonderful friends in the game, and some nights I have to change hats and say "Well, the officer part of me needs to say this..." and hope that the person on the other end respects that.
That's it. I would like to see this passed on and grow so please feel free to write your version and link it in the comments!
Tuesday, December 15
Ephemeral Snowflake
Many of you already know about this little trinket and may even be farming HoR for it.
Sure, it got nerfed but it's still very handy as far as mana goes. Reports say that Spark of Hope is still better over the long run, but I found the Snowflake to reap better rewards. In addition, I am not the best math person so I like seeing hard numbers.
Replenished is different from Replenishment. It is the proc from the trinket.
That is from our little Ulduar 10 man clear for Yogg+1. I didn't need the innervate, it was a miscast after battle rezing someone.
Given that the aoe damage on ICC can be intensive as we are learning the fights, I am going to stick with this puppy for a while. At some point, if I am still having mana issues I may switch to Purified Lunar Dust because of the spell power. However, Althor's Abacus seems to be a clear winner as far as output, even if half it if gets overhealed. It's on my wish list anyway.
Long story short, even with the internal cooldown the Snowflake is still a good trinket, especially for those who never got their Spark. Good luck.
Sure, it got nerfed but it's still very handy as far as mana goes. Reports say that Spark of Hope is still better over the long run, but I found the Snowflake to reap better rewards. In addition, I am not the best math person so I like seeing hard numbers.
Replenished is different from Replenishment. It is the proc from the trinket.
That is from our little Ulduar 10 man clear for Yogg+1. I didn't need the innervate, it was a miscast after battle rezing someone.
Given that the aoe damage on ICC can be intensive as we are learning the fights, I am going to stick with this puppy for a while. At some point, if I am still having mana issues I may switch to Purified Lunar Dust because of the spell power. However, Althor's Abacus seems to be a clear winner as far as output, even if half it if gets overhealed. It's on my wish list anyway.
Long story short, even with the internal cooldown the Snowflake is still a good trinket, especially for those who never got their Spark. Good luck.
Pugging, Raiding, Running like a mad cow
Pugging
So myself and many others are finding the LFG tool to be very handy. There are hiccups, like punks who feel they screwed up enough on their server that they need to spread the love... but they are few and far between. I started queing this weekend as a dps to give me a change of pace... and found that pace was slooow. Makes sense: less healers than dps means if I qued as the healer role I would fill it much faster than if I was competing with every other dps out there.
Something to note: my server has thing about scrub dps. I am sure it's not just my server, but we regularly scan gear and check the dps meter to see if people are pulling their weight. I have found that sometimes the stuff is dead too soon or the fight is favored toward some classes than others (ie, melee suck on WW stuff and boomkin suck at constant moving). Basically I won't vote to kick someone unless they constantly afk or pull jack ass moves.
The one thing I did notice about the tool is remember to watch your altitude. I used the "teleport out of dungeon" feature, only to find myself falling in Dragonblight and managed to shapeshift inches off the ground. Talk about panic. "Oh crap oh crap! Switch! Switch!"
Rejuvenation
I found it difficult to find information on exactly how the new rejuv works and in conjunction with the glyph. It was bugging me for days why I had a 12 sec rejuv even with the talents.
Here is what I have noticed so far:
Without any glyphs or talents- 15 secs
Without the Glyph of Rapid Rejuvenation but with Nature's Splendor- 18 secs
With Glyph of Rapid Rejuvenation and Nature's Splendor- 12 secs
I don't know if that's intended, but it seems the glyph overrides the talent. Because of this, I am now packing several copies of Rapid Rejuv, Nourish, Rejuv and Regrowth Glyphs. Possibly a little overkill, but I like to cover my bases. All reports were right in that the Rapid Rejuv glyph may not be the ideal for all situations.
A note about Regrowth: it will suck your mana if you rely on it too heavily. Ideally, Nourish is your best option. I have copies because our guild bank needed cleaning out and I am packrat.
My computer sucks
Still testing out things in a raid setting. I raid with such abysmally low frame rates that it's amazing I get anything done. Seriously, I can't wait until next month. I will have enough money to get a whole new computer then, but in the meantime I am working the gimp.
So myself and many others are finding the LFG tool to be very handy. There are hiccups, like punks who feel they screwed up enough on their server that they need to spread the love... but they are few and far between. I started queing this weekend as a dps to give me a change of pace... and found that pace was slooow. Makes sense: less healers than dps means if I qued as the healer role I would fill it much faster than if I was competing with every other dps out there.
Something to note: my server has thing about scrub dps. I am sure it's not just my server, but we regularly scan gear and check the dps meter to see if people are pulling their weight. I have found that sometimes the stuff is dead too soon or the fight is favored toward some classes than others (ie, melee suck on WW stuff and boomkin suck at constant moving). Basically I won't vote to kick someone unless they constantly afk or pull jack ass moves.
The one thing I did notice about the tool is remember to watch your altitude. I used the "teleport out of dungeon" feature, only to find myself falling in Dragonblight and managed to shapeshift inches off the ground. Talk about panic. "Oh crap oh crap! Switch! Switch!"
Rejuvenation
I found it difficult to find information on exactly how the new rejuv works and in conjunction with the glyph. It was bugging me for days why I had a 12 sec rejuv even with the talents.
Here is what I have noticed so far:
Without any glyphs or talents- 15 secs
Without the Glyph of Rapid Rejuvenation but with Nature's Splendor- 18 secs
With Glyph of Rapid Rejuvenation and Nature's Splendor- 12 secs
I don't know if that's intended, but it seems the glyph overrides the talent. Because of this, I am now packing several copies of Rapid Rejuv, Nourish, Rejuv and Regrowth Glyphs. Possibly a little overkill, but I like to cover my bases. All reports were right in that the Rapid Rejuv glyph may not be the ideal for all situations.
