Hey gang!
This post has been in my brain for quite a while now and I actually found some time to transfer that gray matter onto the blog.
As you may or may not know, our little 10-man group has made the journey into Iced Coffee Citidel and boy does it wake you up when the aroma hits you.
* POW* Right in the Kisser!
Bone Marrow GAR! Was a tanking pushover as long as your sidekick enjoyed humping your leg the entire fight.
Lady Bubble was DPS burn with a splash of Adds on the side for flavor.
Battleship Galactica was only cool if you had a druid around for his ummm well hind quarters if you will.
Then comes our favorite pal, Saurfang Jr.
This guy really makes me mad! I mean really makes me want to throw him off of the side of the Citidel to his death. Seriously, ask one of your priests to just MC him. The end!
I kid I kid...
Basics of this fight are Tank swap when you get Rune of Blood. This is crucial because once the selected tank gets this debuff, every time Saurfang hits that tank, he regenerates health per landed swing. For 10-man this means around 5100-6900 Health every hit. Thanks To Druid Love for the Info.
If you have Deadly Boss Mods, it will pop up which tank has just acquired the Rune of Blood debuff. Stop what ever you are doing! Taunt like your life depends on it!
I use Hand of Reckoning to snag my aggro back from the other tank. Here's the downside to using Hand of Reckoning though. It's a spell! Since it's a spell, it requires 17% hit to not miss (unless you have a space goat racial or other special buffs) I don't know about you but my tank sure has nothing CLOSE to 17% hit rating. I'm probably sitting around 5-6% at any given time.
Worst case scenario, your hand of Reckoning misses.
Step 1: DO NOT PANIC! Saurfang sees it in your eyes & for some reason knows to hit the other tank faster & harder. The poor Warrior tank weeps as he's being pummeled into Saurfang's yummy pulp while you sit there & pee yourself because ZOMG how did that miss!
Step 2: Make sure that you have your trusty sidekick on Focus for this fight. It really helps if you need to select him for your other taunt. I'm such a bad paladin I can't remember the name of the other taunt. I should be fired. You know the one... that you select your fellow Aggro Whore Friend and save their measly lives. Yes that one.
Step 3: If you do not have the glyph that allows this taunt to never miss (like me) well my friend you have yourself a bit of a pickle. Nothing you can't deal with though because you are a Paladin and we have tools for these sorts of things. No way are we going to be the reason for failure! HELL NO! So if your second taunt fails, what I've actually done is Hand of Salvation. Tell your tank what you have done "Taunt missed twice it's your fault. I'll save you MARY JANE!" "I'm going to Salvation you, please stop generating threat or next time I'll just solo tank this myself" Salvation should allow you create more threat as the other tank's threat is being reduced rapidly. Especially if the other tank begins to pummel you to death for abusing his tanking rights. Perfect way to generate Aggro ;)
Now all of this occurs in a matter of seconds. You don't have time to sit & discuss over tea what happened. You need to act fast because Saurfang is gathering health quickly.
Anyways, I'll trust that you understand what to do when & if your taunts fail. This isn't really want I wanted to talk about in the first place but as you see here, I get excited!
The biggest part of the whole Fight is the Blood Beast spawns. They spawn every 30 seconds right next to where Deathbringer is being tanked. Two will pop out and say surprise to anyone who hits them first. Melee need to be Super Careful with AoEs during these spawning times.
By keeping an eye out for BB spawn timers, you should have a good beat on when they will be welcome guests.
Let's look at the Timers shall we?
Consecrate lasts 8 seconds on the floor. Everything else is instant AoE that leaves no sticky residue behind ;)
This means Hammer of the Righteous or Avenger's Shield can be used any time other than when they are near by. I would say that you have probably a 10 second window. This really brings your awareness level to new heights. Be aware of your rotation at ALL times. No AoEs when the little goonies are around. If you know that you will not be having any Threat issues, don't even use Consecrate in your Rotation for fear that you would use it and snag one or both Blood Beasts.
Again, don't panic if you accidentally pull one. If this does occur, Nail the Blood Beast with your Hammer of Justice. This makes it so that you are not getting hit by their attacks. The DPS should be nuking the other one down pretty quickly and probably working on the one next to you. If they do not pull it off by the time your Hammer of Justice wears off, wait until the other tank has aggro from you having Rune of Blood and run into the Earthbind totem or the hunter's trap. Do what ever you can to slow that thing down from hitting you. Under any circumstances is it NOT ok for you to hit it back. This only generates more threat that pretty much makes it impossible for the Ranged DPS to get it back. Continue running away like a sissy girl until it's dead or you need to taunt the boss back off of the other tank.
These are just a few things that I've seen help on this fight. We've actually taken him down with getting no marks (which is an achievement *confetti*)
Have you found or used any tricks that help to tank this fight? Let me know! I'd love to hear from you!
<3 Fuu
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
The Patched Affliction Warlock Rotation
Labels: Patch, warlocky 10 comments
After I wrote the quick and easy patch notes post yesterday, I pretty much figured I was going to get the following question:
How will you change your opening rotation with 3 stacks of Shadow Embrace? Haunt>SB>SB>rest of the dots?
Thus, I did some pre-emptive theorycrafting and research to inform my answer. Even though I expected it, I still want to say thanks to Parpa who asked it. This is a great question. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. Right? I almost answered it with a comment, but I thought it deserved a post of its own. So, how to answer?
First, let's scope the question. Lay the backdrop, if you will. Parpa correctly points out that really only the "opening" rotation will change. That is to say, it will not change what we do later in a fight. You should still switch to Drain Soul under 25% health. Don't worry so much about SE then, since you're not spamming S-bolts any more. Keeping Haunt rolling is a good idea though, so you're bound to get some stacks from that, and really should be able to keep the buff refreshed with that alone I think. Also, this doesn't change our approach to AoE. When we're doing our seed thing, SE doesn't really matter. Thus, the only place it really is going to matter is in our bread-and-butter rotation.
Even then, no matter how you open up, eventually you should be working enough shadow bolts in to keep three stacks up. Therefore, it really is only the first 15 or so seconds of the fight we're looking at here. If you're not a bleeding-edge raider or a die-hard min/maxer, this doesn't really affect what you do. Just do what you've been doing, and don't worry too much about it, you're still benefiting from the buff. If you want to understand why though, please read on.
I've published my approach to a rotation as this:
Corruption > Curse > Haunt > Unstable Affliction > Shadowbolt. Spam SB until a refresh of each disease is needed (monitor them individually with a DoT timer. Fortex or Xperl is great for this). Life tap as needed, but try to space 'em out so that you tap roughly once for every two haunts you cast.
If you want to read my whole rationale behind it, check out the HAOW linked post on the left side pertaining to the rotation. I explain a bit why I do thing this way, but in answering this question I'm going to pretty much invalidate my own rotation. I know this. I do my rotation as fits my playstyle, but I realize it's not the optimal way to do things. What is optimal though? To answer completely, we need to understand the way DoT damage is calculated.
Shadow's Embrace is a percentage modifier that increases periodic damage while reducing periodic healing effects. Thus it buffs your DoTs and nerfs the target's HoTs. The HoT part was modified so that there is, in essence, no change. That may sound weird, but the point is they basically nerfed the amount done by an individual stack so that with 3 stacks the overall effect would be the same. This mostly keeps PvP balancing as it was and doesn't really affect us PvE folks. The DoT buff is what we crave.
