Well, after a long break from WoW due to law school and work getting crazy, i returned a couple of weeks ago to a guild in need of healers and a long haul to get raid ready.
I chose to level my priest instead of my warrior.
I am still amazed by this too. I mean, my warrior was all set up! He had all his professions ready, mounts, random gear to teleport me to odd places, flasks and food. I mean hell, he had my high capacity bags! All this set up, wasted. I suppose wasted is a little strong, but at least the benifits will be delayed in the reaping.
My priest, the final toon i got to 80 before Cata, was my leased prepared character. Only one profession over 300, the other at about 100 and I dont even like it. Epic flying and dual spec, but thats about it. Not even heroic Wrath gear, much less full raid gear like my war.
So how has it been with a barely prepared toon and playing catchup? All i can say is thank god for guildies willing to help and an easier leveling expirience. My priest has been a ball to play actually, leveling as shadow and healing as holy (the character is destined to be a healer, so healing as I leveled was helpful).
Once i hit 85 the slog really began, working on factions and grinding out heroics. From not feeling comfortable healing my first few heroics to this weekend healing 4/5 BoT, it has ben a whirllwind couple of weeks. It was an altand mains who missed the raid run, but was nice to get taken along, shown the ropes, and get my first healing raid expirience since vinilla under my belt. Our priest class lead spent an hour pre raid talking me through holy raid healing and gave me tips for each fight. Invaluable help from a guild member is worth more than all the guides you can read in my opinion, and Cynthesis, I apretiate all the help.
Do I miss the warrior? Hell yes. Will i go back? Maybe, but probably not. Healing is oddly addictive, especuially raid healing. Unlike dps where you are in a race, healing feels more like a team sport. I am enjoying that aspect of it a great deal, and seeing as my guild is hoping i replace a pretty terrible healer, I dont want to let them down.
What do you all think about rerolling for your guild? Well worth it for a group you enjoy playing with, or is your class choice more than simply another aspect of an mmo for you, a more defining aspect of your game enjoyment?
Oh and I dont know if I am going to change the blog name. Maybe.
Showing posts with label raiding. Show all posts
Showing posts with label raiding. Show all posts
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Thursday, August 26, 2010
Comfort in Raiding
So last night, being the start of our raiding week, we did ICC 25 as usual. Now as a guild it wasn't an amazing night. No wipes except on lady death whisperer (dumb people getting cleaved and not nearly enough interrupts on the boss) and all bosses except her done on heroic (Morrow, Lady D, Loot Ship, Saurfang, Fester, Rot, Princes, Blood Queen, Dreamwalker if you are curious). It just wasn't as smooth as our raids typically go. Bosses that normally go down easy we had near wipes on, people were making dumb mistakes and everything took longer than normal.
That being said, I actually had a pretty damn good raid (except on Princes, I seriously hate that fight). I didn't make any dumb mistakes, was anticipating boss abilities, using CDs at just the right time and my dps showed clear improvement (using CDs effectivly is super important as a fury warrior, i will be doing a post on them in the near future).
What changed? It seems like just 2 weeks ago, with very similar gear, I was struggling to be in the top 13 in dps. Last night I was sitting comfortably in top ten, usually between 6 and 8, boss after boss.
My theory is raiding comfort. Knowing how a boss works is all well and good; understanding their abilities is key in beating them and maximizing performance. That still only gets you half way there though. Until you not only know what the boss can do but can anticipate them without looking at DBM you just can't eek out every bit of dps. This was the first week I really felt like I had these heroic modes not just understood but down pat.
The thing that surprised me about this is that, while I knew getting more comfortable with boss mechanics makes raiding easier, I didn't expect to see such a dramatic impact in my personal dps. This may seem silly, but in a game governed by the GCD it made sense to me that while easier, your reaction time just can't get a lot faster than clicking the correct button right when it becomes available (proper rotations are pretty easy to learn after all).
This would hold if boss fights were static tank and spanks. They are not, which I consider very fortunate. This variability in positioning, random casting, adds, and debuffing makes comfort with the fight matter a great deal.
This comfort factor is the reason, I believe, that most guilds think new members and pugs often suck. The long time guild members instinctively know what to do, having downed the boss many times before. The new member has hopefully done it more than once, and even then it could have been using a different strategy. So, by no fault of their own, an otherwise great player is caught a bit flat footed, a bit out of sorts, and their dps (or healing, or agro as the case may be) suffers fairly dramatically.
