No Quarter Given

The Only Escape

2011-03-17T15:39:00.002-05:00

The last raid week was tremendous for us, as it was very similar to every piece of the puzzle clicking into place. Three new bosses died. Three new bosses may not seem like allot – and there are allot of folks that love to debate 10 versus 25 difficulty but here is just one simple fact- in the same room, 10 characters will have more space to spread out. End of argument. Mechanics, etc aside, this is one fact that cannot be argued. Everything else is equal. For us, it was synergy. Things clicked, and bosses died. Bastion of Twilight was cleared for the first time.

This week, we’re right back up to Cho’gall. Everything is cleared but end bosses – and we’ll spend the rest of the raid nights working on progression kills after we kill Cho’gall early this evening (oh, and Conclave). Nefarian is the main focus. Stepping back into Bastion of Twilight, we were somewhat pushing to get through the bosses quickly but also to get a feel for these achievements. We’re not ones to waste time. We feel like we’ve wasted enough getting “gelled”. This specific achievement was extremely easy to accomplish, so if you haven’t tried it you should.

The method we used- mind you, we had Time Warden, Nether Scion, and Slate Dragon, was to release two drakes, bring them down equally, and then kill Halfus Wyrmbreaker. In hindsight, it may have been faster with the reduced health pool to go ahead and burn on drake, (still releasing two at the start), release the third, and bring these two drakes down equally for the increased damage buff. We did succeed with this strategy on the first pull, but the burn on Halfus was slower and the loss of that third buff from killing the 3^rd drake was noticeable. We did use three tanks, but that’s a normal strategy for us. We rotate between having six or seven healers- and with holding a drake up longer, we went ahead and kept 7 healers. It was successful.

We also got a look at how difficult the next couple of raid achievements may be for us. Next on the agenda- Heroic Halfus.

Everything Ends

2011-03-14T15:13:00.003-05:00

It’s been awhile since I’ve written. I’ve watched guilds struggle. I’ve watched guilds come and go. I’ve seen a huge decline of 25 man guilds as they dropped into 10 man raid groups, or just 10 man raid guilds, never completely making the transition back. One thing holds true – No Quarter Given has – to itself. We are still a 25 man raid core. We still have our same principles that this guild was built upon. We still go through the same effort to keep things just as drama free and as transparent as possible, while maintaining calmness – not always an easy thing when someone is ranting to you about a pixel or fails to realize, you’re just as human too.

Cataclysm has brought so many changes to World of Warcraft and it’s no where near being close to the end of many ripples Azeroth will feel. I’ve met so many great people through this game. I’ve sealed off some friendships, but I’d also like to point out – those friendships are only sealed as long you let them be. I took this last week to remove those barriers. People leave guilds for a variety of reasons- and they give a variety of reasons. This last week, well, I’m losing yet another dear friend to the “real life” raid boss. It happens.

The irony is this is that I’ve seen it many times. I’m not mad about. I, of all people, do understand. This is game. It’s a game I’m often told I take a bit too seriously – and it’s a game that I put allot of myself into by way of this guild, its day to day organization, and its structure. I would never want anyone to stay in this guild that is not happy, but more so, if real life takes you away from us- and I mean us, this guild, this extended family, it is just the way the dice roll. We pride ourselves on being adults. We will hate to see you go, but it doesn’t mean we lose all contact. There is real id, we have our guild Facebook, and there’s email. The best compliment even on the way out is that, while we all realize the commitment cannot be made anymore or the dedication to raiding, you enjoyed your time here. The atmosphere you described is what every officer in this guild works very hard to try to maintain as behind the scenes as possible.

I can think of many people that have passed through our “doors” to other guilds, or even just to leave game. Quite a few I still indeed call friends. They are still on my Facebook pages. I still chat with them when time permits. Nothing is forever. Enjoy your friendships while you can, and enjoy raiding with your friends. You never know when the “real life” raid boss may come for you.

Battle Resurrection Changes for Cataclysm

2010-11-05T15:19:00.002-05:00

Cataclysm raiding is supposed to be a change. It is going to be different. Players all have “Oh Crap!” buttons now to preserve their life, and somewhere I know Ghost Crawler or another predominate World of Warcraft figure made the comment that each person would be responsible, to a degree, for staying alive.

This is the beginning of the end of healing the DPS that stands in ooze puddles or fire, the DPS that forgets what first aid is, how to pop a health stone, or a health potion. In conjunction with this same mentality, Blizzard has taken it to another step. They are setting limits on the number of battle resurrections that can occur during one boss attempt. This reminds me of how they change Hand of Protection from working on Deathbringer Saurfang, or the change where you could only use one potion during a boss fight. I remember when you could consume potions every 2 minutes, and they didn’t share cool downs.

This change will impact the druids’ battle resurrections, as well as soul stones that a warlock can use. It hasn’t been determined yet at this time of posting if ankhs on shamans will be impacted the same way. In addition to this, they may make the change that soulstones can be cast on a dead player to revive them. The latest posts on this topic show one battle resurrection for 10 man raids, and 3 battle resurrections for 25 man raids. With the cooldown changes of druids’ resurrections back to the 10 minute mark, and the warlocks’ soulstones on a 15 minute cooldown, it brings some interesting possibilities.

It removes the one thought of letting people die by stacking druids, and bringing them up afterwords to avoid dealing with game mechanics. It also makes one wonder if this is the functionality that may be bugging out the druid battle resurrections on the live servers. In some ways, I am very anxious to see how Cataclysm unfolds and if it brings back the feel Vanilla World of Warcraft had to the raiding scene.

4.01 Changes and Impacts

2010-11-04T15:06:00.000-05:00

With 4.01 hitting the servers live, here at No Quarter Given, we went ahead and implemented all of our Cataclysm main changes, solidifying our raiding core. We’ve been recruiting to fill the empty slots with talents folks that both offer the skill and the commitment we expect from our raiders.