So where before we maxed at 2 stacks, now we have three. The DoT part wasn't modified, so this results in a buff since where before we had 2X, now we have 3X the effect. As mentioned above, though, this is a percentage modifier. As we understand it, percentage modifiers apply themselves at the time of the damage calculation (not the strength calculation). That is to say, the percentage modifier is applied to each DoT tick individually.
This is a key difference to understand. Stat modifiers, like popping a trinket or the glyph of Life Tap, are integral to the strength calculation. This means that they matter when you apply the DoT. Upon casting of a DoT, the math is done for the strength of the spell, and that strength carries throughout the life of the DoT, to be recalculated upon refresh (with everlasting affliction, some stats can even carry through refresh. I think Crit still does, but haste and spellpower definitely do not). This is why you sometimes get the "a more powerful spell is active" message and why we always say to pop your trinkets and life tap before applying DoTs.
Each time a DoT ticks, though, some more math is done whereby the chance to miss, crit, resist, any defensive auras, and percentage multipliers are taken into account. This second calculation obviously makes use of the strength of the spell when it was applied as well. The take-away message here is that percentage modifiers are only effective so long as they are up. They will effect ticks as long as they are up, and will not effect ticks if they are not up. You can't trick the system into carrying a percentage effect through via refresh, you simply need to keep these effects up.
So let's get back to the rotation I use. I like to start with Corr and a Curse, my instants. Those each take up a GCD, but can be done on the move. You can argue either way here, but I like leading off with them as I think it gets me started earlier. Also, my trinkets have always been tied to my Corruption via macro, so those stat modifiers are sure to be up right away if I do things like this. Then I follow with Haunt, getting my first SE stack in the process. I finish with Unstable Affliction to complete my DoTs and get into Shadowbolts where I quickly will bring the stack to it's max.
If you notice, this means that I do not get SE up right away. In a min/max sense this is a no-no. We could argue about the practicality of my rotation in a real environment, but I will cede to the fact that in an ideal, I'm-beating-on-a-dummy situation, we'd want to get SE up first. Why? Let's look at my timing.
I pop a lot of haste at the beginning (both trinkets and I usually get a black magic proc in there), but let's just do the napkin math with some easy numbers, shall we? Let's say a GCD is 1.5s. Haunt is 1.5s of casting, UA is 1.5s of casting, and Shadowbolts are 2s each. Thus, it will take me 1.5 +1.5 + 1.5 + 1.5 = 6 seconds before I get to my Shadowbolts, then another 4 second before I'm up to three SE stacks. (It took me two fewer seconds before the buff, mind you). That's 10 seconds where of the fight where I'm less than ideal. After those first 10 seconds, it doesn't really matter your initial order as long as you take care not to let anything drop off. So for the scope of the question, we're only really worried about the first 10 seconds of any fight.
How many ticks would I be gimping then? Well in my case Corruption should probably tick four times and UA might tick twice. I think that's right (note that I'm normally on CotE duty, which isn't affected. If you're doing CoA a lot, maybe it's a small bit higher, but remember the early ticks of CoA are small). Therefore, I'm really only missing the SE effect on 6 ticks. Some more napkin math might lead you to realize that's, what, maybe 200 damage lost over ten seconds (or 20DPS)? So let's assume my math is terrible, and even then we're safely talking <50 DPS difference between my opening pattern and opening with something like Haunt>SB>SB>DoTs to get the SE effect on all the ticks. Hence, it's less important than the decision you make whether to take the Nightfall talents (which add about 50DPS to fill up).
Still, if you want to min/max, it will always be better to be sure not to miss DoT ticks with your percentage multiplier. I might argue that by starting with cast times, you're going to start later than me, increasing your DPS number but decreasing your overall damage done, but in any case we're talking small beans compared with high sustained damage throughout a boss fight. If you're worried about your numbers or want to make yourself a better 'lock, focus less on how you open up and more on how to minimize DoT down time through proper usage of timers and anticipating boss abilities and the like.
Getting back to the question of how does SE effect my rotation?
The TL;DR: It doesn't, but I don't do it "right". If you want to split those hairs, then, yes, you should probably open with Haunt>SB>SB>DoTS.
Still, it's a great question and important to understand some of the way these things work, if such things matter to you. (I'm guessing you might be mildly interested if you've made it this far anyways). Just know that here at KeS, we subscribe heavily to the "find your own playstyle" mentality of theorycrafting. Elitist Jerks has their maths and their "best way" to do things, but unless you take that and make it your own, you're not going to see the pay out. Understand why it's the best way, and then figure out how that fits with how you want to play your toon to maximize your personal potential.
I love answering questions, offering advice, and debating minutia, but I also feel it's a bit pretentious to tell you "this is how it should be done, no exceptions". I'm all about making informed decisions, and I'm not gonna call someone a newb-cake (as happened yesterday in a PuG o' mine) if they want to play like The King. (You know, have it their way). As long as they've given it some thought anyways. If your playstyle is face-on-keyboard, then it better be because you've got no bloody arms or something.
How will you change your opening rotation with 3 stacks of Shadow Embrace? Haunt>SB>SB>rest of the dots?
Thus, I did some pre-emptive theorycrafting and research to inform my answer. Even though I expected it, I still want to say thanks to Parpa who asked it. This is a great question. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. Right? I almost answered it with a comment, but I thought it deserved a post of its own. So, how to answer?
First, let's scope the question. Lay the backdrop, if you will. Parpa correctly points out that really only the "opening" rotation will change. That is to say, it will not change what we do later in a fight. You should still switch to Drain Soul under 25% health. Don't worry so much about SE then, since you're not spamming S-bolts any more. Keeping Haunt rolling is a good idea though, so you're bound to get some stacks from that, and really should be able to keep the buff refreshed with that alone I think. Also, this doesn't change our approach to AoE. When we're doing our seed thing, SE doesn't really matter. Thus, the only place it really is going to matter is in our bread-and-butter rotation.
Even then, no matter how you open up, eventually you should be working enough shadow bolts in to keep three stacks up. Therefore, it really is only the first 15 or so seconds of the fight we're looking at here. If you're not a bleeding-edge raider or a die-hard min/maxer, this doesn't really affect what you do. Just do what you've been doing, and don't worry too much about it, you're still benefiting from the buff. If you want to understand why though, please read on.
I've published my approach to a rotation as this:
Corruption > Curse > Haunt > Unstable Affliction > Shadowbolt. Spam SB until a refresh of each disease is needed (monitor them individually with a DoT timer. Fortex or Xperl is great for this). Life tap as needed, but try to space 'em out so that you tap roughly once for every two haunts you cast.
If you want to read my whole rationale behind it, check out the HAOW linked post on the left side pertaining to the rotation. I explain a bit why I do thing this way, but in answering this question I'm going to pretty much invalidate my own rotation. I know this. I do my rotation as fits my playstyle, but I realize it's not the optimal way to do things. What is optimal though? To answer completely, we need to understand the way DoT damage is calculated.
Shadow's Embrace is a percentage modifier that increases periodic damage while reducing periodic healing effects. Thus it buffs your DoTs and nerfs the target's HoTs. The HoT part was modified so that there is, in essence, no change. That may sound weird, but the point is they basically nerfed the amount done by an individual stack so that with 3 stacks the overall effect would be the same. This mostly keeps PvP balancing as it was and doesn't really affect us PvE folks. The DoT buff is what we crave.
So where before we maxed at 2 stacks, now we have three. The DoT part wasn't modified, so this results in a buff since where before we had 2X, now we have 3X the effect. As mentioned above, though, this is a percentage modifier. As we understand it, percentage modifiers apply themselves at the time of the damage calculation (not the strength calculation). That is to say, the percentage modifier is applied to each DoT tick individually.