A note about Regrowth: it will suck your mana if you rely on it too heavily. Ideally, Nourish is your best option. I have copies because our guild bank needed cleaning out and I am packrat.
My computer sucks
Still testing out things in a raid setting. I raid with such abysmally low frame rates that it's amazing I get anything done. Seriously, I can't wait until next month. I will have enough money to get a whole new computer then, but in the meantime I am working the gimp.
Thursday, December 10
Did I just have fun?
I braved my first pugs with the new system yesterday and I will say that I was pleasantly surprised with its effectiveness. Sure, quality players are pugging for their emblems so they can get gear, but I didn't expect it to be so, well, rosey.
I only did a couple, since I haven't been in a dungeon in months, but no one really pissed me off. Sure, some dps thought it would be better to stand in bad stuff and I had one tank who seemed to forget where to go.
Because you get ported into the zone (can't use a summon stone when everyone is from other realms) I made a game of it.
Let's see, spider webs and stair cases... Old Kingdom (ding ding ding).
Hmm, more stair cases and Titan-like walls. Halls of Stone? Nope, HoL.
Overall, it was decent money, a few emblems and a chance to get my ego stroked by random players "nice healz!".
I only did a couple, since I haven't been in a dungeon in months, but no one really pissed me off. Sure, some dps thought it would be better to stand in bad stuff and I had one tank who seemed to forget where to go.
Because you get ported into the zone (can't use a summon stone when everyone is from other realms) I made a game of it.
Let's see, spider webs and stair cases... Old Kingdom (ding ding ding).
Hmm, more stair cases and Titan-like walls. Halls of Stone? Nope, HoL.
Overall, it was decent money, a few emblems and a chance to get my ego stroked by random players "nice healz!".
Tuesday, December 8
A non patch post
Why yes! A post not related to the patch. Of course, tomorrow or even later today will be a different story, of course, but for now I wanted to write about something different.
Last night we lacked some tankage for our 25 man heroic ToC, so instead split the raid into a 10 man normal and heroic.
The heroic did rather well, considering we expected to die in horrible ways. MVP award goes to Dee for being a shadowpriest who healed like a pro and gave me a run for my money. We got so lucky to find a player who can switch specs on a dime and still do well.
A big thank you to Kae from Dreambound for the post on Jaraxxus. During the first couple attempts, I was getting really pissed about this ability but didn't have time to look at my debuff bar to see what it actually did besides silence me. I asked the raid leader if I could look it up. He said it wasn't on wiki but I had a feeling one of my fellow bloggers would have had this covered and you didn't dissapoint!
Faction champions took some creative switching, with our main tank becoming an all around player by healing, killing totems and slowing down the rogue as it was gunning for squishies.
We had our doubts about the twins. Again, our raid leader did a fantastic job covering our strat (Ranged stacked as one color, melee stacked as another with the tanks positioning between). If only all the ranged got the memo and didn't decide to stand off in no man's land only to die.
Anub. Well, I died spectacularly to shadow strike and with a few minutes left of raid time, we decided to rest on our laurels there.
Great work guys and grats on your loots!
Now time to get one last bit of studying in before my finals. Happy downloading.
Last night we lacked some tankage for our 25 man heroic ToC, so instead split the raid into a 10 man normal and heroic.
The heroic did rather well, considering we expected to die in horrible ways. MVP award goes to Dee for being a shadowpriest who healed like a pro and gave me a run for my money. We got so lucky to find a player who can switch specs on a dime and still do well.
A big thank you to Kae from Dreambound for the post on Jaraxxus. During the first couple attempts, I was getting really pissed about this ability but didn't have time to look at my debuff bar to see what it actually did besides silence me. I asked the raid leader if I could look it up. He said it wasn't on wiki but I had a feeling one of my fellow bloggers would have had this covered and you didn't dissapoint!
Faction champions took some creative switching, with our main tank becoming an all around player by healing, killing totems and slowing down the rogue as it was gunning for squishies.
We had our doubts about the twins. Again, our raid leader did a fantastic job covering our strat (Ranged stacked as one color, melee stacked as another with the tanks positioning between). If only all the ranged got the memo and didn't decide to stand off in no man's land only to die.
Anub. Well, I died spectacularly to shadow strike and with a few minutes left of raid time, we decided to rest on our laurels there.
Great work guys and grats on your loots!
Now time to get one last bit of studying in before my finals. Happy downloading.
Monday, December 7
Are we there yet?
Part of is getting pumped for ICC, especially now that my vacation is coming up. Then a strange thing happened: I said to my boyfriend that I was worried the patch was coming this week. I didn't feel ready, in gear or in energy to tackle a new place. As an officer, a new place means new loot distribution and new headaches on our schedule. I haven't gone over all the gear and plotted my wish list. All in all, I am not ready for the new dungeon and I won't be until finals are over.
Ok, I am just one person, and that is why we have an officer team. There goes one worry.
My boyfriend says I shouldn't be worried about the gear. I am not in the top gear, but I am certainly not hurting. And it won't be hard to put together a wish list.
And really, I don't need any more stresses placed upon me than I already have.
With vacation coming soon, I can log back in the game now to do some fishing for mats. I also spent a ton on pets recently with no real time to gain the cash back and I can start gaining my "learning new fights" fund.
Nothing new, as I have been part of new additions to the game for several years now but the panic never really gets any better.
Ok, I am just one person, and that is why we have an officer team. There goes one worry.