This patch brought some changes into guild, with the character switches, as well as a hard look and re-evaluation of our guild goals and ambitions. We did some tweaking on our Raid Conduct, trying to cover the loop holes we have noticed over the last couple of years, and taking a different approach with our tiered raider rank system. This change was implemented because we currently have a few members that are valuable assets to the raiding core but their attendance could not be met for our 85%. We’ve really restricted this rank to existing members whose work schedules change weekly. While there is no difference on “loot”, “effort”, or “raid slot”, there is a difference of attendance requirements.

As far as game mechanics go, World of Warcraft has been buggy in itself since the landing of patch 4.01. About half the guild had their 310% drakes, so the riding mastery was free. We’ve been struggling with the adhoc changes in ICC, as well as the lock sharing between 10 and 25 man content. Our guild is extremely focused, and the new raid core has tons of synergy, welcoming our new members. While we were recruiting hard for Cataclysm, we’ve slowed to a crawl in an effort to evaluate what we have and how these people are meshing with our community and atmosphere- and above all else, our strange way of doing things.

Cataclysm launch is roughly a month away, with a major holiday in right before. We are still maintaining our raid schedule, and making great progress for the remaining heroic mode bosses. It’ll be interesting to see how far we get.

Rusted Drake Farming

2010-09-28T15:47:00.005-05:00

Our off night groups have taken a detour to visit Ulduar. We just got a second 10 man group through to get their drakes – minus a few people needing a few more dwarves, the meta requirements are completed. Not only is it nice to have completed this a couple of times, but to have a 310% mount as well for those that do not complete the holiday achievements. Alagon is on the agenda, holding the Starcaller title. For our 25 man raids, and this guild's focus, we are working through the same meta for the ironbound drake as well. For now, here's a picture of the 10 man drake:

Purchasing your titles - a Cataclysmic future

2010-09-24T14:06:00.005-05:00

As always, in World of Warcraft, the time before an expansion usually sees many guilds folding, or some guild even go dormant. It's also a time where you see many new guilds get created. On Eitrigg, this time period had shown the return of a guild that was strong in Burning Crusade and around the beginning of Wrath only to disappear as people transferred off server. The top guilds on any server rarely completely disappear. The guild is still usually in existence when these types of things happen. Usually alts are kept in the guild to preserve the guild tag. In this case, the tag became active again. A few people transferred back in, and the previous members on server, who had left to join the remaining top end game raiding guilds, returned "home". The reformed guild started recruiting again. It completely crippled the top raiding guild on server, and threw server rankings out of synch at two guild ranking sites – since they allow cumulative kills to count. The reformed guild became server 2^nd – in a quick swoop just by the members it added on most ranking sites, without actually clearing the content as a group.

Most of this is just what happens these days with guilds, and maybe that will change with the guild changes in Cataclysm. What really just bothers me is seeing posts like this:

This is a post on the Eitrigg forums - selling drakes and titles. Yes, this is virtual currency. Yes, it is up to them if they want to do this. But has this become what this server and the gaming community here is about? The guild below is currently ranked number one, yet due to the mass departure of several of it's members, you can see below that they are asking for people to come and fill their raids with an enticement of the top performers getting gold. (Guess that means they have their own discipline priests and tanks.)

The point is.. back to why do you raid? Is it the prestige? If so, what prestige is to be had from buying the title so you can show it off, or the drake? There's other ways to make money for your guild. What's even worse is that most of the guild doing the selling of these virtual items hasn't cleared most of this content as a group on 25. 10 mans, yes, and rightfully earned that but as a guild, the 25 man achievements/hard modes were basically grandfathered in.

For me, a raid is about the guild. It's about the thrill of the kill. I've occasionally ran a friend through Stockades, or something similar to help them level, but I've never sold my services as in the post above. It makes the achievement or kill that much sweeter to earn it, than to be carried - to complete it with friends, with your raid group, and know that you did this on your own.

The expansion has obviously shaken up a few guilds on the server, but definitely not this one. As a guild that still farms drakes, we generally have people their titles in the first week of being in guild. It just is a bit shocking to see a guild selling these services when they still have folks that don't have it within their guild.

More achievements

2010-09-23T11:44:00.002-05:00

Last night we spent some time on Deathbringer Saurfang Heroic mode, but without much avail – our composition was really light on ranged. We did complete Festergut and Rotface on heroic, which was by a vote since we could have also done Flu Shot Shortage as well. With that said, both bosses went down easily and we got our first look of Putricide Heroic. This is going to be a fun fight. It will also really put the pressure on people to keep up their situational awareness. Controlling the unbound plague is the most challenging part of this fight. After giving it a couple of attempts, we went ahead and flipped it to normal. We did the Nausea, Heartburn, and Indigestion achievement so that some of our newer members could get their achievements. After that, we quickly went to Frostwing Halls and healed Dreamwalker up on heroic mode. Great job Pallies!

Drakes Away!

2010-09-22T14:28:00.002-05:00

As Wrath is ending and whispers of Cataclysm events are on the horizon, it has found us looking at what we need to get our drakes from Ulduar and ICC. We have been farming OS3D for quite a while now. As you can see, it's quite a collection, complete with a few folks having their Ulduar 10 drakes. For 5 minutes time, it's a nice invest in our members. We also opted to complete Full House again for some guild members that weren't present or joined afterwards. What are you planning to do or hoping to accomplish before Cataclysm launches?

The Wind Down of Wrath

2010-09-12T11:50:00.003-05:00

Looking back over the content that Wrath brought us, the several changes that rippled through guilds, the different versions of raids and dungeons, and constant emblem changes with each content patch release, it's finally drawing to a close. This sense of impending closure is more brought on by the release of Operation Gnomeregan and Zalazane's Fall events. It seems by no means complete, but it is the start. These events bring back several memories of the last two expansions, and everything leading up to the expansion release. It also puts a sense of urgency in completing things.

We are shifting focus. While we want ICC 25 completed on hard modes and our drakes, it's also time to finish up the Ulduar ones as well. It's time to focus and buckle down on the few hard modes that are left, a drake waiting, and a very cool title. As we look ahead, there are also other things to consider. Guild dungeons to complete, quests, and achievements linger on the horizon. The entire guild perk system is looming ahead, to counter balance the ease of a faction change and/or server transfer, to disappear forever.