This is a key difference to understand. Stat modifiers, like popping a trinket or the glyph of Life Tap, are integral to the strength calculation. This means that they matter when you apply the DoT. Upon casting of a DoT, the math is done for the strength of the spell, and that strength carries throughout the life of the DoT, to be recalculated upon refresh (with everlasting affliction, some stats can even carry through refresh. I think Crit still does, but haste and spellpower definitely do not). This is why you sometimes get the "a more powerful spell is active" message and why we always say to pop your trinkets and life tap before applying DoTs.
Each time a DoT ticks, though, some more math is done whereby the chance to miss, crit, resist, any defensive auras, and percentage multipliers are taken into account. This second calculation obviously makes use of the strength of the spell when it was applied as well. The take-away message here is that percentage modifiers are only effective so long as they are up. They will effect ticks as long as they are up, and will not effect ticks if they are not up. You can't trick the system into carrying a percentage effect through via refresh, you simply need to keep these effects up.
So let's get back to the rotation I use. I like to start with Corr and a Curse, my instants. Those each take up a GCD, but can be done on the move. You can argue either way here, but I like leading off with them as I think it gets me started earlier. Also, my trinkets have always been tied to my Corruption via macro, so those stat modifiers are sure to be up right away if I do things like this. Then I follow with Haunt, getting my first SE stack in the process. I finish with Unstable Affliction to complete my DoTs and get into Shadowbolts where I quickly will bring the stack to it's max.
If you notice, this means that I do not get SE up right away. In a min/max sense this is a no-no. We could argue about the practicality of my rotation in a real environment, but I will cede to the fact that in an ideal, I'm-beating-on-a-dummy situation, we'd want to get SE up first. Why? Let's look at my timing.
I pop a lot of haste at the beginning (both trinkets and I usually get a black magic proc in there), but let's just do the napkin math with some easy numbers, shall we? Let's say a GCD is 1.5s. Haunt is 1.5s of casting, UA is 1.5s of casting, and Shadowbolts are 2s each. Thus, it will take me 1.5 +1.5 + 1.5 + 1.5 = 6 seconds before I get to my Shadowbolts, then another 4 second before I'm up to three SE stacks. (It took me two fewer seconds before the buff, mind you). That's 10 seconds where of the fight where I'm less than ideal. After those first 10 seconds, it doesn't really matter your initial order as long as you take care not to let anything drop off. So for the scope of the question, we're only really worried about the first 10 seconds of any fight.
How many ticks would I be gimping then? Well in my case Corruption should probably tick four times and UA might tick twice. I think that's right (note that I'm normally on CotE duty, which isn't affected. If you're doing CoA a lot, maybe it's a small bit higher, but remember the early ticks of CoA are small). Therefore, I'm really only missing the SE effect on 6 ticks. Some more napkin math might lead you to realize that's, what, maybe 200 damage lost over ten seconds (or 20DPS)? So let's assume my math is terrible, and even then we're safely talking <50 DPS difference between my opening pattern and opening with something like Haunt>SB>SB>DoTs to get the SE effect on all the ticks. Hence, it's less important than the decision you make whether to take the Nightfall talents (which add about 50DPS to fill up).
Still, if you want to min/max, it will always be better to be sure not to miss DoT ticks with your percentage multiplier. I might argue that by starting with cast times, you're going to start later than me, increasing your DPS number but decreasing your overall damage done, but in any case we're talking small beans compared with high sustained damage throughout a boss fight. If you're worried about your numbers or want to make yourself a better 'lock, focus less on how you open up and more on how to minimize DoT down time through proper usage of timers and anticipating boss abilities and the like.
Getting back to the question of how does SE effect my rotation?
The TL;DR: It doesn't, but I don't do it "right". If you want to split those hairs, then, yes, you should probably open with Haunt>SB>SB>DoTS.
Still, it's a great question and important to understand some of the way these things work, if such things matter to you. (I'm guessing you might be mildly interested if you've made it this far anyways). Just know that here at KeS, we subscribe heavily to the "find your own playstyle" mentality of theorycrafting. Elitist Jerks has their maths and their "best way" to do things, but unless you take that and make it your own, you're not going to see the pay out. Understand why it's the best way, and then figure out how that fits with how you want to play your toon to maximize your personal potential.
I love answering questions, offering advice, and debating minutia, but I also feel it's a bit pretentious to tell you "this is how it should be done, no exceptions". I'm all about making informed decisions, and I'm not gonna call someone a newb-cake (as happened yesterday in a PuG o' mine) if they want to play like The King. (You know, have it their way). As long as they've given it some thought anyways. If your playstyle is face-on-keyboard, then it better be because you've got no bloody arms or something.
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
The Promised Buff; 3.3.2 Live
Labels: Patch, warlocky 1 comments
Today's Patch Notes Update brought do you by Miss Medicina. For avoidable damage, you're on your own. For everything else, there's Miss Medicina. Full patch notes are, as always, here.
As usual, I'll just cover the changes that are important to me and my classes with my own thoughts scribed to the side. Really, it's a simple patch. Not a whole lot going on that I can see. No DK changes. For once a focus on Warlockery.
Warlocks
And that's it! Like I said, pretty simple. Straightforward buffs to Warlocks across the board. Not too much done in the DK realm. Now I'm really itching for my ICC raid on Thursday. Good thing I know how to use those Topical Creams.
As usual, I'll just cover the changes that are important to me and my classes with my own thoughts scribed to the side. Really, it's a simple patch. Not a whole lot going on that I can see. No DK changes. For once a focus on Warlockery.
Warlocks
- Talents
- Affliction
- Shadow Embrace: This effect can now stack up to 3 times, up from 2. However, the periodic healing reduction effect has been reduced from 3/6/9/12/15% to 2/4/6/8/10% per application. -Woot! The promised buff! It's true! I can't wait to see how this helps me.
- Demonology
- Demonic Pact: The damage bonus granted the warlock by this talent has been increased from 1/2/3/4/5% to 2/4/6/8/10%. The buff granted to a raid or party by this talent remains unchanged. -Another buff. I love my demonology off-spec, but it hardly sees a raid. Still, buffs are buffs and this is a 2x bump. Some day I will pick up the trail Abi left and post some demonology stuff on here.
- Destruction
- Conflagrate: The damage-over-time effect of Conflagrate has been increased to 40% of the spell’s total damage, up from 20%.-Moar DoTs? I believe this is a buff.
- Empowered Imp: The pet bonus damage provided by this talent has been increased to 10/20/30%, up from 5/10/15%. -A sizable bump that will no doubt make the imp the destro pet of choice. I wonder if it'll effect other specs?
- Improved Shadow Bolt: Damage done by Shadow Bolt increased by 2/4/6/8/10%, up from 1/2/3/4/5%.-This will buff pretty much every spec... who doesn't use ISB? Awesome.
- Affliction
- New strength-based melee DPS rings are now available from representatives of the Ashen Verdict. -This is worth noting for DPS DK's. Yay Strength.
- Tier-9 Sets: The Aspirant vendors at the Argent Tournament grounds have worked out a deal with merchants in Dalaran so that all item level 232 set pieces will now be available on armor vendors in the city. Set pieces which require trophies will still be available for purchase only from vendors at the Argent Tournament grounds. -No more annoying traveling to the tournament grounds? Yes, please!
- Tier-10 Warlock 4-Piece Bonus: This bonus should now correctly be applied to the warlock’s pet. -I didn't know it was incorrectly applied and it's going to be a while before I get this, but I'd always rather things be correctly applied. Like Topical Creams. Don't apply those wrong. Trust me.