While perhaps unfair, I think the speed at which a raider transitions from understanding a fight cerebraly to actually being comfortable with the fight is what separates good players from bad. My earlier post has several tips about trying to get a jump on this process, but I think even with the best of intentions it takes some time and boss attempts to really develop the level of familiarity that leads to mastery of a given fight.
This is nothing revolutionary. It's actually very familiar to anyone who has been in a guild pounding away on an encounter, steadily getting the boss closer and closer to death until, all at once it seems, everything clicks. I can honestly say that I have seen more first kills where everything went right and everyone was alive at the end than where there were 3 people left standing and even the healers were spam nuking the boss (these are more dramatic though, and inspire great nerd cheers in vent).
I was just surprised how clear the sensation was for me this week. Maybe it's because I'm playing catch up in my guild (who has been doing ICC for much longer than me due to my break from the game), but this time I really felt the transition from knowing what I should be doing to just doing it. I think that it's moments like these, moments of personal growth and advancement, that keep the game fresh even after killing the same boss for the hundredth time. Sure sure, loot too, but if that was the only thing then why aren't we all playing the Sims? We play a game where clearly loot isn't everything, and I think that feeling of getting better, more comfortable, is a big part of it.
Thoughts?
Oh and tomorrow a really warrior specific post, i promise. This was just on my mind.
That being said, I actually had a pretty damn good raid (except on Princes, I seriously hate that fight). I didn't make any dumb mistakes, was anticipating boss abilities, using CDs at just the right time and my dps showed clear improvement (using CDs effectivly is super important as a fury warrior, i will be doing a post on them in the near future).
What changed? It seems like just 2 weeks ago, with very similar gear, I was struggling to be in the top 13 in dps. Last night I was sitting comfortably in top ten, usually between 6 and 8, boss after boss.
My theory is raiding comfort. Knowing how a boss works is all well and good; understanding their abilities is key in beating them and maximizing performance. That still only gets you half way there though. Until you not only know what the boss can do but can anticipate them without looking at DBM you just can't eek out every bit of dps. This was the first week I really felt like I had these heroic modes not just understood but down pat.
The thing that surprised me about this is that, while I knew getting more comfortable with boss mechanics makes raiding easier, I didn't expect to see such a dramatic impact in my personal dps. This may seem silly, but in a game governed by the GCD it made sense to me that while easier, your reaction time just can't get a lot faster than clicking the correct button right when it becomes available (proper rotations are pretty easy to learn after all).
This would hold if boss fights were static tank and spanks. They are not, which I consider very fortunate. This variability in positioning, random casting, adds, and debuffing makes comfort with the fight matter a great deal.
This comfort factor is the reason, I believe, that most guilds think new members and pugs often suck. The long time guild members instinctively know what to do, having downed the boss many times before. The new member has hopefully done it more than once, and even then it could have been using a different strategy. So, by no fault of their own, an otherwise great player is caught a bit flat footed, a bit out of sorts, and their dps (or healing, or agro as the case may be) suffers fairly dramatically.
While perhaps unfair, I think the speed at which a raider transitions from understanding a fight cerebraly to actually being comfortable with the fight is what separates good players from bad. My earlier post has several tips about trying to get a jump on this process, but I think even with the best of intentions it takes some time and boss attempts to really develop the level of familiarity that leads to mastery of a given fight.
This is nothing revolutionary. It's actually very familiar to anyone who has been in a guild pounding away on an encounter, steadily getting the boss closer and closer to death until, all at once it seems, everything clicks. I can honestly say that I have seen more first kills where everything went right and everyone was alive at the end than where there were 3 people left standing and even the healers were spam nuking the boss (these are more dramatic though, and inspire great nerd cheers in vent).
I was just surprised how clear the sensation was for me this week. Maybe it's because I'm playing catch up in my guild (who has been doing ICC for much longer than me due to my break from the game), but this time I really felt the transition from knowing what I should be doing to just doing it. I think that it's moments like these, moments of personal growth and advancement, that keep the game fresh even after killing the same boss for the hundredth time. Sure sure, loot too, but if that was the only thing then why aren't we all playing the Sims? We play a game where clearly loot isn't everything, and I think that feeling of getting better, more comfortable, is a big part of it.
Thoughts?
Oh and tomorrow a really warrior specific post, i promise. This was just on my mind.