We almost have our first Frostmourne in guild, which will be quite an achievement. I'm excited about the future. There is a strong loyalty base in this guild, and with that, it means we have allot of new opportunities about to pop on the horizon. We are seeing our second Pirate's Day as a guild – with a new guild picture in the works. We're working on some cool new ways to recruit but honestly, while we had a drop in attendance the prior week, the roster is back to being very solid this current raid week. We've got an influx of healers, which is probably good because who knows what main changes Cataclysm will bring.

Many people say that Cataclysm will fix most of the things that Wrath broke. There are also many skeptics about, thinking this will be yet the end to this game. Personally, I don't see the game in a downward spiral, just a shift of focus. From a business perspective, it makes sense to cater to the masses then the few. Hopefully, Blizzard will have balanced that with the folks that want notoriety which comes from spending the extra time, pursuing the harder things that the game can provide, and offers a way to at least give some sort of way to differentiate between these players that strive for a higher level of game play, and the player that logs in on occasion. Something should be there for the effort. In a 25 man guild, I'm hoping the extra time we've taken on recruitment and to mesh up players with 25 man interest has paid off.

Looking back, this guild was formed for Wrath. I'll need to revamp our website opening pages, because at this point, we have weathered the many storms that Wrath has thrown at us. It's been a roller coaster of a ride. I know what challenges we faced as a brand new guild for Wrath. I'm glad we are facing a slightly different set of challenges for Cataclysm. I know some people may go but I also know we've many people that have raided together for more than a year. That fact alone gives me such faith in this guild for what we can accomplish in the next expansion.

Impacts of a Virtual World

2010-09-05T10:16:00.002-05:00

World of Warcraft is only one of many MMORPGs available today. It does happen to have the largest subscription base, with clients spanning the globe. People are social by nature, not discounting the loners that prefer a solo play style. In the terms of content, it takes social interaction to be able to experience all that Blizzard offers. Yes, Blizzard’s scaled down some mechanics, allowing buffs in others, but to accomplish any of this, one has to be able to communicate effectively and listen- it takes social skills.

There has been tons of talk circulating the web on the benefits of guilds in the upcoming expansion. In some ways, I think this is a great move, because with all the other changes Blizzard has implemented, guilds (their structures and membership) have been impacted greatly. People move guild to guild, and server to server, using these infrastructures to get the “achievements” they seek. Other than human nature, there isn’t much cause for loyalty. I’ve raided since the days of Molten Core. The guild we had was a late bloomer, transitioning from a “leveling” guild to a “raiding” guild. It took much effort for the transition, and yes, naturally some people were left behind or opted not to take that path.

The relationships that you form in this online virtual world have impacts. I still remember a set of brothers in Puerto Rico that raided with us. I talk yet with folks on my original server that I rolled my characters on. The recruitment process I use now varies greatly from the process I used in the original release of World of Warcraft. No longer is it: “PST for invite or more info”. To accomplish the goals we’ve set, it’s much more vigorous. There is a written application, which is followed by a mandatory Ventrilo interview for any person applying to be a raider. Friends and family can be invited, but to raid, an officer group must cover our topics. This means every person that comes into this guild chats with me – anywhere from 15 minutes to upwards of an hour. It all varies by the applicant.

Honesty is usually best here, and I’m very frank about the expectations in this guild. If you are here to raid, you have gone through a two step process. We strive to find people that fit with our guild’s goals, atmosphere, and community. No system is perfect. As a female player in this game, I’ve had my share of unwanted attention, which I have quickly resolved. Today’s World of Warcraft environment has granted me a completely different experience. I interact with many people personally. Not only the raid lead (at the moment), but in recruiting and maintaining the guild, its raid roster, and everything in between, I handle many different types of issues.

Recently, I’ve had the responsibility to remove not one, but two different members. The guild itself has its own policies. No one is above them. A member who went through our process, gained membership as a raider, decided that as such, it granted a tolerance for policy. Patience only goes so far. It became obvious that the honeymoon period was over. Not only did this person have problems with existing policies and point blank questions that were answered differently on the application, this person proceed to go on about “issues” in the guild. There was only one thing in common. Every issue in this guild involved a female player. As a guild, we do have a high volume of female players, including many couples, too. The mindset is very much the same of our female population, and we can be an ornery bunch but no more than your average guy group of poker players. Occasionally, you do see guilds that refuse to recruit females because “they are high drama”. This experience was the second time I’ve seen that attitude represented. It was quickly ended with a “You aren’t happy here so you should find a guild to be happy at” and a /gkick. Callous approach on my part, completely. However, you have to understand, while I realize each player in this guild is undergoing real life to some degree or another, when it impacts the raid, repeatedly, then it’s time to reconsider why that player is here and what the damage could be to the guild. It only takes one bad apple to spoil a basket. Personally, I didn’t make the correlation with all the issues this person had until well after the fact. I knew that I looked into each issue, investigating it, and found no bias or reasoning there. It was later when a member said, “especially with the issues she has with female players” that it dawned on me – each issue was with a female player. This member was completely correct in the statement.

People come and people go in any guild. It’s part of the process. Guilds are living entities similar to businesses, but the payment for work is a virtual currency in the forms of achievements, mounts, and titles. I’ve known people from many walks of life, many areas around the world, and while some people may have little impact on me, there are others I do think of often. Many times, I find myself wondering how things worked out, and hoping that each player found what they were looking for in this game. Recently, after the experience above, I just realized the opposite is true. I’ve impacted many people, good or bad, in this game. Our shared experiences will lead to some biases, or even expectations. Yes, it’s a game. But it’s a game each player pays for, and each player invests themselves into. When people experience this game, real or not, the interactions are very real – it’s our social aspects and the nature of being human. My best friend, met through this game, resides in Georgia. That friendship is more real than most friendships that were formed in the “real world”. The point of this article is to make you, the reader, think about your actions in a virtual world, because out there, somewhere, is someone you have impacted as well.