And that's it! Like I said, pretty simple. Straightforward buffs to Warlocks across the board. Not too much done in the DK realm. Now I'm really itching for my ICC raid on Thursday. Good thing I know how to use those Topical Creams.
Monday, February 1, 2010
/Jawclench
Labels: Hope, Shout Out 0 comments
I don't have a whole lot to say today as my brain seems not to be cooperating with rational thought. Sometimes that happens when you spend the weekend with the family. You know, emotional overload and all that. Of course, it didn't help any to my emotional overload to come in this morning and read Ratshag's little OOC post. /jawclench.
Because that's what guys do when something's emotional, right? /jawclench. And this story really hits home for me. I mean, I was there for the raid for the cure, and I had my own reasons to be there (didn't everyone?). Like most of you, I never knew there was a connection between that story and Ratshag's. How cool to see the threads of fate intertwined in such a way though, and all because of a silly little game.
I've said it before and I'll say it again. For all those folks who cry "it's just a game", it's stories like these that give hope to a world that desperately needs it. Great things can happen anywhere and on any scale, WoW is just one of the many mediums that hope chooses. Games can be vessels of bigger things just as easily as anything else. The fact that we're all on this ride together is what makes it so cool.
So I'm really glad that the Orc is back in the house. It was sad to see him go and is equally exciting to see him back. He's always had a really unique and entertaining take on all things WoW, so I encourage anyone who either has not been over there, or hasn't realized the place is back up and hopping, to stop in, say hi and all that jazz.
Glad to have you back Ratshag and keep fighting the good fight. Stories like yours flesh out the this silly little game and all it's crazy characters.
Because that's what guys do when something's emotional, right? /jawclench. And this story really hits home for me. I mean, I was there for the raid for the cure, and I had my own reasons to be there (didn't everyone?). Like most of you, I never knew there was a connection between that story and Ratshag's. How cool to see the threads of fate intertwined in such a way though, and all because of a silly little game.
I've said it before and I'll say it again. For all those folks who cry "it's just a game", it's stories like these that give hope to a world that desperately needs it. Great things can happen anywhere and on any scale, WoW is just one of the many mediums that hope chooses. Games can be vessels of bigger things just as easily as anything else. The fact that we're all on this ride together is what makes it so cool.
So I'm really glad that the Orc is back in the house. It was sad to see him go and is equally exciting to see him back. He's always had a really unique and entertaining take on all things WoW, so I encourage anyone who either has not been over there, or hasn't realized the place is back up and hopping, to stop in, say hi and all that jazz.
Glad to have you back Ratshag and keep fighting the good fight. Stories like yours flesh out the this silly little game and all it's crazy characters.
Friday, January 29, 2010
This Job Market is Rough
Labels: IC Fridays 1 comments
A bright flash outside of the large wooden house signaled its owner's arrival. Fulguralis threw open the door and walked in, shaking off the remains of some Icecrown snow. He strutted over to the kitchen table and sat down. From his pockets, he produced a piece of parchment and an inkwell. An old quill lay on a nearby counter and, with a spot of magic, it appeared on the table as well. The lanterns overhead suddenly burst into flame. Frowning thoughtfully, the Warlock dipped the quill into the ink.
With a nervous glance at the door, Fulguralis began scribbling furiously on the parchment. Every so often, he would pause for a moment, lifting the quill to his face and losing himself deep in thought. Minutes passed as writing began to cover parchment. Finally, the Warlock grinned, holding up the completed document to examine it in the flickering light.
Two flashes in rapid succession leaked around the door frame warning Fulguralis of imminent company. The Warlock frantically glanced around the room as if searching for a place of concealment, but the door was already opening. His wife and his sister entered, arms full from their recent shopping trip in Dalaran. Upon entry, Fuubaar set her bags down, plate gear clanking together inside, and looked over at her husband.
"You look ornery. What are you doing?" she asked.
"Nothing, honey, just..." he trailed off as he waved the parchment around.
He seemed to think about his action for a moment and then went to slip the document into his robes, but his wife was too fast. She crossed the room in two steps and snatched the paper out of his hands. With a triumphant smile in his direction, she held her loot up to the lantern light and began to scan. Soon enough, the smile drooped into a scowl as a righteous fury appeared to wash over her previously calm features.
"What? What did he do?" Decedereful prodded. She could obviously sense that her brother was about to get in trouble. Fuubaar handed the parchment over without taking her angry eyes off of her husband.
Decedereful began to read aloud, "Education: Warlock Academy, Graduated with High Honors. Certificate of Heroism: Northrend Dungeons. Certificate of Exultation: Northrend Factions. Argent Crusade: Champion of the Alliance. Previous employers: Tirion Fordring and Associates, 80th season to present; Veteran of Naxxramas, Ulduar, Obsidian Sactum, Onyxia's Lair, Vault of Archavon, and the Trial of the Crusader The Dalaran Mage Council, weekly employment upon request, previously full-time from 70th season to 80th. The Scryers, 60th season to 70th; Veteran of Karazhan, Gruul's Lair, Magtheridon's Lair, and Serpentshire Caverns. Also employed during this time by the Shattered Sun Offensive. All other previous experience as a freelance adventurer; self-employed."
She continued, "Specialized Experience: many seasons of association with demons, good working knowledge of The Burning Legion, lots of practical experience with Shadow and Corruption, proficient at stealing souls, great at controlling minions."
Raising one eyebrow, she went back to the top, "Job Objective: To sit on the Frozen Throne and have legions of minions at my command. Hmm, I didn't know there was an opening yet."
Frowning, the Death Knight turned and fixed her brother with an icy stare. Fuubaar came over, snatched the paper out of Decedereful's hand, and headed for the trash can that was hidden in the pantry. As the Paladin rummaged around in the storage closet, the Death Knight continued to stare at her brother with open disapproval.
"Boy," she said, "what were you thinking?"
"Well," Fulguralis stammered, "Jaina said that... when we... you know... someone's going to have to... I figured... head start..."
"Yes, what exactly were you thinking?" Fuubaar yelled from the pantry, interrupting. "Did you think I would just let you become the new Lich King? What about me? I have news, buddy, there IS NO Lich Queen! You're not just going to toss me aside! Sure, sure, Arthas thinks he has it so good with his Frozen Throne and his Legion of the Undead and all that. What that man needs is a good wife to calm his ass down! Then maybe we wouldn't have all these wars and kidnappings and such. Pssch. Like it's so hard to be the Lich King. Try birthing a child, Arthas. Then maybe we'd listen to your pathetic whining!" The Paladin stopped yelling, but vehement mumbling could still be heard from the direction of the pantry.
Decedereful spoke up, "Trust me, Boy, you want no part of what Mr. Lich Con is selling. No way. Not now, not evah." She rolled her eyes and left the room in a huff.
Fuubaar reappeared from the pantry with a bulging bag of trash in her hand. She was calm again now as she walked over to her husband and held the bag out to him. He stood up, a scowl on his face. His wife narrowed her eyes ever so slightly. The Warlock took a deep breath and put an obviously false smile on. He accepted the bag and grudgingly trudged out the front door.
"Thank you, dear!" His wife called after him, her voice dripping with honey.
The reply was a grunt.
With a nervous glance at the door, Fulguralis began scribbling furiously on the parchment. Every so often, he would pause for a moment, lifting the quill to his face and losing himself deep in thought. Minutes passed as writing began to cover parchment. Finally, the Warlock grinned, holding up the completed document to examine it in the flickering light.