My boyfriend says I shouldn't be worried about the gear. I am not in the top gear, but I am certainly not hurting. And it won't be hard to put together a wish list.
And really, I don't need any more stresses placed upon me than I already have.
With vacation coming soon, I can log back in the game now to do some fishing for mats. I also spent a ton on pets recently with no real time to gain the cash back and I can start gaining my "learning new fights" fund.
Nothing new, as I have been part of new additions to the game for several years now but the panic never really gets any better.
Wednesday, December 2
Preping for the new instance
I've said this before, but it seems to warrant mentioning again... I am tired of chasing the tier gear. I stopped during Ulduar sometime and never looked back.
From a healing standpoint, I was not thrilled with the crit on the set gear, regardless of how cool the bonuses were. For me, I am a raid healer first, and a tank healer second. Even during 10 man hardmodes, I tried to strike a decent balance between the two.
So before the haste change was announced, I stayed around 500 haste. I had dropped some talents in order to get the Empowered Touch. Overall, worked well.
After coming back from academically induced WoW hibernation, I realized that I would need something like 700 to 800 haste. Yikes, right?
On my server, the top druids are sporting 200 to 300 haste. I imagine they may have some tough choices to make for the Citadel. Dropping the t9 would be one of them. Picking up Celestial Focus is another.
In this, I blame blizzard, to a point. Favoring Crit on our gear over haste, then changing GotEM seems a little harsh. It seems to be the pattern that with each new set bonus, they tweak slightly how they would like to see us heal. GC has been quoted to suggest that blizzard thought Rejuv was too powerful and haste was a little overdone (huge paraphrasing).
Right now, I am way over the haste number I should for the content we are doing, and I haven't even grabbed CF yet. I have a crappy computer, so the haste is great if I didn't have the fps I have. Hopefully, that will change next month.
Most likely, I will be dropping a couple points I have in tranquil spirit and Revitalize in order to pick up CF. We don't have a bunch of elemental shaman or moonkin (read: we have one of each), so I can't rely on those buffs too much and need the boost CF provides.
Overall, I just feel a little bad for the crit druids who have to make radical changes in order to keep up.
From a healing standpoint, I was not thrilled with the crit on the set gear, regardless of how cool the bonuses were. For me, I am a raid healer first, and a tank healer second. Even during 10 man hardmodes, I tried to strike a decent balance between the two.
So before the haste change was announced, I stayed around 500 haste. I had dropped some talents in order to get the Empowered Touch. Overall, worked well.
After coming back from academically induced WoW hibernation, I realized that I would need something like 700 to 800 haste. Yikes, right?
On my server, the top druids are sporting 200 to 300 haste. I imagine they may have some tough choices to make for the Citadel. Dropping the t9 would be one of them. Picking up Celestial Focus is another.
In this, I blame blizzard, to a point. Favoring Crit on our gear over haste, then changing GotEM seems a little harsh. It seems to be the pattern that with each new set bonus, they tweak slightly how they would like to see us heal. GC has been quoted to suggest that blizzard thought Rejuv was too powerful and haste was a little overdone (huge paraphrasing).
Right now, I am way over the haste number I should for the content we are doing, and I haven't even grabbed CF yet. I have a crappy computer, so the haste is great if I didn't have the fps I have. Hopefully, that will change next month.
Most likely, I will be dropping a couple points I have in tranquil spirit and Revitalize in order to pick up CF. We don't have a bunch of elemental shaman or moonkin (read: we have one of each), so I can't rely on those buffs too much and need the boost CF provides.
Overall, I just feel a little bad for the crit druids who have to make radical changes in order to keep up.
Tuesday, December 1
Opps, I fell off the face of the earth!
So, it's been ages since I've posted on here substantially. This past term has been brutal as far as time management, with my WoW playing dropped to just during raid times (and sometimes, barely even that). Because of that, it was hard to blog about something I was barely playing or keeping good tabs on.
Winter break is around the corner, and the next term is a little lighter on the work load (crossing fingers), so I expect to be updating this a little more regularly.
In the meantime, I have been scrambling to get caught up on the changes coming to restos, particularly the changes to haste and lifebloom.
With that, I leave you to this thought... if a tree falls in the woods, does it still get to raid?
Winter break is around the corner, and the next term is a little lighter on the work load (crossing fingers), so I expect to be updating this a little more regularly.
In the meantime, I have been scrambling to get caught up on the changes coming to restos, particularly the changes to haste and lifebloom.
With that, I leave you to this thought... if a tree falls in the woods, does it still get to raid?
Sunday, September 20
Brewfest!
It's that time again and I hope everyone has a great time this year!
Also, pregrats to everyone who will be getting their holiday achievement mounts. Now, that is dedication!
100 tokens for the pink elephant, eh? /shakefist I was ready to take this holiday off this year, but I guess I will be doing a lot of ram riding.
Take care!
Also, pregrats to everyone who will be getting their holiday achievement mounts. Now, that is dedication!
100 tokens for the pink elephant, eh? /shakefist I was ready to take this holiday off this year, but I guess I will be doing a lot of ram riding.
Take care!
Wednesday, September 16
Overdue update
Ugh, it's been to long since I posted. Crap happened in game, Aion week-long beta came around, and projects at work/home all sucked up my time.
Drama Llama
The shake ups in the guild have been an interesting roller coaster. It seems like when one drama starts, everyone else feels like it's a good time to add to it. After the asshat move from some members mentioned previously, two other long time members left, which had us feeling disoriented and confused. Their reasons for leaving were mixed and not expressed well. In addition, they didn't say good bye to the guild, just a little note to the officers. It left us sad, but knowing a little bit about what is going on behind the screen, it is understandable to a point. We wish them well, and hope that things work out for them.