Casual Raider Mentality vs. Old School Raider

2010-08-30T14:18:00.002-05:00

As a guild that focuses on progression on our own terms, we take people from all World of Warcraft backgrounds. We look for people that want to raid, to see end game content, and seek to do so on their own terms. We try to balance real world with our love for seeing content – and it's always on OUR terms as a guild. As a casual raid guild that brings a hardcore mentality, the guild walks a fine line. We're all very human, and we all make mistakes – it's knowing or taking the initiative to fix them that make the difference. We often take ventures on new people that have never seen an end boss die – or have yet to experience the bittersweet kill of a boss that you've worked on for weeks. The mindset is everything. Are you performing? If not, are you working on it? There is a difference in guild mentality. In this guild, we do not believe in handing out "pink slips", because we want people that want to be here to raid – but raid instances have requirements – for healing, damage, and threat and let's not forget about survivability. Criticism is a hard thing to give, and even tougher to take. The approach has to be a delicate one. Old School Raiders may well be used to commands being barked out, wiping, and running back was all part of the process of conquering content. A casual raider may have never experienced this type of process: wiping on content for progression. It comes with a price. The emotional player does not fit in well to the guild that seeks progression. It can be a source of stress. It can also be frustrating for this type of player to struggle with the structure that most successful raid guilds have in place.

While this guild has policies on real life taking precedence, the raid is ensured to always continue. This means that the expectations are clear cut coming in. The tone is set during the interview. Fun is relative to how each person defines it. The goal of this guild is a focused raiding environment. This means that we have a good time at the appropriate time. Casual raiders do not always understand the importance of consistency, focus, or following instructions. As someone that's been recruiting for two guild guilds over the span of World of Warcraft, many things have changed. The most important resource in World of Warcraft is human capital and locating the right type of people to make your guild a success is challenging.

The casual raider may sit and think that spreading dissension is acceptable or ranting is ok. The problem with this is it spreads drama. If there are issues, you need to take them to the "management". If you don't like the answers, and the explanations are not valid from your viewpoint, you should ask for clarification. If it becomes obvious that you aren't a good fit, we will maintain the right to remove you. It's a guild, not a jail. Our atmosphere is solid and the people in this guild want to be here. It's not everyone's play style – and we understand that. Before you apply to any guild, you should ensure that you agree with the terms. By applying, and specifically in our process, you are agreeing to the guild's charter and expectations – and that holds true with any guild. The idea and concepts of having policies isn't to make up a bunch of things to inhibit you – the member- but to ensure that the policies apply across the board to all. It makes the policies clear and defined – and thus the expectations are set, and we are all accountable.

Active Sites

2010-08-10T15:33:00.002-05:00

I've been really busy with a new job so I haven't had allot of time to keep up on the blog. I'm also in the middle of packing to move. In the process of keeping our website up to date, forums with accurate information and what not, I've really not given this poor blog the attention I planned on. During a bit of website maintenance, I was in the admin section of our site. I know all the great features that that Guild Launch site provide makes the job allot easier. As a guild that relies on our website, Guild Launch's support, prompt answers and immediate updates to problems always keeps us informed. We have a private domain that is re-directed to the Guild Launch hosting service.

Many guilds rarely use their website. For us, it's a way of life. We keep an updated "Raid Week of" post. We require signups via the Rapid Raid addition that Guild Launch uses. We track our loot via the website. Our strategies are also discussed in great detail there. What is probably outstanding is not only the ease of use, but I can, at a glance, get a solid idea of how many people have been to the site within the last week or few days. Over 80% of our members have been on the site within the last days, a remaining 10% within the last week (but some of these folks have spouses that peruse the site as well.) The last 10% are casual members that rarely use our website.

We have a recipe section, in additions to Men's Forums and Women's Forums. It is very guild oriented. There's even a "Music of the Day" thread. On the average, I would say our guild site is very active compared to most. How's it rate compared to your website?

Flu Shot Shortage – 25 Man Strategy

2010-07-06T15:16:00.005-05:00

With the short raid weeks we've had do to the holidays, we decided to knock out some of the achievements. One of the easiest ones to accomplish is Flu Shot Shortage. With the normal Festergut encounter, we usually setup 7 ranged, with one or two collapse points. Ranged DPS keep up range finders for 8 yards – to prevent a chain vomiting from Vile Gas. Any extra ranged that benefit the most from stationary positions are setup within the melee and healers. If we are short on ranged DPS, we will move a healer out with the ranged DPS. There is some randomness to this – provided that the tank doesn't get one of the first spores, or that the same person doesn't get spores three times in a row.

Otherwise, if needed, you can adjust the ideas to what is actually occurring in your raid environment – provided your raiders have solid reaction time. Make sure all of your raiders are sitting above 20k health and have health stones and healing potions. Vile Gas recipients need to be healed up as quickly as possible. Also make sure you have Shadow Protection up- and a paladin spec'd into Aura Mastery can help save someone who only manages to get one stack of inoculation.

First Spore Spawn- all raiders with a spore move away from your collapse positions. The rest of the raid continues to collapse and respond as if the fight was continuing normally.

Second Spore Spawn – the people that previously had the spores run out. The current people with the spores run in to their perspective collapse points. At this point, the entire raid should have 1 stack of inoculation. If for any reason, you have someone with two stacks at this point, that person will have to move away from his/her group on the next spore.

On the third spore, you treat it as normal- and everyone collapses. Pungent Blight will hit for quite a bit of damage but you should be able to heal through it easily.

Hopefully, this will help you get the achievement for raid guild. Good Luck!

3.3.5 Wipe Out

2010-06-22T20:35:00.003-05:00

Blizzard announced an extended downtime- one that was supposed to range from 3 PDT to 11 PDT. It’s 6 PDT and the servers are just beginning to come up. Not all servers either, just a few and with a subscription base like Blizzard’s – those servers are already Max Queued. Between holidays, summer raiding blues – entailing various guild members’ vacations, our small bench has nothing but dust on it because we really don’t have one. This doesn’t count the folks that have gotten hacked (for the love of WoW and your character, by a damn authenticator- the “It’ll never happen to me” can easily become “I thought it COULDN’T happen to me”) have cost the guild raiders that are basically out of commission as well. I thought this week, we finally had a solid raid week ahead of us. We’ve planned out a couple of achievements to work on- and were hoping for solid face time on the Lich King (Father’s Day was less than optimal considering we ran 23 folks for the fun stuff we cleared).