Two flashes in rapid succession leaked around the door frame warning Fulguralis of imminent company. The Warlock frantically glanced around the room as if searching for a place of concealment, but the door was already opening. His wife and his sister entered, arms full from their recent shopping trip in Dalaran. Upon entry, Fuubaar set her bags down, plate gear clanking together inside, and looked over at her husband.
"You look ornery. What are you doing?" she asked.
"Nothing, honey, just..." he trailed off as he waved the parchment around.
He seemed to think about his action for a moment and then went to slip the document into his robes, but his wife was too fast. She crossed the room in two steps and snatched the paper out of his hands. With a triumphant smile in his direction, she held her loot up to the lantern light and began to scan. Soon enough, the smile drooped into a scowl as a righteous fury appeared to wash over her previously calm features.
"What? What did he do?" Decedereful prodded. She could obviously sense that her brother was about to get in trouble. Fuubaar handed the parchment over without taking her angry eyes off of her husband.
Decedereful began to read aloud, "Education: Warlock Academy, Graduated with High Honors. Certificate of Heroism: Northrend Dungeons. Certificate of Exultation: Northrend Factions. Argent Crusade: Champion of the Alliance. Previous employers: Tirion Fordring and Associates, 80th season to present; Veteran of Naxxramas, Ulduar, Obsidian Sactum, Onyxia's Lair, Vault of Archavon, and the Trial of the Crusader The Dalaran Mage Council, weekly employment upon request, previously full-time from 70th season to 80th. The Scryers, 60th season to 70th; Veteran of Karazhan, Gruul's Lair, Magtheridon's Lair, and Serpentshire Caverns. Also employed during this time by the Shattered Sun Offensive. All other previous experience as a freelance adventurer; self-employed."
She continued, "Specialized Experience: many seasons of association with demons, good working knowledge of The Burning Legion, lots of practical experience with Shadow and Corruption, proficient at stealing souls, great at controlling minions."
Raising one eyebrow, she went back to the top, "Job Objective: To sit on the Frozen Throne and have legions of minions at my command. Hmm, I didn't know there was an opening yet."
Frowning, the Death Knight turned and fixed her brother with an icy stare. Fuubaar came over, snatched the paper out of Decedereful's hand, and headed for the trash can that was hidden in the pantry. As the Paladin rummaged around in the storage closet, the Death Knight continued to stare at her brother with open disapproval.
"Boy," she said, "what were you thinking?"
"Well," Fulguralis stammered, "Jaina said that... when we... you know... someone's going to have to... I figured... head start..."
"Yes, what exactly were you thinking?" Fuubaar yelled from the pantry, interrupting. "Did you think I would just let you become the new Lich King? What about me? I have news, buddy, there IS NO Lich Queen! You're not just going to toss me aside! Sure, sure, Arthas thinks he has it so good with his Frozen Throne and his Legion of the Undead and all that. What that man needs is a good wife to calm his ass down! Then maybe we wouldn't have all these wars and kidnappings and such. Pssch. Like it's so hard to be the Lich King. Try birthing a child, Arthas. Then maybe we'd listen to your pathetic whining!" The Paladin stopped yelling, but vehement mumbling could still be heard from the direction of the pantry.
Decedereful spoke up, "Trust me, Boy, you want no part of what Mr. Lich Con is selling. No way. Not now, not evah." She rolled her eyes and left the room in a huff.
Fuubaar reappeared from the pantry with a bulging bag of trash in her hand. She was calm again now as she walked over to her husband and held the bag out to him. He stood up, a scowl on his face. His wife narrowed her eyes ever so slightly. The Warlock took a deep breath and put an obviously false smile on. He accepted the bag and grudgingly trudged out the front door.
"Thank you, dear!" His wife called after him, her voice dripping with honey.
The reply was a grunt.
Thursday, January 28, 2010
The Legend of the Pit Pwners
Labels: Fun, Hope, Instances 2 comments
We were but five adventurers. Already, one dungeon had fallen to our onslaught: Gundrak. Of course, that dungeon was approached in a more traditional manner. You see, sometimes, when things aren't well planned out by the leader (coughmecough), you may find yourself later in a bit of a bind.
We were but five adventurers: One with a Pally and a Priest. One a Hunter, one a Warlock. Another Pally. And me, a Death Knight or Warlock. Between us, we had but one healing spec. Gundrak witnessed the Priest, the Pally, two Locks, and a Hunter. Traditional, like I said, and we rolled the place. In fact, between the Priest and I, we made it somewhat of a game to see if we "accidentally" pull and get our tank friend to pull off of us before our bubbles ran out. I'm sure he appreciated it.
We were but five adventurers, all from the same guild. This is important, because not only are these people I know, but also they're people that know me enough to trust in my judgment. We weren't randomly throwing things together, these were coordinated attacks. Or so we thought. Then, having completed the first random dungeon, desire was expressed for a second run so those of us with two toons could get the daily done on both. The Priest (Fuu) switched to her Pally, and I my Death Knight.
We were but five adventurers, four DPS and one tank. No healers. No healing off-specs. No healing gear. No healing experience (on the toons we'd brought). We could have asked Fuu to suck it up and heal again. We could have just dropped one and picked up a friend with a heal spec. We could have gone about it the traditional way. But nay, said I. We can do this. We don't need no stinking heals! We were two Paladins, a Death Knight, a Hunter, and a Warlock.
We were but five adventurers who drew Pit of Sauron, randomly. The second toughest dungeon currently possible. A wave of fear swept through our able bodies. Yet, persevere we would, it was decided. Give in to convention we would not. We were going to do this sans heals. This wasn't about foolish pride or a scientific experiment. This was about the thrill of the challenge. The Azerothian gods had hurled at us a herculean task, who were we to toss it back, unaccepted? Unrewarded?
We were but five adventurers, but we had a plan: everyone take care of themselves. With one Paladin tanking, the other could help throw an occasional heal to supplement her own healing. The Warlock could Drain Life. The Death Knight could Death Strike. The Hunter could... do whatever it is that Hunters do. We would survive. We had all our lives to live, and all our love to give. We would survive. Yeah, yeah.
We were but five adventurers as we made our first pull. The skeletal monstrosity limped towards us, and with a shower of sparks from metal meeting shield, we were off. Almost immediately, a patrol ambushed us from behind while another skeletal monstrosity lumbered magically up a cliff to join the fray. We were swiftly and soundly defeated. Yet Azeroth is not without its second chances. We would not be deterred by troubled beginnings. Many an epic hero hath started out from such humble roots. "Let's not do that again," decried the Ret Pally upon our collective revival.
We were but five adventurers, tempered by an unfortunate fall. We pulled again. This time, success. We made another pull, and another, and another. Waves of enemies fell before our blades as sweat began to bead on our brows. It was not easy, it was not hard. It was. We pulled some old tricks out of our dusty spellbooks, Laying Hands on this and Frost Trapping that, and when we looked up, we had reached our first boss. He was bigger than big, and when engaged him, he smote the party with mighty party-wide damages. Yet when the dust cleared, he was face down and four of us were alive.
We were but five adventurers, now saved to this instance. In much the same manner we defeated the construct with the Gnome on its poisonous shoulders. Avoiding damage became as important as dealing it, and we excelled at both. Jaina came down to congratulate us after that second boss fell, and once again four of us stood at the end. We regrouped and prepared for some of the toughest pulls in the dungeon. We used Paladin Repentance and Hunter Traps and Death Knight Silences to attack these challenging groups of enemies. For each pull we made, we lost at least one of our own, but we never were defeated. The sweat was now running in rivulets down our faces, but our fingers were dry and our mind's eyes sharp.