But we have some new folks who seem to be doing well and more on the way. I'd pimp my blog to say we are recruiting but then you would have to deal with me on a regular basis, and that will probably turn you off. :)
Around the Corner
So while poking around for some writing fodder this morning, I ran across a potentially new achievement: BB King. It says you have to pelt the enemy leaders, presumably with a BB gun.
This, made me laugh out loud for a good couple minutes. I'm sure the youngin's may not get the reference but I had flash backs of A Christmas Story. (Omg, it came out in 1983? I am getting old.)
And I am sure everyone has seen the Pandaren Video. A couple guildies are already rabid for it, and others guess it will be a Cataclysm CE pet. Not sure how it fits into Cataclysm, but since it's BoA it is the closest thing that makes sense since we will already be getting a broodling pet for the anniversary. If only the Kung Fu Fighting music plays a little when it's summoned...
And of course, let us not forget the Ony fight that is coming. From what I was able to see, via videos, not much about the mechanics were changed, which given that spells and abilities have changed drastically since she came out, I worry that it will be a snoozefest. But that's my limited armchair opinion which holds no weight.
And now, for something completely different
I have a scifi lit class this term and I got all giddy when I saw the booklist. Some I have already read which should make my work load a little easier, eh? Now, to pull a Hermione and crack open Snow Crash again. Should be able to get it read before the term starts.
Drama Llama
The shake ups in the guild have been an interesting roller coaster. It seems like when one drama starts, everyone else feels like it's a good time to add to it. After the asshat move from some members mentioned previously, two other long time members left, which had us feeling disoriented and confused. Their reasons for leaving were mixed and not expressed well. In addition, they didn't say good bye to the guild, just a little note to the officers. It left us sad, but knowing a little bit about what is going on behind the screen, it is understandable to a point. We wish them well, and hope that things work out for them.
But we have some new folks who seem to be doing well and more on the way. I'd pimp my blog to say we are recruiting but then you would have to deal with me on a regular basis, and that will probably turn you off. :)
Around the Corner
So while poking around for some writing fodder this morning, I ran across a potentially new achievement: BB King. It says you have to pelt the enemy leaders, presumably with a BB gun.
This, made me laugh out loud for a good couple minutes. I'm sure the youngin's may not get the reference but I had flash backs of A Christmas Story. (Omg, it came out in 1983? I am getting old.)
And I am sure everyone has seen the Pandaren Video. A couple guildies are already rabid for it, and others guess it will be a Cataclysm CE pet. Not sure how it fits into Cataclysm, but since it's BoA it is the closest thing that makes sense since we will already be getting a broodling pet for the anniversary. If only the Kung Fu Fighting music plays a little when it's summoned...
And of course, let us not forget the Ony fight that is coming. From what I was able to see, via videos, not much about the mechanics were changed, which given that spells and abilities have changed drastically since she came out, I worry that it will be a snoozefest. But that's my limited armchair opinion which holds no weight.
And now, for something completely different
I have a scifi lit class this term and I got all giddy when I saw the booklist. Some I have already read which should make my work load a little easier, eh? Now, to pull a Hermione and crack open Snow Crash again. Should be able to get it read before the term starts.
Friday, September 4
Grow a Pair
People come and go in a guild. It's to be expected and happen over anything.
But it is how you leave the guild that is really telling.
Of course, for many, it is uncomfortable. There may be people in the guild that you connected to but outside of that it is no longer fun or possible to stay with the rest of the members.
I've left some guilds in a really bad way and others I have left in a quiet manner-in tells- to try to reduced the drama. I may not have been entirely honest at times, but I tried to not string people along.
Unlike some others.
This morning, one of the officers gets an in game mail that someone in the guild was hacked. The author of the letter was an RL friend of hacked person. The hacked person was an officer.
So, we thought it was strange that the hacked person didn't wipe our bank. And, server transfer two level 80s. Ok, it's happened before, but a hacker would be nuts to leave a guild bank alone.
As we are in officer vent discussing what happened, I search the Armory to find the characters. Turns out, they joined a guild of an ex member, and look! He's an officer in that guild now. He changed the name of his main, but left his alt intact.
What a coincidence.
To be hacked, join a guild filled with names I know, and be an officer of that guild is just amazing!
I'm bitter. As much as I want to give this person the benefit of the doubt, too many things click.
So, assuming the above is true, how spineless is it to leave without warning? To have a friend leave the lame ass message?
If you want to leave, just be honest and say something. Even if it's because you can't stand the people or how they do things. You don't have to be tactless; say something courteous and polite.
Don't be a spineless weasel.
But it is how you leave the guild that is really telling.
Of course, for many, it is uncomfortable. There may be people in the guild that you connected to but outside of that it is no longer fun or possible to stay with the rest of the members.
I've left some guilds in a really bad way and others I have left in a quiet manner-in tells- to try to reduced the drama. I may not have been entirely honest at times, but I tried to not string people along.
Unlike some others.
This morning, one of the officers gets an in game mail that someone in the guild was hacked. The author of the letter was an RL friend of hacked person. The hacked person was an officer.
So, we thought it was strange that the hacked person didn't wipe our bank. And, server transfer two level 80s. Ok, it's happened before, but a hacker would be nuts to leave a guild bank alone.
As we are in officer vent discussing what happened, I search the Armory to find the characters. Turns out, they joined a guild of an ex member, and look! He's an officer in that guild now. He changed the name of his main, but left his alt intact.
What a coincidence.
To be hacked, join a guild filled with names I know, and be an officer of that guild is just amazing!
I'm bitter. As much as I want to give this person the benefit of the doubt, too many things click.