Ever just feel like the game is out to get ya? Fire Festival released and our guild leader called the raid around 5:30 CST PM because the deadline kept being extended. It is a positive sign that everything in game is going to be screwed up. Eitrigg still isn’t online – and we’ve lost another full raid week. Last week was Father’s Day, this week the patch, and next week is the 4^th July weekend. As a guild that tries to leave its options open, we’re going to have rethink what we’re going to work in. We still have a few folks wanting the OS3D drake and the trinkets still are very nice from ToC. VoA maybe on the chopping block. We’re just going to have to prioritize although in all honesty – it doesn’t take long. Just food for thought on the raiding scene for NQG.

As a side note, I’ll be putting together a video on HudMap. AVRE and AVR are gone – dust in the wind. If you have them installed, you need to remove them. Ruby Sanctum isn’t active yet, and it won’t be until 3.3.5 is deployed on all realms and Blizzard releases it. Vote Kick changes are in effect, and as stated with AVRe and AVR, the lua has changed some. Now the addons have to catch up. Real ID is live so that will be experimental. One issue about that is allot of people like the anonymity of the internet and game play. Granted, those folks generally don’t fit well in this guild, because quite a few of us are on a first name basis. But with that said, this Real ID will creep out quite a few folks. Also, the 25% buff is now active so those achievements aren’t going to quite as hard as I had figured. Just amazing- with a move like this, it makes me think Cataclysm isn’t that far off. I guess we’ll all wait and see.

The Rusty Key

2010-06-15T07:00:00.002-05:00

I'm a avid fisher person in Northrend. If I do nothing else, I do the fishing and cooking daily - and try to remember to transmute a gem. To my surprise, doing "Disarmed" - I caught a Rusty Prison Key. This was something I hadn't heard of previously. I actually went and looked this one up on wowhead.com; I've gotten waterlogged recipes, tiny lock boxes, even the pet from the bag of fishing treasures.. but never a key while fishing for this daily.

I sent the moonshine to Sarifen as usual, and then proceeded to figure out this key. Below Violet Hold, you can see a few grates, and inside there are "rusty lockers". Inside the locker was some junk, but also a couple of BoE Blues. Go AH!

Rumors from wowhead.com listed that it's availability was reputation based (Kirin Tor) but that's not the case folks. It was something a bit unusual to catch while doing a daily. Good luck to you if you're after it!

Downsizing

2010-06-14T13:47:00.005-05:00

In an interesting blue post today, I found that in Cataclysm, while 10s/25s do share the same id - you can only shift down. Basically, a 10 man guild can't shift up. The real thought would be is this going to be on a per boss basis, or once you shift down, are you stuck on 10 man versus 25?

How does this work for end bosses? Take for example Lich King. Sure you have a 25 man raiding guild -and you are consistently getting to and working on the end boss- if you have 10 people who are available and want to put in the extra time, do you let them?

How will this impacting ranking sites? If you share the id, what happens on the achievements/ progression marks? I already know of guilds that will halve runs so that both guilds get credit for the 25 man progression/achievement. In this scenario, I could easily see guilds shifting down to 10 to get the credit.

Smokey The Bear

2010-06-08T14:55:00.000-05:00

It's that wane time before the expansion, where content has been released, and the population of Warcraft drops as its denizens leave for summer or a break before Cataclysm hits. Yet still.. for those of us that do dailies, if you go to Crystal Song Forest when Awilo Lon'gomba <Grand Master Cooking Trainer> is handing out the Sewer Stew daily, you will tons of forest fires. It just leads me to believe that the people who continue to play have a routine, or set goals they want to accomplish before Cataclysm hits. Until then folks, remember – there's a cooking fire right next to where you have to turn in the quest in the Sewer – and only you can prevent forest fires!

AVR / AVRE Broken in 3.3.5

2010-06-06T17:07:00.004-05:00

According to a blue post

This is a notice that we're making changes in 3.3.5 in attempts to break the ability for the AVR (Augmented Virtual Reality) mod to continue functioning. For those unaware, this mod allows players to draw in the 3D space of the game world, which can then be shared with others who are also using the mod. In some cases this manifests itself through drawing/tagging/defacing the game world, but more popularly is used to give visual guides for dungeon and raid encounters.

We're making this change for two reasons. The invasive nature of a mod altering and/or interacting with the game world (virtually or directly) is not intended and not something we will allow. World of Warcraft UI addons are never intended to interact with the game world itself. This is mirrored in our stance and restriction of model and texture alterations. The second reason is that it removes too much player reaction and decision-making while facing dungeon and raid encounters. While some other mods also work to this end, we find that AVR and the act of visualizing strategy within the game world simply goes beyond what we're willing to allow.

The change we're making in attempts to break the functionality is light in its touch and approach. When blocking any functionality we run the risk of affecting other mods, but we've targeted the changes as carefully as possible. If we find that the AVR mod (or any mod attempting to replicate its functions) are usable after 3.3.5 we will take further, more drastic steps.

This is coming from the same people that put sparkles on plants and quest items, updated the maps include giant yellow question marks for quest turn ins, and much more. On the whole the impact isn't that great for skilled players – but it may make the game more of a challenge for some folks that aren't so situationally aware. The nice aspect of this mod was the ability to mark and for it to stay consist throughout the encounter (whereas you have access to smoke flares still) so the issue isn't a large one.

I don't know Bliz.. my stance is that if there is a desire to use functionality to this effect – someone will figure out a way to code around it. Until then, there's already a tentative type replacement for those folks that do rely on the visual cues of AVRE. Enter Hudmap – it's much smaller scale but the effect is similar. This doesn't even go into the aspect of audible cues – what about that twist on things Blizz? Are you sure it's not taking away some reaction time on the part of the player?