We were but five adventurers as we faced the gauntlet. There was no swift grouping of many mobs in the middle, there was only a slow, steady slogging that led inexorably towards the exit. Once, upon reaching the middle platform, a quick rez was thrown, but otherwise we were untouchable. We dodged the falling ice even as we exited the hellacious tunnel, finishing off the last of the rabble before Tyranus belittled our own companions. By now, the Light of the conclusion of the dungeon had begun to brighten our glistening faces. The end was near, we need only beware of the Overlord's Mark.
We were but five adventurers, all five alive, when the final boss fell. The scant reward of emblems and gold did not seem to do justice to the struggle we'd just overcome, yet cheers could be heard over vent. Our smiles, laughter, and suspended disbelief were their own rewards, and they were plentiful. We had done what we thought impossible. Were we the heroes to end all heroes? No. But for that one moment, we might as well have been.
There were not achievements or announcements to mark the occasion. The gorge did not suddenly close it's gates and Jaina did not give me so much as a kiss. Fanfare did not herald our arrival back in Dalaran. In fact, business went on pretty much as usual. I believe one guildy said "nice". That was all there was. We did not get a title or even a usable piece of gear. Yet, for the five of us, something special happened last night. We, the Pwners of the Pit, did what was thought "not even remotely imaginable".
The moral of this story is not that we were overgeared, overskilled, or overly lucky. The lesson is not that healers are unnecessary. The goal is not to e-peen. What you should take from this epic tale of five adventurers is that, in this World of Warcraft, the challenges are only what we make of them. Your most treasured achievements may not result in special points or hard currency. No, the best times are the times we spend with friends, throwing convention somewhat to the wind, and leveling mountains with our digital prowess. And isn't that what makes this game of ours truly epic?
As the sun sets on our tale today, I hear a voice cry out from the wilderness: "Screenshot or it didn't happen."
We were but five adventurers: One with a Pally and a Priest. One a Hunter, one a Warlock. Another Pally. And me, a Death Knight or Warlock. Between us, we had but one healing spec. Gundrak witnessed the Priest, the Pally, two Locks, and a Hunter. Traditional, like I said, and we rolled the place. In fact, between the Priest and I, we made it somewhat of a game to see if we "accidentally" pull and get our tank friend to pull off of us before our bubbles ran out. I'm sure he appreciated it.
We were but five adventurers, all from the same guild. This is important, because not only are these people I know, but also they're people that know me enough to trust in my judgment. We weren't randomly throwing things together, these were coordinated attacks. Or so we thought. Then, having completed the first random dungeon, desire was expressed for a second run so those of us with two toons could get the daily done on both. The Priest (Fuu) switched to her Pally, and I my Death Knight.
We were but five adventurers, four DPS and one tank. No healers. No healing off-specs. No healing gear. No healing experience (on the toons we'd brought). We could have asked Fuu to suck it up and heal again. We could have just dropped one and picked up a friend with a heal spec. We could have gone about it the traditional way. But nay, said I. We can do this. We don't need no stinking heals! We were two Paladins, a Death Knight, a Hunter, and a Warlock.
We were but five adventurers who drew Pit of Sauron, randomly. The second toughest dungeon currently possible. A wave of fear swept through our able bodies. Yet, persevere we would, it was decided. Give in to convention we would not. We were going to do this sans heals. This wasn't about foolish pride or a scientific experiment. This was about the thrill of the challenge. The Azerothian gods had hurled at us a herculean task, who were we to toss it back, unaccepted? Unrewarded?
We were but five adventurers, but we had a plan: everyone take care of themselves. With one Paladin tanking, the other could help throw an occasional heal to supplement her own healing. The Warlock could Drain Life. The Death Knight could Death Strike. The Hunter could... do whatever it is that Hunters do. We would survive. We had all our lives to live, and all our love to give. We would survive. Yeah, yeah.
We were but five adventurers as we made our first pull. The skeletal monstrosity limped towards us, and with a shower of sparks from metal meeting shield, we were off. Almost immediately, a patrol ambushed us from behind while another skeletal monstrosity lumbered magically up a cliff to join the fray. We were swiftly and soundly defeated. Yet Azeroth is not without its second chances. We would not be deterred by troubled beginnings. Many an epic hero hath started out from such humble roots. "Let's not do that again," decried the Ret Pally upon our collective revival.
We were but five adventurers, tempered by an unfortunate fall. We pulled again. This time, success. We made another pull, and another, and another. Waves of enemies fell before our blades as sweat began to bead on our brows. It was not easy, it was not hard. It was. We pulled some old tricks out of our dusty spellbooks, Laying Hands on this and Frost Trapping that, and when we looked up, we had reached our first boss. He was bigger than big, and when engaged him, he smote the party with mighty party-wide damages. Yet when the dust cleared, he was face down and four of us were alive.
We were but five adventurers, now saved to this instance. In much the same manner we defeated the construct with the Gnome on its poisonous shoulders. Avoiding damage became as important as dealing it, and we excelled at both. Jaina came down to congratulate us after that second boss fell, and once again four of us stood at the end. We regrouped and prepared for some of the toughest pulls in the dungeon. We used Paladin Repentance and Hunter Traps and Death Knight Silences to attack these challenging groups of enemies. For each pull we made, we lost at least one of our own, but we never were defeated. The sweat was now running in rivulets down our faces, but our fingers were dry and our mind's eyes sharp.
We were but five adventurers as we faced the gauntlet. There was no swift grouping of many mobs in the middle, there was only a slow, steady slogging that led inexorably towards the exit. Once, upon reaching the middle platform, a quick rez was thrown, but otherwise we were untouchable. We dodged the falling ice even as we exited the hellacious tunnel, finishing off the last of the rabble before Tyranus belittled our own companions. By now, the Light of the conclusion of the dungeon had begun to brighten our glistening faces. The end was near, we need only beware of the Overlord's Mark.
We were but five adventurers, all five alive, when the final boss fell. The scant reward of emblems and gold did not seem to do justice to the struggle we'd just overcome, yet cheers could be heard over vent. Our smiles, laughter, and suspended disbelief were their own rewards, and they were plentiful. We had done what we thought impossible. Were we the heroes to end all heroes? No. But for that one moment, we might as well have been.
There were not achievements or announcements to mark the occasion. The gorge did not suddenly close it's gates and Jaina did not give me so much as a kiss. Fanfare did not herald our arrival back in Dalaran. In fact, business went on pretty much as usual. I believe one guildy said "nice". That was all there was. We did not get a title or even a usable piece of gear. Yet, for the five of us, something special happened last night. We, the Pwners of the Pit, did what was thought "not even remotely imaginable".
The moral of this story is not that we were overgeared, overskilled, or overly lucky. The lesson is not that healers are unnecessary. The goal is not to e-peen. What you should take from this epic tale of five adventurers is that, in this World of Warcraft, the challenges are only what we make of them. Your most treasured achievements may not result in special points or hard currency. No, the best times are the times we spend with friends, throwing convention somewhat to the wind, and leveling mountains with our digital prowess. And isn't that what makes this game of ours truly epic?
As the sun sets on our tale today, I hear a voice cry out from the wilderness: "Screenshot or it didn't happen."