So, assuming the above is true, how spineless is it to leave without warning? To have a friend leave the lame ass message?
If you want to leave, just be honest and say something. Even if it's because you can't stand the people or how they do things. You don't have to be tactless; say something courteous and polite.
Don't be a spineless weasel.
Wednesday, September 2
So many hard modes
Last night was a great night for our 10 man hardmode work. We are almost done with them and the end is within our grasp for the proto-drake.
I Choose You, Steelbreaker
I honestly expected that one to go a lot worse. Big Kudos to Anti for setting it up and explaining it so well. Basically, we had Brundir and Steelbreaker tanked very close together. This way when the overload hits, the bulk of the raid moves to the other side of Steelbreaker to avoid it. How well that went, I couldn't really tell but people didn't die so I assume it was OK.
The reason why I couldn't tell is because I was one of the Static charge people. Myself and two others were at a longer range from Steelbreaker to soak the charges. We were supposed to be a rather evenly spread, but because of luck on positioning, Steelbreaker was too close to the wall and I couldn't get a good spot. Despite it not going exactly as planned, it was a clean execution and finished him off before the second tank exploded (though he still wanted to give us hugs and take us all down with him before loot went out! Bad pally.)
Between static charges, the usual aoe damage and the fact that Steelbreaker hits like a truck, all the healers were busting their arses. Amazing job everyone!
Crazy Cat Lady
Not a hard mode per se, but doing the achievement for the Glory meta was a bit rough. The tanks had a lot on their hands with the Sentries, and the dps did a great job keeping themselves in check as to not over do it. Overall, this is one fight where if one thing goes wrong, it has the potential to spiral down to a wipe.
As with our 25 mans, we try to use a shaman totem for the pull. Our DKs did a great job pulling off additional mobs out of the group, and the healers busted out the can of whup ass to keep everyone alive.
Lose your Illusion
This one wasn't new to most of us last night, but we had some folks who went away for Blizzcon, so there was some catching up to do. Once again, I was in the arena group. And, once again, somehow we lose some steam toward the end and one of the tanks died. As I am scrambling to catch up on the health bars, I battlerezed one of the dps while we had 20 seconds to spare before enrage. Whew!
The only real tough part about the hard mode is if someone is either frost bolted or caught in the blizzard when the skittles come. That, and our melee are always at risk of the chain lightning. And some day, some freaking day, I would like to see the Don't Stand in the Lightning achievement.
Knock, Knock, Knock on Wood
Ok, I may bitch about some other bosses but Freya was downright exasperating. We hadn't even tried the other versions of this hard mode; we jumped right in with three elders up.
As far as difficulty, I would say that the Sunbeam things are the easiest to deal with. Affected player just moves out of the way. Not only are they pretty easy to see, but DBM gives you a warning to move. Other things hit harder, but that is to be expected.
Next in difficulty would be the Iron Roots. Most of our players don't have to move around all that much except for our life tree people and the tanks occasionally. Worst case senario is someone who has roots and is stuck in a clump of people when they have Nature's Fury. Beyond that, some extra healing on the rooted person and some dps.
Lastly, Ground Tremor. This one is rough. Through bad luck on one attempt, we had ground tremor happen right as people were exploding the small flowers. Oh yes, they died quick. There was just too much damage happening at once to even save them. As a druid, I didn't have too much issue with the tremor. I only got caught once, and believe me, that was a scary few seconds.
As a healer, this is the hardest encounter I have faced yet. Relatively high situational awareness and careful watch of all on the raid is needed. I used my Idol of Awakening and the mana restore trinket from ToC. Even then, I had to use a mana pot and innervate.
Most of my mana issues sprang from Regrowth. I used this much more liberally than I have in the past. In addition, I also spammed WG+Nourish combo. Basically, I used every trick I had in the book.
Because the tank actually takes a fair bit of damage on hard mode, tank healers have their hands full, so raid healing is absolutely essential. At anytime, someone could get a ground tremor plus Freya's other abilities nearly back to back and if they aren't reasonably topped off, its over.
Next week is Mim, General and Yogg as we extended the raid lock out. GO GO GO
I Choose You, Steelbreaker
I honestly expected that one to go a lot worse. Big Kudos to Anti for setting it up and explaining it so well. Basically, we had Brundir and Steelbreaker tanked very close together. This way when the overload hits, the bulk of the raid moves to the other side of Steelbreaker to avoid it. How well that went, I couldn't really tell but people didn't die so I assume it was OK.
The reason why I couldn't tell is because I was one of the Static charge people. Myself and two others were at a longer range from Steelbreaker to soak the charges. We were supposed to be a rather evenly spread, but because of luck on positioning, Steelbreaker was too close to the wall and I couldn't get a good spot. Despite it not going exactly as planned, it was a clean execution and finished him off before the second tank exploded (though he still wanted to give us hugs and take us all down with him before loot went out! Bad pally.)
Between static charges, the usual aoe damage and the fact that Steelbreaker hits like a truck, all the healers were busting their arses. Amazing job everyone!
Crazy Cat Lady
Not a hard mode per se, but doing the achievement for the Glory meta was a bit rough. The tanks had a lot on their hands with the Sentries, and the dps did a great job keeping themselves in check as to not over do it. Overall, this is one fight where if one thing goes wrong, it has the potential to spiral down to a wipe.
As with our 25 mans, we try to use a shaman totem for the pull. Our DKs did a great job pulling off additional mobs out of the group, and the healers busted out the can of whup ass to keep everyone alive.