Thursday, August 19, 2010
Gearing Complexity - the story continues
Well it happened. It was bound to happen sooner or later, but I was kind of hoping for later considering I just got the sword (see this post). Heroic Cryptmaker finally droped last night and i got it.
Now first off let me say this is awesome. It's a really nice dps upgrade for me, looks sweet (in my opinion, clearly) and is a great fit stat-wise for my gear. That being said, it means Glorenzelg, High-Blade of the Silver Hand will never be used in my ideal dps set (I wont be vendering it, it did come from the Litch King himself after all).
Now I am going to show what happened once I got cryptmaker, to illustrate again how stat balancing and management has gotten a bit out of hand at this point.
As with most warriors, my gear involves a balance of stats, so when I got Cryptmaker some switches had to be made. First off Cryptmaker put me too high on hit, so I swapped out Ahn'kahar Onyx Neckguard (Heroic) with Penumbra Pendant (not heroic). That's swapping a ilvl 277 neck for a 271, but because I am over the hit cap the armor pen on Penumbra just makes it better, since the +hit on Ahn'kahar isn't worth as much as it would be if I were below the cap.
The weapon also makes me a bit low on Expertise (due to not using Orc racial bonus) but still not enough to make Glorenzelg worth it, so I will be swapping Signet of Twilight with Skeleton Lord's Circle (Heroic). This was not a change I thought would be worth it, but spreadsheeting it shows that it clearly is (around 20 dps difference).
The additional Armor Pen from Cryptmaker pushed me over the hill so to speak, where armor pen is now worth significantly more than Str (used to be the other way around at lower gear levels, and until this upgrade they were basically equal) so now I have to regem my 5 or so remaining 20 strength gems to 20 arp. Each gem swap should be around a 4 dps increase fully raid buffed. While not huge this isn't negligable either.
These swapped out pieces won't be vendered. Not because they hold any sentimental value or anything, but because when I replace another piece of gear (come on new bracers) they may be needed again. My bank is full of this stuff.
I suppose I could have gotten away with guessing. I would have been mostly right, though I would be using Cryptmaker and Glorenzelg, which is over 100 dps lower than using Cryptmaker and Shadow's Edge, so not really. My rings wouldn't be ideal, but i would have a lot more gold from not changing around all my gems, chanting all my off gear, and perhaps be a bit more relaxed.
What do you think? Is this the price we pay for doing good damage, a personal choice where I could just care less and not do all this work, or mandatory with the way the game is currently structured and ripe for a change?
Now first off let me say this is awesome. It's a really nice dps upgrade for me, looks sweet (in my opinion, clearly) and is a great fit stat-wise for my gear. That being said, it means Glorenzelg, High-Blade of the Silver Hand will never be used in my ideal dps set (I wont be vendering it, it did come from the Litch King himself after all).
Now I am going to show what happened once I got cryptmaker, to illustrate again how stat balancing and management has gotten a bit out of hand at this point.
As with most warriors, my gear involves a balance of stats, so when I got Cryptmaker some switches had to be made. First off Cryptmaker put me too high on hit, so I swapped out Ahn'kahar Onyx Neckguard (Heroic) with Penumbra Pendant (not heroic). That's swapping a ilvl 277 neck for a 271, but because I am over the hit cap the armor pen on Penumbra just makes it better, since the +hit on Ahn'kahar isn't worth as much as it would be if I were below the cap.
The weapon also makes me a bit low on Expertise (due to not using Orc racial bonus) but still not enough to make Glorenzelg worth it, so I will be swapping Signet of Twilight with Skeleton Lord's Circle (Heroic). This was not a change I thought would be worth it, but spreadsheeting it shows that it clearly is (around 20 dps difference).
The additional Armor Pen from Cryptmaker pushed me over the hill so to speak, where armor pen is now worth significantly more than Str (used to be the other way around at lower gear levels, and until this upgrade they were basically equal) so now I have to regem my 5 or so remaining 20 strength gems to 20 arp. Each gem swap should be around a 4 dps increase fully raid buffed. While not huge this isn't negligable either.
These swapped out pieces won't be vendered. Not because they hold any sentimental value or anything, but because when I replace another piece of gear (come on new bracers) they may be needed again. My bank is full of this stuff.