The Pwners of the Pit
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
When Random Says "F U"
Labels: Instances, Raiding 8 comments
I think it's pretty clear at this point in time what NOT to do in 5-man heroics if you don't want to look like an ass. We've seen story after story of failpugs take the interwebs by storm and leave them rocking back and forth in the corner, muttering things like "gearscore" and "aggro drop" and "Halls of Reflection". We've debated about whether Oculus has one or two c's ad nauseum (which is the magical Latin term for "makes me want to puke"). We've nerfed, buffed, and triumphed. In short, we get it (for the most part).
You pull it, you tank it. You pull it, you feign death, everyone else tanks. (I mean really, aren't we just splitting hunter hairs?) Thou shalt not expect to ever successfully PuG HoR. Tanks still have yet to discover that there can be a queue. To them, it's only something that's a part of BGs. All of these things and more have become common place in Today's WoW.
But what about those "in-between" moments. What about those dilemmas that don't really have a rule of thumb to follow? How do you handle those? I submit to you, dear readers, examples of real-life situations that have befallen me a few times. But before I do, let's get the backdrop set.
Show of hands, how many of you feel entitled to a quick and painless heroic instance run? A few? Great. Now look to your left, look to your right. Two of the people you just looked at define "quick" and "painless" differently from you. Still, there's got to be some middle ground we can share, right?
I'm going to come out of the shard bag here: I love the LFD tool. It's everything I wish that I could be. I could fly higher than an eagle, and it is the wind beneath my wings. Why so much warlockerly love? Because 75% of the time, I just want to pop in and kill stuff. I don't have quests to do (I've never felt the siren's call of Loremaster). I don't prefer to PvP in WoW. My professions are where I want them. In short, before the the LFD tool, if I wasn't raiding, I wasn't on. There was no calling for me. I don't have altitis. I have one main, one alt, and no desire to collect them all. My pokeball is as full as I want it to be. (Really, did we ever need more than Pikachu?)
Let's ask ourselves, where does WoW shine brightest? Sure it has a lot of really bright spots, but isn't it really the quality of the dungeons that first brought us together? Questing has always been more of a solo activity in WoW, and PvP tends to make enemies more than friends. Dungeons are what taught us to work as a team and seek out other players. If there weren't dungeons, would there even be a WoW?
Say what you want about the current difficulty, the past difficulty, etc... dungeons, whether they be raids or five mans, are really the Succubus's Pajamas. They're sexy and have the potential to bring a lot of folks together to do the bad thing. Besides, Blizz has really worked with us, the community, on their dungeon design. They've tried to make them shorter, more manageable, more accessible.
So is it a bad thing that some of us feel entitled to a quick and painless heroic dungeon run? After all, there are plenty of opportunities that will fit the "quick and painless" bill, by design. There are only a few that don't. A lot of the consternation I see seems to stem from differing expectations of these runs. When the guy who's gearing up, wouldn't mind a challenge, and has set aside an hour or more gets put into a group with the Frost Emblem collector, looking for their 4p10 bonus and having thirty minutes to kill before a raid, friction can happen. After all, it's likely that both of these people have completely different definitions of what quick and painless will be. And neither of them is wrong.
Seriously, is it wrong to just want to run an instance in a half hour and then get a bit peeved when it starts pushing the one hour mark? In vanilla WoW, sure. But this isn't your Grandpappy's WoW. This is Wrath, bitches, and half hour instance runs are the reality. Yes, the disgruntled folks need to work on handling their disgruntling better, but the expectation that led them there isn't necessarily a false one, though I feel some might argue that. It's just not. Expecting a quick run in a PuG is the new reality, not the old Emerald Dream.
My point here is that I log on every day, and one of the things I enjoy doing is steamrolling an instance. My two raiding toons are more than geared for it, and I like tackling random dungeons. It's fun even if it's not really a challenge, per se. You sort of make your own challenges by pulling gobs of mobs (with the healer's permission) or seeing just how close you can get to pulling off the undergeared tank (without actually doing it and causing deaths). It's okay to have fun in a game. (No way!) Just don't do it in such a way that it ruins everyone's fun. It's really not that hard. At least, 90% of the time it's not that hard.
What about those times when you're faced with a social challenge, though? There are three particular uncomfortable issues that I've had (usually at the same time, compounding on each other), that I'm not sure how to appropriately deal with. Let's take a look, shall we?
First up is the you're-crunched-for-time-but-drew-HoR dilemma. Or the "damnit, I wanted anything but this one" dilemma. How many times has that happened to you? You've said to your self, "Self, I'm just going to jump on and run a quick one before I go terrorize the neighborhood kids in my demon form". I mean we all have responsibilities! You hit the random button as your bad self, expecting that if you have an average tank and average healer you can easily roll through any heroic in.... wait, not this one. This one's going to take FOR EVAH! But you don't have forevah. You've got 30 minutes, tops. What do you do?
Should you not have queued up in the first place, even knowing that if you had gotten almost any other instance, you would have been fine, had fun, mission accomplished? Do you drop group quietly, sending your poor mates back into the dreaded queue with naught a word? Do you speak up: "Sorry guys, I don't have time for this one," and risk social critique of your time management abilities? Is there a good way out of this situation?
Or how about this second situation. Say you're a dual specced DPS/tank, but you normally like to queue as DPS (hence, "Killing 'em Slowly"). You wait patiently for your 15 minutes, then get in a group. Upon your glorious entrance, Mr. Time Guy (also the tank) from dilemma one drops with naught a word. At least, I'm hoping he had a good reason for leaving you all in the lurch. It could be that he just didn't like the instance, and that would be bollocks. However, as the Right Reverend Miss Medicina pointed out to me in vent: maybe he just knows he can't do it and wants to save y'all the pain (I'm pretty sure she said y'all, with a twang too... "you can take the girl out of the south..."). Or maybe he did just have somewhere he needed to be and recognized the futility of staying. As much as it sucks, that's not really a bad thing, to save the rest of you certain pain, right?
Well, in any case, you're faced with waiting for another tank, which sometimes is quick but often isn't. You have a tank spec. You group is in the queue again, waiting patiently. Do you step up and offer to tank? I mean, you've done the instance before, you know you are capable of doing it, but you just didn't feel like it at first. Do you take one for the team so that you can finally get on with it? Are you obligated to do this?
Finally, let's say you did go tank. Then, let's say you start the battle and it becomes apparent, glaringly apparent mind you, that the other folks aren't really ready for this instance. Perhaps the DPS are all off making a cheese toasty or the healer is dancing with butterflies and fruit smoothies in a corner while listening to Owl City. Not that they're necessarily purposefully failing, just that they are either not very good, not very geared, not very attentive, or a combination of the above. I'm not trying to be judgmental here... it just happens. Sometimes the random thingy puts people in instances that they don't really overgear (which is fine), and maybe they're not ready for that sort of change of focus. (Ya know, from the other other 90% of the time).
In other words, this is not going to be painless and actually has very little chance of succeeding. Do you drop? Do you say "sorry guys, not feeling it" or some lame excuse and exit stage right? Do you pretend your router freaked out while quickly donning your demon suit? Do you try to work with them on the extremely (and by extremely I mean f-in extremely) off chance that some sort of magic might happen and you live through the first pull. I mean, we've all been a part of The Miracle group before, when you were totally sure you were going to die repeatedly, only to snatch success from the vicious jowls of defeat at the hands of the Communist Raid Boss. It happens, but it's not likely, which is why it's so cool when it happens. What do you do?
So that's the big three I've struggled with. I think it's not unreasonable to expect a quick and painless run. I also think anything is worth trying once. I have a real problem with tanks dropping just 'cuz they didn't like an instance and, "hey, there's no wait for me". But when does tolerance, understanding, and patience become stupidity, denial, and futility? When is it "okay" to draw that line, and say "sorry guys, but I'm out"?