Lose your Illusion
This one wasn't new to most of us last night, but we had some folks who went away for Blizzcon, so there was some catching up to do. Once again, I was in the arena group. And, once again, somehow we lose some steam toward the end and one of the tanks died. As I am scrambling to catch up on the health bars, I battlerezed one of the dps while we had 20 seconds to spare before enrage. Whew!
The only real tough part about the hard mode is if someone is either frost bolted or caught in the blizzard when the skittles come. That, and our melee are always at risk of the chain lightning. And some day, some freaking day, I would like to see the Don't Stand in the Lightning achievement.
Knock, Knock, Knock on Wood
Ok, I may bitch about some other bosses but Freya was downright exasperating. We hadn't even tried the other versions of this hard mode; we jumped right in with three elders up.
As far as difficulty, I would say that the Sunbeam things are the easiest to deal with. Affected player just moves out of the way. Not only are they pretty easy to see, but DBM gives you a warning to move. Other things hit harder, but that is to be expected.
Next in difficulty would be the Iron Roots. Most of our players don't have to move around all that much except for our life tree people and the tanks occasionally. Worst case senario is someone who has roots and is stuck in a clump of people when they have Nature's Fury. Beyond that, some extra healing on the rooted person and some dps.
Lastly, Ground Tremor. This one is rough. Through bad luck on one attempt, we had ground tremor happen right as people were exploding the small flowers. Oh yes, they died quick. There was just too much damage happening at once to even save them. As a druid, I didn't have too much issue with the tremor. I only got caught once, and believe me, that was a scary few seconds.
As a healer, this is the hardest encounter I have faced yet. Relatively high situational awareness and careful watch of all on the raid is needed. I used my Idol of Awakening and the mana restore trinket from ToC. Even then, I had to use a mana pot and innervate.
Most of my mana issues sprang from Regrowth. I used this much more liberally than I have in the past. In addition, I also spammed WG+Nourish combo. Basically, I used every trick I had in the book.
Because the tank actually takes a fair bit of damage on hard mode, tank healers have their hands full, so raid healing is absolutely essential. At anytime, someone could get a ground tremor plus Freya's other abilities nearly back to back and if they aren't reasonably topped off, its over.
Next week is Mim, General and Yogg as we extended the raid lock out. GO GO GO
Tuesday, September 1
Get off me!
So much hate for the Faction Champion fight. So much hate on so many levels.
This has certainly become the love it or hate it fight. Those who love it enjoy the change of pace or the pvp flavor of the fight. They scoff at those who would rather have a scripted and controlled event. Those who hate it have their reasons, too, like when the melee gangs up on someone and they get owned.
Slowly but surely we are getting the fight under control. We have our more pvp minded leaders tackle the job of breaking down the assignments. People are getting past the omg phase and actually looking at the fight for its components, not the whole.
Additionally, having a healer get killed three times in a row helps, as well. Huh? you may ask. Well, on our win, I got tackled by a couple melee and was finished off by I think either the Shadow Priest or the Hunter (I can't be sure). I got battle rezed. As I was frantically trying to top myself back off, I got nailed again. Again, battle rezed. As I am racing away from the group, I died a third time. Since I was the last battle rez available, well, I took the time to watch the game play.
Ya, I failed big time. I am not a noob to pvp really. I just stopped doing battlegrounds awhile ago. From nerd rage spewing in bg chat, to zerg fests leaving nodes undefended with afkers, just dropping in to get some honor lost it's charm. Arenas didn't last long for me either.
But last night, I used Barkskin constantly as well as Entangling roots, regular roots, Cyclone, Hibernate on the hunter pet, cure poisons and decurse, on top of healing my butt off. Oh, let's not forget bear form or cat sprint. Looking at the list, no wonder I was a target. This went beyond "Kill the one in the dress!" to "Kill the damn druid." at all costs.
I envy the other druid healer. He stays in tree form, doesn't cc anything, and doesn't die. I'm sure tree form helps since it increases his armor. But for me, I can't sit back and just heal. Watching the rogue chase down a clothie has me going for the root. After the CC's are used up on the targets, I click the Cyclone. Someone yells to get a pet off them, I'm there scrambling to help. I'm sure my life would be easier if I just healed.
Do I hate the fight? No. I don't love it either. I'm actually ambivalent. I'd rather it not be tedious. Many of our raiders hate it so much that after a wipe, it's like pulling teeth to get them to reform and try it again.
It will get better. There are only so many combos of the targets, and like arenas, a general formula will cement for people and we can go to just execution.
This has certainly become the love it or hate it fight. Those who love it enjoy the change of pace or the pvp flavor of the fight. They scoff at those who would rather have a scripted and controlled event. Those who hate it have their reasons, too, like when the melee gangs up on someone and they get owned.
Slowly but surely we are getting the fight under control. We have our more pvp minded leaders tackle the job of breaking down the assignments. People are getting past the omg phase and actually looking at the fight for its components, not the whole.
Additionally, having a healer get killed three times in a row helps, as well. Huh? you may ask. Well, on our win, I got tackled by a couple melee and was finished off by I think either the Shadow Priest or the Hunter (I can't be sure). I got battle rezed. As I was frantically trying to top myself back off, I got nailed again. Again, battle rezed. As I am racing away from the group, I died a third time. Since I was the last battle rez available, well, I took the time to watch the game play.
Ya, I failed big time. I am not a noob to pvp really. I just stopped doing battlegrounds awhile ago. From nerd rage spewing in bg chat, to zerg fests leaving nodes undefended with afkers, just dropping in to get some honor lost it's charm. Arenas didn't last long for me either.
But last night, I used Barkskin constantly as well as Entangling roots, regular roots, Cyclone, Hibernate on the hunter pet, cure poisons and decurse, on top of healing my butt off. Oh, let's not forget bear form or cat sprint. Looking at the list, no wonder I was a target. This went beyond "Kill the one in the dress!" to "Kill the damn druid." at all costs.