Interface – First Looks

2010-05-17T23:03:00.004-05:00

The first impression I had of the beta was "WOW" – why? Because they really changed a few things on the User Interface. I copied over my shaman – with a bit of gold – as premades aren't available yet. There was so much to explore – it was hard to decide where to start. Upon logging in – I naturally got the "Your talent points have been reset" message. This found me hitting the P button.. and WOW, what a difference.

Check it out- you couldn't visit the profession trainers, and you couldn't find the archeology trainer yet – but hey it's new yet.

The next awesome find was the talent tree itself. It resembles the Add On Talented – so if you're used to that type of interface, you'll find yourself right at home with the new talent point UI.

I'll add a post on once you spend your talents - the top changes but I've got to download the updated version.

Cataclysm – Beta?

2010-05-17T22:27:00.007-05:00

I have an acquaintance at work – that posted to an internal workgroup that he used to play in Cuties Only (Horde guild) and that a few Bliz devs played there. He said he had contacted them for the Friends and Family Alpha for Cataclysm. Each Blizz employee got 20 invites, and while he couldn't guarantee invites – he stated that if we sent the battlenet name, he would see what he could do. I know the alpha is out – but when I checked my battlenet account – under games, I found a Cataclysm beta. Let the fun begin!

At first, just the screenshots while it was downloading was pretty exciting. As you can see my screenshots below – it did take a while.

Even more awesome – being able to mount in Stormwind on my drake -even more awesome!

Check back for some incoming screenshots and posts.

Got Cash?

2010-04-16T16:41:00.002-05:00

The latest release in the Blizzard Online store has created quite a buzz, and I might add, revenue base for the software company. Blizzard announced yesterday that they would be selling the Celestial Steed and Lil' XT noncombat pet online. The steed itself is unique in that it's a Bind On Account item that scales with whatever level of riding skill the character has. It's also usable in Azeroth as well as a flying mount. The cost? $25. It binds to a specific account, so if you have multiple accounts, I believe (I'll need to verify this) you will have to purchase the item for each account, even if they are linked to the same Battlenet account.

The concept of a mount having such usefulness is great – but geez, the queue lines were horrendous. Blizzard racked in money from all over the globe yesterday. Sparks of controversy appeared.. and much discussion. I think Lil' XT was almost forgotten about.

Topics in our vent channel included "I wonder if they will be allowing armor skinning" to other customizable options- or if you had an item and wanted it skinned like old Tier 3, if they would offer that. This leaves me wondering – is Blizzard going to the route of "If your pockets are deep enough, you can have what you want."?

All skepticism aside, the mount does look awesome and there were several in Dalaran and elsewhere last night – as we covered a variety of instances. With the money Blizzard made in just the first few hours alone while the digital item was on sale, who could really blame them for offering up other similar services?

I expect with a fan/customer base as large as Blizzard has, we'll be seeing new digital items added.

Noble anyone?

2010-04-12T13:26:00.000-05:00

This year's Noble Garden came and went rather quickly, or it felt that way. The first couple of days, eggs were hard to come to by. Holidays always seem to bring the worst out in people, and in the game of World of Warcraft, this is no different.

Of all of the achievements for the title, I think putting bunny ears on various level 18 (gg Blizz because we can't cheat now) females was probably the most challenging. The annoying cool down on the Spring Flowers meant that even if you found the female race you were seeking, you may miss your opportunity as someone else dashed over and put bunny ears on your target.

By the end of the holiday, things had calmed down quite allot. I managed to secure this title on my lowly paladin, Holygoatgirl the Noble. It has quite a distinct ring to it, eh? (LOL) What about you, readers? Did you successfully accomplish what you were after or was this just a lull of a holiday for you?

The Revolving Door

2010-04-09T16:39:00.003-05:00

Ask any raiding guild, and the recruitment officer will tell you – it's a job that is never done. It may wane, and the need may not be so urgent, but a guild is a living breathing organism. In saying that, people come and people go. Real life happens – schedule changes, significant other aggro, performance issues, computer problems are among the many culprits, not to mention, just plain burn out.

Recruitment isn't a fun task to undertake. Not only is it hard, but at this point in the game, there are lulls. Every major guild that raids is recruiting. Summer is right around the corner (and more people will step away or take vacations). This is where keeping a small bench allows the raid to continue on. Finding the people to fill your raid slots and positions isn't always easy. If you recruit, in today's World of Warcraft player base, you have to be aggressive. This means not just replying (and please read the person's post) but also following up with in game contact. You can either try to catch the person in game, or leave the person an in game mail with a way of contacting you.

Personal touches matter – and keeping in mind that these are people who are looking to "hire" for your team, so you need to make sure you're clear on your expectations, what you are offering, and you cover the potential applicant's questions as well. These steps can help minimize the revolving door effect, but it is the nature of the game. There are several sites that you can post on, and other steps you can take to maximize your success ratio. We conduct vent interviews- and I literally have a check list to go down on topics that should be covered. (Yes, Soth will roll his eyes when I ask about the Authenticator) The reason I have this list is to make sure I cover and standardize the process. It also makes sure that other officers can conduct the interview, and while we may not have the same style, we do cover the same material. We offer the chance to sit in on a raid, to make sure the person understands the type of atmosphere and expectations.

When you recruit a new guild member, it's a vested interest on both parts. We take steps to try and ensure that it is a solid fit. It doesn't always work but most of our turnover has more to do with real life than people just not being a good fit. Occasionally you get the person that is looking for the bigger better deal- but for the most part, these type of people show themselves rather quickly. Our initiate phase is designed to maximize exposure to the raid core, both progression and farm content. This way we can determine how you handle wiping, if you can follow instructions, and if the raid conduct is on par with the expectation. We don't recruit people to fail, but we do recruit to fill a specific role. We understand not everyone may be happy here, but with that, this is a guild - not a jail. Happy raiding!

But do I have to??