And, finally, the most important question: How long does it take them to nab the dude running around in a demon suit for some sort of crime?
You pull it, you tank it. You pull it, you feign death, everyone else tanks. (I mean really, aren't we just splitting hunter hairs?) Thou shalt not expect to ever successfully PuG HoR. Tanks still have yet to discover that there can be a queue. To them, it's only something that's a part of BGs. All of these things and more have become common place in Today's WoW.
But what about those "in-between" moments. What about those dilemmas that don't really have a rule of thumb to follow? How do you handle those? I submit to you, dear readers, examples of real-life situations that have befallen me a few times. But before I do, let's get the backdrop set.
Show of hands, how many of you feel entitled to a quick and painless heroic instance run? A few? Great. Now look to your left, look to your right. Two of the people you just looked at define "quick" and "painless" differently from you. Still, there's got to be some middle ground we can share, right?
I'm going to come out of the shard bag here: I love the LFD tool. It's everything I wish that I could be. I could fly higher than an eagle, and it is the wind beneath my wings. Why so much warlockerly love? Because 75% of the time, I just want to pop in and kill stuff. I don't have quests to do (I've never felt the siren's call of Loremaster). I don't prefer to PvP in WoW. My professions are where I want them. In short, before the the LFD tool, if I wasn't raiding, I wasn't on. There was no calling for me. I don't have altitis. I have one main, one alt, and no desire to collect them all. My pokeball is as full as I want it to be. (Really, did we ever need more than Pikachu?)
Let's ask ourselves, where does WoW shine brightest? Sure it has a lot of really bright spots, but isn't it really the quality of the dungeons that first brought us together? Questing has always been more of a solo activity in WoW, and PvP tends to make enemies more than friends. Dungeons are what taught us to work as a team and seek out other players. If there weren't dungeons, would there even be a WoW?
Say what you want about the current difficulty, the past difficulty, etc... dungeons, whether they be raids or five mans, are really the Succubus's Pajamas. They're sexy and have the potential to bring a lot of folks together to do the bad thing. Besides, Blizz has really worked with us, the community, on their dungeon design. They've tried to make them shorter, more manageable, more accessible.
So is it a bad thing that some of us feel entitled to a quick and painless heroic dungeon run? After all, there are plenty of opportunities that will fit the "quick and painless" bill, by design. There are only a few that don't. A lot of the consternation I see seems to stem from differing expectations of these runs. When the guy who's gearing up, wouldn't mind a challenge, and has set aside an hour or more gets put into a group with the Frost Emblem collector, looking for their 4p10 bonus and having thirty minutes to kill before a raid, friction can happen. After all, it's likely that both of these people have completely different definitions of what quick and painless will be. And neither of them is wrong.
Seriously, is it wrong to just want to run an instance in a half hour and then get a bit peeved when it starts pushing the one hour mark? In vanilla WoW, sure. But this isn't your Grandpappy's WoW. This is Wrath, bitches, and half hour instance runs are the reality. Yes, the disgruntled folks need to work on handling their disgruntling better, but the expectation that led them there isn't necessarily a false one, though I feel some might argue that. It's just not. Expecting a quick run in a PuG is the new reality, not the old Emerald Dream.
My point here is that I log on every day, and one of the things I enjoy doing is steamrolling an instance. My two raiding toons are more than geared for it, and I like tackling random dungeons. It's fun even if it's not really a challenge, per se. You sort of make your own challenges by pulling gobs of mobs (with the healer's permission) or seeing just how close you can get to pulling off the undergeared tank (without actually doing it and causing deaths). It's okay to have fun in a game. (No way!) Just don't do it in such a way that it ruins everyone's fun. It's really not that hard. At least, 90% of the time it's not that hard.
What about those times when you're faced with a social challenge, though? There are three particular uncomfortable issues that I've had (usually at the same time, compounding on each other), that I'm not sure how to appropriately deal with. Let's take a look, shall we?
First up is the you're-crunched-for-time-but-drew-HoR dilemma. Or the "damnit, I wanted anything but this one" dilemma. How many times has that happened to you? You've said to your self, "Self, I'm just going to jump on and run a quick one before I go terrorize the neighborhood kids in my demon form". I mean we all have responsibilities! You hit the random button as your bad self, expecting that if you have an average tank and average healer you can easily roll through any heroic in.... wait, not this one. This one's going to take FOR EVAH! But you don't have forevah. You've got 30 minutes, tops. What do you do?
Should you not have queued up in the first place, even knowing that if you had gotten almost any other instance, you would have been fine, had fun, mission accomplished? Do you drop group quietly, sending your poor mates back into the dreaded queue with naught a word? Do you speak up: "Sorry guys, I don't have time for this one," and risk social critique of your time management abilities? Is there a good way out of this situation?
Or how about this second situation. Say you're a dual specced DPS/tank, but you normally like to queue as DPS (hence, "Killing 'em Slowly"). You wait patiently for your 15 minutes, then get in a group. Upon your glorious entrance, Mr. Time Guy (also the tank) from dilemma one drops with naught a word. At least, I'm hoping he had a good reason for leaving you all in the lurch. It could be that he just didn't like the instance, and that would be bollocks. However, as the Right Reverend Miss Medicina pointed out to me in vent: maybe he just knows he can't do it and wants to save y'all the pain (I'm pretty sure she said y'all, with a twang too... "you can take the girl out of the south..."). Or maybe he did just have somewhere he needed to be and recognized the futility of staying. As much as it sucks, that's not really a bad thing, to save the rest of you certain pain, right?
Well, in any case, you're faced with waiting for another tank, which sometimes is quick but often isn't. You have a tank spec. You group is in the queue again, waiting patiently. Do you step up and offer to tank? I mean, you've done the instance before, you know you are capable of doing it, but you just didn't feel like it at first. Do you take one for the team so that you can finally get on with it? Are you obligated to do this?
Finally, let's say you did go tank. Then, let's say you start the battle and it becomes apparent, glaringly apparent mind you, that the other folks aren't really ready for this instance. Perhaps the DPS are all off making a cheese toasty or the healer is dancing with butterflies and fruit smoothies in a corner while listening to Owl City. Not that they're necessarily purposefully failing, just that they are either not very good, not very geared, not very attentive, or a combination of the above. I'm not trying to be judgmental here... it just happens. Sometimes the random thingy puts people in instances that they don't really overgear (which is fine), and maybe they're not ready for that sort of change of focus. (Ya know, from the other other 90% of the time).
In other words, this is not going to be painless and actually has very little chance of succeeding. Do you drop? Do you say "sorry guys, not feeling it" or some lame excuse and exit stage right? Do you pretend your router freaked out while quickly donning your demon suit? Do you try to work with them on the extremely (and by extremely I mean f-in extremely) off chance that some sort of magic might happen and you live through the first pull. I mean, we've all been a part of The Miracle group before, when you were totally sure you were going to die repeatedly, only to snatch success from the vicious jowls of defeat at the hands of the Communist Raid Boss. It happens, but it's not likely, which is why it's so cool when it happens. What do you do?
So that's the big three I've struggled with. I think it's not unreasonable to expect a quick and painless run. I also think anything is worth trying once. I have a real problem with tanks dropping just 'cuz they didn't like an instance and, "hey, there's no wait for me". But when does tolerance, understanding, and patience become stupidity, denial, and futility? When is it "okay" to draw that line, and say "sorry guys, but I'm out"?
And, finally, the most important question: How long does it take them to nab the dude running around in a demon suit for some sort of crime?
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