I suppose I could have gotten away with guessing. I would have been mostly right, though I would be using Cryptmaker and Glorenzelg, which is over 100 dps lower than using Cryptmaker and Shadow's Edge, so not really. My rings wouldn't be ideal, but i would have a lot more gold from not changing around all my gems, chanting all my off gear, and perhaps be a bit more relaxed.
What do you think? Is this the price we pay for doing good damage, a personal choice where I could just care less and not do all this work, or mandatory with the way the game is currently structured and ripe for a change?
Monday, August 9, 2010
Securing a raid spot
As promised, here are some tips on securing a raid invite if you find yourself in a similar position to me, trying to carve out a spot for yourself in an established raiding guild. Most of these are from personal experience but a couple are from previous guilds and watching others struggle with similar issues in the past(some more successfully than others).
1. Be patient - don't bitch about not getting in the raid, keep showing up on time and keep a positive outlook. Eventually there will be a night where another melee dps is needed and your name is called by the raid leader. If you are a dick about not getting into raids this wont happen and you will never get in, and probably find yourself poorly thought of. This leads right in to my next point:
2. Be ready when your time comes - You can't out dps shitty gear, you just cant. But you can watch the tankspot videos on the fights you will be doing several times, read the strats and the boss abilities until you know them all by heart, and come ready with flasks, food, and a positive outlook. Raid leaders look for this as much if not more than your dps on your first few raids.
3. Ask thoughtful questions in tells - Find your class leader and ask a question that lets them know you have been doing your homework. Do not ask "what does this plague on me do?" or somethign similar, you should have read about that before coming. Ask something that shows you have been thinking about the fight and your roll in it, and have a strategy question on how best to deal with a particular aspect or mechanic (I am often asking about using cleave and when it is an is not apropriate on fights with adds). This does two things. First off it hopefully makes you better at the fight, and secondly it shows your class lead that you care enough to try to do your job right and have been doing your homework prior to the raid.
1. Be patient - don't bitch about not getting in the raid, keep showing up on time and keep a positive outlook. Eventually there will be a night where another melee dps is needed and your name is called by the raid leader. If you are a dick about not getting into raids this wont happen and you will never get in, and probably find yourself poorly thought of. This leads right in to my next point:
2. Be ready when your time comes - You can't out dps shitty gear, you just cant. But you can watch the tankspot videos on the fights you will be doing several times, read the strats and the boss abilities until you know them all by heart, and come ready with flasks, food, and a positive outlook. Raid leaders look for this as much if not more than your dps on your first few raids.
3. Ask thoughtful questions in tells - Find your class leader and ask a question that lets them know you have been doing your homework. Do not ask "what does this plague on me do?" or somethign similar, you should have read about that before coming. Ask something that shows you have been thinking about the fight and your roll in it, and have a strategy question on how best to deal with a particular aspect or mechanic (I am often asking about using cleave and when it is an is not apropriate on fights with adds). This does two things. First off it hopefully makes you better at the fight, and secondly it shows your class lead that you care enough to try to do your job right and have been doing your homework prior to the raid.
Bring the player not the class has another side
Blizzard's whole bring the player not the class mantra has another side to it that is rarely discussed: don't bring the player because we don't need the class.
One melee dps in a sea of melee dps, this is where fury warriors often find themselves. With no misdirect, no kiting ability per se, no bloodlust nor bubbles we have only one option when it comes to securing a raid spot: be better than the other people who want in.
This is pretty simple, but the issue quickly becomes apparent. We are not fighting with one or two other warriors for that 3rd dps war spot. We are fighting, at a disadvantage i might add, with every mage, shadow priest, hunter and lock that wants in. And seeing as they don't have to stand next to a boss to dps them, don't have to intercept an ooze to start hurting it, and don't have to worry nearly as much about blood prince's stacking debuff from moving (i hate that crap), they aren't fighting fare.
One melee dps in a sea of melee dps, this is where fury warriors often find themselves. With no misdirect, no kiting ability per se, no bloodlust nor bubbles we have only one option when it comes to securing a raid spot: be better than the other people who want in.
This is pretty simple, but the issue quickly becomes apparent. We are not fighting with one or two other warriors for that 3rd dps war spot. We are fighting, at a disadvantage i might add, with every mage, shadow priest, hunter and lock that wants in. And seeing as they don't have to stand next to a boss to dps them, don't have to intercept an ooze to start hurting it, and don't have to worry nearly as much about blood prince's stacking debuff from moving (i hate that crap), they aren't fighting fare.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)