2010-04-01T13:31:00.004-05:00

Guild ranking systems are many; in today's World of Warcraft, you have not only "progression kills" but you also have "achievements"- normal modes, and hard modes. With all this, it's no wonder that finding a ranking system is hard. There are many sites out there that claim to offer this service: WoWJutsu , WoWProgress, GuildOx, and a fairly new site: WoW Guild Progress. Each site approaches this ranking differently. WoWJutsu hasn't really been updated in months, more than likely years. It's pretty much obsolete. WoWProgress weights the ranking on how quickly you accomplished the kill, in comparison to other guilds on server and gives you a value. The longer you take to kill the boss, the lower the value. Guild Ox measures "progression" based on specific points/achievements; they also have a separate achievement tracking system.

Why does any of this matter? It matters when you start recruiting. It matters even more if you mainly recruit off server. As a guild that really marches to its own drum, where we constantly are defining ourselves, with our values/goals/missions – this is hard thing to digest at times. Content has popped quite quickly. With the release of new content, there are still "progression points" to be had in old content. The issue comes in that some of your raiders (and maybe even officers) really don't want to step back into the older content. As the person that does most of the recruiting, I know this is something that I do bring up in interviews, right along with achievements, hard modes, and lock outs.

It matters because some folks only see purples. There aren't any gear upgrades in Ulduar for any "progression point" we haven't done, but there are achievements. ToGC is slightly different, but only because trinkets are something Blizzard regularly fails at. There are still several BiS trinkets in ToGC. There isn't any justification to spends weeks working on old content, but there is justification to step back and complete these instances. Since we use Guild Ox as our ranking site of choice, there are several points that would move us up the ladder. The fight is simply "do I have to?" in typical a Steve Urkel voice from some raiders – others are more than happy to see the content. This will take some incentives, I'm sure- but to be able to recruit quality players, it's worth the investment.

3.3.3 The Frozen Orb Loot Ninja Cries

2010-03-15T11:43:00.003-05:00

I am not someone who runs allot of heroic randoms. Usually if I do so, it's with guild- not PUGs. I do have the title and puppy on my shaman – "The Patient", but mainly because I'm a pet fanatic. There was a blue post today about patch 3.3.3. Like most folks who keep tabs on the upcoming changes know, the frozen orbs will be a new currency. For what you may ask? For frost lotus, eternals, and a pattern if you are a tailor, as well as runed orbs and crusader orbs – Frozo the Renowned is your one stop shop.

While working on the achievement, and also, running random heroics on my priest (she needs emblems), I've come across the all too often person who waits until everyone has rolled greed, and then needs the orb, and /leave on the group. Before Frozo rumors abounded and the upcoming changes, this was mildly annoying. Due to the changes, frozen orbs have jumped in value and price.

Apparently Blizzard has seen a rash of this type of behavior because in 3.3.3, where these changes are implemented, the Frozen Orb will only be able to be greed rolled on or at least according to this blue post. Fear no more, the Frozen Orb Loot Ninja will have to be fair- at least for the orbs.

Through the Looking Glass

2010-03-13T12:45:00.001-06:00

In WotLK, people choose to spend their time doing different things on off-nights (non raid nights). For us, we put together all types of runs. Typically we have one or two ICC 10 mans up, as well as an alt/main of ToC or Ulduar. Then, about every two or three weeks, we have an old world run. "Old World" runs are basically any raids prior to Wrath of the Lich King. Last month, several folks finished up their "Classic Raider" achievement.

ROFL'stomping through these instances – facing the bosses that I still remember wiping and spending time – learning the mechanics, with the greatest of ease. It was fun to see Ragnaros again – on a character that hadn't stepped in there before, or Black Wing Liar. I think the best part of the last Old World run was actually doing AQ 40. I remember when this place was released. (The server lag was HORRIBLE.) Seeing armor pieces drop that used to be a status symbol in Vanilla WoW, the raid team gets a little of the epic feel the boss used to present, even while the boss's appearance reminds most as being Yogg's predecessor just from his appearance. And let's not forget BUG MOUNTS!

The real key here is community. While not everyone comes, or people come on new toons, it's a blast. The whole point is not only to get your achievements, but to sit back and have a good time. Execution can still be a requirement but it's just a matter of letting folks who didn't play in "Vanilla" WoW see content that they missed. Burning Crusade players are often referred to as "BC Babies" which really makes me wonder what Wrath players are going to be called. On the agenda this month: Outlands Raider Achievement!

A Matter of Timing

2010-03-12T15:29:00.003-06:00

The pros and cons of raid locks out- dare to mention this word on a guild forum and watch opinions fly! Lock outs…this was something folks did not have to contemplate when running a guild in Burning Crusade. It's a tool for guilds short on time to be able to implement; it can give a casual guild more face time on the boss. It's a tough decision to make as far as any guild management goes- but in a progression based guild, sometimes it is necessary.

The Cons of Lock Outs

There go the easy emblems, the fast pace, and the loot (even though you may be disenchanting most of it). Currently, clearing two wings in a night is very doable, and I imagine as some of the raiders get more experienced, three wings will be a solid possibility. Most of the speed has to do with efficiency and familiarity; it also never fails that most resets signups abound.

The Pros of Lock Outs

The issue comes to looking ahead- some folks need time to get a boss down. Composition can be a real pain in the ass – especially if you end up with a few folks out on vacation/real life at the same time. Not only does a lock out give you time to focus on a specific boss, it can also afford you time to go back and achieve some things in prior content that you haven't done. In some ways, it gives more time.

The argument of upgrades are available is pretty valid – but it's completely random if it drops or not. I think the decision is never made lightly, but I also believe that it brings up a solid question of why do YOU raid? It's a simple question – do you raid just for purples? Do you raid because you are a boss kill junkie? Do you like to see new content?

Yes, wiping can be horrible. It can demoralize a guild quickly- but the big picture – "are you making progress?"- has to be assessed as the encounter continues. Killing the boss the first time, or succeeding, after putting forth effort to learn, adjust, compensate, and achievement – well, much like Vin Diesel's XXX, " I live for this shit".