I envy the other druid healer. He stays in tree form, doesn't cc anything, and doesn't die. I'm sure tree form helps since it increases his armor. But for me, I can't sit back and just heal. Watching the rogue chase down a clothie has me going for the root. After the CC's are used up on the targets, I click the Cyclone. Someone yells to get a pet off them, I'm there scrambling to help. I'm sure my life would be easier if I just healed.
Do I hate the fight? No. I don't love it either. I'm actually ambivalent. I'd rather it not be tedious. Many of our raiders hate it so much that after a wipe, it's like pulling teeth to get them to reform and try it again.
It will get better. There are only so many combos of the targets, and like arenas, a general formula will cement for people and we can go to just execution.
Saturday, August 29
Personal Space?
So this morning I went to my usual afk spot in Dal to grab some coffee. This horde troll on his ravasuar follows me and sits right on top of me.
Then, two alliance on their wintersabers followed him and soon enough they were all crowding around me.
I started to get really uncomfortable. Why are they all gathered around me? I didn't get a chance to ask the troll what he was up to, as he ran off before I could tag his name. It all left me feeling bewildered and confused.
If it's just a game, how come my personal space threshold felt threatened by having strangers surround me for me no stated reason?
Then, two alliance on their wintersabers followed him and soon enough they were all crowding around me.
I started to get really uncomfortable. Why are they all gathered around me? I didn't get a chance to ask the troll what he was up to, as he ran off before I could tag his name. It all left me feeling bewildered and confused.
If it's just a game, how come my personal space threshold felt threatened by having strangers surround me for me no stated reason?
Thursday, August 27
So maybe not getting the T8 was a good thing?
It's been reported before, but the T8 4pc set is getting nerfed, at least it is being tested as a nerf. Many sides argued if this was a good or a bad thing.
I passed on a lot of the tokens because we had so many DKs, Mages, Rogues that getting their dps up seemed more important to me than looking good on the healing meter. Many of them were either new to the guild, rerollers, or otherwise had to take a break from the game and came back undergeared.
We do have a druid with the 4pc and it has greatly improved his overall healing. In this regard, I see the nerf as something that will hurt our healing team.
At the rate these instance have been coming out, I am actually happy now to not be tied down by set bonuses.
I don't like all the crit on the T9. I love my yummy haste too much, especially as a raid healer. Now that the tokens are generic and available for all classes, which I think should drop two not one per boss, I'm even less inclined to scramble for my set pieces.
I am going to have to disagree with Lissanna here: I don't have the T8 and I still throw Rejuv around on everyone for my raid healing, at least in Ulduar. Maybe I am behind the times during our ToC raids and should be using regrowth more. The faction champion fight comes to mind as far as changing my healing style. Something more bursty is needed. In this I agree with Lissanna, that being more than a two button healer something druids need to move to.
If the Idol is any indication, they still want rejuv to be a solid hot to keep on the target. A free, trinket like spell power bonus is just too freaking good. I pray to the game gods that it won't be nerfed.
I will still be employing the method I did for Ulduar, going for incremental upgrades instead of saving up everything for set bonuses.
I passed on a lot of the tokens because we had so many DKs, Mages, Rogues that getting their dps up seemed more important to me than looking good on the healing meter. Many of them were either new to the guild, rerollers, or otherwise had to take a break from the game and came back undergeared.
We do have a druid with the 4pc and it has greatly improved his overall healing. In this regard, I see the nerf as something that will hurt our healing team.
At the rate these instance have been coming out, I am actually happy now to not be tied down by set bonuses.
I don't like all the crit on the T9. I love my yummy haste too much, especially as a raid healer. Now that the tokens are generic and available for all classes, which I think should drop two not one per boss, I'm even less inclined to scramble for my set pieces.
I am going to have to disagree with Lissanna here: I don't have the T8 and I still throw Rejuv around on everyone for my raid healing, at least in Ulduar. Maybe I am behind the times during our ToC raids and should be using regrowth more. The faction champion fight comes to mind as far as changing my healing style. Something more bursty is needed. In this I agree with Lissanna, that being more than a two button healer something druids need to move to.
If the Idol is any indication, they still want rejuv to be a solid hot to keep on the target. A free, trinket like spell power bonus is just too freaking good. I pray to the game gods that it won't be nerfed.
I will still be employing the method I did for Ulduar, going for incremental upgrades instead of saving up everything for set bonuses.
Sunday, August 23
Will you stay Tauren/Night Elf?
They are hoping to add race changes along with faction changes in the near future. Which got me thinking... do I want to stay a cow?
The alliance kind of got lucky here and have their new race, the Worgen, able to be druids. This is a yummy blend of all that is shapeshift-y and I think it's cool. On the Horde side of things, Trolls will be able to rock it with the claws, feathers or leaves. (See the chart for more a visual look at the class/race combos)
I believe they said that they were looking into different looks for the new races as they shapeshift into druid forms. It would be a stretch to have a troll druid have horns in Cat form (tusks now on top of the head?) so having a unique look makes sense.
Am I on board with Trolls being druids now? Kind of. I wish it were Orcs, as being tied to the elements seems a smoother transition to being tied with nature. However, Trolls are one of the oldest races in Azeroth (and the least played) and a sense of evolving past their cannibalistic ways seems like a good move.
Will I go troll? I might. If anything, for the booty shake over the Electric Slide.
What about the rest of the Druids? Any thoughts so far about changing? No pun intended...
The alliance kind of got lucky here and have their new race, the Worgen, able to be druids. This is a yummy blend of all that is shapeshift-y and I think it's cool. On the Horde side of things, Trolls will be able to rock it with the claws, feathers or leaves. (See the chart for more a visual look at the class/race combos)
I believe they said that they were looking into different looks for the new races as they shapeshift into druid forms. It would be a stretch to have a troll druid have horns in Cat form (tusks now on top of the head?) so having a unique look makes sense.
Am I on board with Trolls being druids now? Kind of. I wish it were Orcs, as being tied to the elements seems a smoother transition to being tied with nature. However, Trolls are one of the oldest races in Azeroth (and the least played) and a sense of evolving past their cannibalistic ways seems like a good move.
Will I go troll? I might. If anything, for the booty shake over the Electric Slide.
What about the rest of the Druids? Any thoughts so far about changing? No pun intended...
Saturday, August 22
I'm not sure where to begin.
Let me first say that I have been super busy with Real Life, that thing that I do while not blogging or playing games. Fall term is fast approaching, and people at work have been taking vacations so I pick up shifts to cover for them.
Of course, the expansion announcement has pulled me out from under my rock to comment.
I have mixed feelings so far about how this will all turn out.
New Races
I am saddened that Horde doesn't get Worgen, but for the lore it makes sense. If it turns out as well as I hope it does, using the phasing system for these new races will help better connect with their stories and how they fit into their respective faction sides. Especially, for Goblins. It's not like these guys are new and shiny, but the phasing while leveling should give those who roll them a greater understanding of how the heck they got to Kalimdor and why Thrall said "Ya, come join us."
Old Zones are New again
A complete re-do on all the Old World zones is intriguing. More so when they announced that it will affect everyone, regardless of if you bought the expansion. This, I can get behind. I personally feel like I would be playing a new game again after seen the trailer (Barrens split into two parts, Desolace actually with grass instead of desert, for example).
Of course, flying. When BC came out, I predicted that we would be flying in Azeroth within a year. I was waaaay off. But the chance to fly will finally be reached with the expansion.
The game is going to be completely redone. Not just with zones and new dungeons, but also class/race combos and game mechanics. They are redoing how we gain higher ranks of spells and how stats fit into the game play.
My character screen is full, like my inventory
Leafshine makes a good point. Need more character slots. Seriously.
Bold move
Despite feeling both excited and so boggled that I can't wrap my head around many of the changes, I think (today anyway), that Blizzard is doing the right thing by changing the game. It's five years old, and possibly will be six when the expansion comes out (just speculating, don't quote me on that). There needs to be something done in order to bring new life into the game. This is beyond an expansion but a re-imagining of the world we play in. Shifted lowbie areas, new quest hubs, new mechanics all will send folks for a loop (put down the quest helper and learn to read quest text again!). As someone who openly admits she needs something new to look at, hence my Aion beta playing, the New World of Warcraft might entice me to keep playing for a little while longer.
Lore, lore, more lore
I am deep down a RPer. I can't help it, after years of table top RPG and many FFs and the like before even picking up my first MMO, I am invested in the lore of my games. So, imagine my shock when I read about the new, new horde. As a member of the Horde and a Tauren, I feel a sense of loss and confusion. The lore will have to strongly encourage me, as a player to get behind the changes.
I probably will add more of my 2 cp later as more things develop. Read about the announcments at MMO Champion, World Of Raids, the Official Site and a blog near you.
Of course, the expansion announcement has pulled me out from under my rock to comment.
I have mixed feelings so far about how this will all turn out.
New Races
I am saddened that Horde doesn't get Worgen, but for the lore it makes sense. If it turns out as well as I hope it does, using the phasing system for these new races will help better connect with their stories and how they fit into their respective faction sides. Especially, for Goblins. It's not like these guys are new and shiny, but the phasing while leveling should give those who roll them a greater understanding of how the heck they got to Kalimdor and why Thrall said "Ya, come join us."
Old Zones are New again
A complete re-do on all the Old World zones is intriguing. More so when they announced that it will affect everyone, regardless of if you bought the expansion. This, I can get behind. I personally feel like I would be playing a new game again after seen the trailer (Barrens split into two parts, Desolace actually with grass instead of desert, for example).
Of course, flying. When BC came out, I predicted that we would be flying in Azeroth within a year. I was waaaay off. But the chance to fly will finally be reached with the expansion.
The game is going to be completely redone. Not just with zones and new dungeons, but also class/race combos and game mechanics. They are redoing how we gain higher ranks of spells and how stats fit into the game play.
My character screen is full, like my inventory
Leafshine makes a good point. Need more character slots. Seriously.
Bold move
Despite feeling both excited and so boggled that I can't wrap my head around many of the changes, I think (today anyway), that Blizzard is doing the right thing by changing the game. It's five years old, and possibly will be six when the expansion comes out (just speculating, don't quote me on that). There needs to be something done in order to bring new life into the game. This is beyond an expansion but a re-imagining of the world we play in. Shifted lowbie areas, new quest hubs, new mechanics all will send folks for a loop (put down the quest helper and learn to read quest text again!). As someone who openly admits she needs something new to look at, hence my Aion beta playing, the New World of Warcraft might entice me to keep playing for a little while longer.
Lore, lore, more lore
I am deep down a RPer. I can't help it, after years of table top RPG and many FFs and the like before even picking up my first MMO, I am invested in the lore of my games. So, imagine my shock when I read about the new, new horde. As a member of the Horde and a Tauren, I feel a sense of loss and confusion. The lore will have to strongly encourage me, as a player to get behind the changes.
I probably will add more of my 2 cp later as more things develop. Read about the announcments at MMO Champion, World Of Raids, the Official Site and a blog near you.
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