For me, it isn't about the epics, or the loot, but the experience. Knowing that I was a part of a larger picture and together we accomplished something- this is why I raid. Sure, badges are nice, loot is phat, and gear scores (if you look at trade) are requirements for the simplest things- but it's the thrill of the kill for me. So, in my own opinion, if it means a lock out to accomplish it – so be it.

Gearing your offspec - just for fun or priority

2010-03-11T14:46:00.003-06:00

As we see the en-masse running of heroics for Embalms and as more and more guild push further into ICC you start seeing people who's offspec is gathering a nice set of gear. This happens for many reasons especially after your guild can clear the front of ICC in one raid nite.

How do you handle the distribution of the offspec gear and what happens when your offspec starts to be as good geared as your main spec?? Does this mean your raid role should switch to let the best geared / best played toons have the raid spot??

It's a tough question to answer especially when you factor in VoA now with its T10 gear dropping from 10/25 man instances now. You might be a tank in VoA 10 in your class and the tier drops and no one else can use it so - BAM!!!! you get phat lootz for your offspec. Now you start looking at the T10 badge pieces a little more closely now. If you get the legs , that saves you 90 frost badges so it makes getting that 2 piece T10 all the easier.

Sometimes you gear the offspec to run the heroics and you start to find out that wow , it is easier to dps cause all I have to do is pew pew the mobs!!!! So you gear up and now you want to start to raid as your offspec , does your guild give you slot as DPS just because you slogged thru the BC muck with them as a tank?? Interesting question.

However you handle the gearing of offspec toons , you have to remember that people like to play classes that are fun for them and when that fun and magic wears off , it gets to be a drag. Healers and tanks can attest to this as they usually suffer the fastest and greatest burnout of any of the classes.

Hopefully as Mastery comes into play with Cataclysm things will be defined a bit better and some of the so called " hybrid" classes will have to choose a pigeonhole to go into or risk gimping their dps / play style.

Here is looking forward to those changes.

Where the metal meets the meat - Strength of the Wrynn or no??

2010-03-09T09:59:00.003-06:00

So the latest raid nerf has been put into effect , Strength of the Wrynn for the Alliance folks , in ICC that is a raid-wide 5% buff. Appereantly this buff will stack up to 30%. Blizzard has implemented this so more guilds will have access to kill the Lich King or at least see that content.

The forum and community QQ about this is harsh but I think you need to look at Marketing 101 to see why Blizzard is doing it. Lets look at some numbers:

1. About 11 million people pay to play WoW. At $15 a head you are looking at a monthly revenue stream of approx $165 million dollars a month, again this is A MONTH.

2. Out of those 11 million people it is estimated that less than 1% are the hardcore , elitest raiders that get realm /world firsts and do the hard modes. Again less then 1% so lets just say for clarity , 1 million people or a monthly revenue stream of $15 million dollars a month from those people.

So given these two principles above , you dont have to be a marketing wizard to see that the majority of your monthly revenue comes from the average to above average players. These are the people that can clear the 1st wing of ICC but can't get the 2nd one down , or maybe they cant get the last boss in the first wing down either. These are the people who skipped Yogg and Alagron in Ulduar because ToC came out and it was way easier to do. Did they do hard mode ToC (ToGC) ?? No they probably did not attempt it.

With the ICC raid wide buff you have the ability to take it off and continue on like the good old days when you raiding MC was srs buizness. Somehow this is not good enough for that 1% as they feel slighted by Blizzard because now people can down the LK and get those shiny purple pixels they worked so hard to get before the ICC raid buff. Does that make their kill less special?? No I don't think that is does in the least.

This raid buff is made to make a GAME more enjoyable to the people that make the largest customer base , and the #1 rule in business is the customer is ALWAYS right. I am sure that a $150 million worth of right is going to have more sway than $15 million.

There has always been the dis-equality in the game of those that are "elitest" and those that are not , along with the middle grounders who fail in between. That is just the way life is as well and unlike our school systems that give every kid a trophy for participating no matter how bad they suck at it , Blizzard is saying here is way to show the difference where the metal meets the meat.

I think this is a good change and the only thing I would recommend is a way to track achievements with the buff turned on or off so you know how someone cleared ICC and that is where you can get your sense of satisfaction .

How is your guild going to handle the buff??

Balancing Act – Game Time with Real Life

2010-03-02T15:41:00.002-06:00

In this guild, it's one of things we pride ourselves on – having a life, and still seeing end game content. We come forward with a set of expectations, which sometimes seem harsh, but policies are there for a reason. Some people play all the time. Others play for a bit here and there. Still other people log in for raids only, and remain lurkers are the website.

In game, you see several folks in guild with multiple 80s. There are usually random heroics in process, PUG raids happening for 10 man content (or 25 man for alts), and even old world content. It's important to remember though, this is a game. Yes we all play with very real and dear people but it's also very important to remember the people in your day to day life outside of the game. It isn't overly healthy to be inside all of the time or to isolate yourself to a virtual world, even if real people share it with you.

The raid roster allows for real life to throw a curve ball, and still survive intact. It isn't always a fun job trying to walk that line but it's a necessary one. As you move forward, just remember, the real life things you skip now to play a game are memories that you cannot reclaim- so make sure you enjoy ALL aspects of your time.

Cataclysm Changes on the way

2010-03-02T07:58:00.002-06:00

If you have a pulse in WoW right now , you have heard all the buzz about the changes coming about in the next release , Cataclysm. These changes are a hot topic on many forums and WoW is using a daily Blue post to release and discuss these changes.

Additionally the next WoW Patch 3.3.3 has some pre-Cataclysm world events in it similar to the world events that happened for WotLK. Remember going to the Eastern Plaguelands and finding those stones and fighting the horde of undead?? For me that was a fun event and a time to really enjoy the power of the now OP prot pally. I remember a mage from my guild and myself finding one ofthe stones and just laying waste to the NPC enmasse. Good times.

I would encourge you to head over to WoW.com and check out the patch notes and get up on all the upcoming changes in the next release.

As my schedule has changed and I am no longer able to maintain the required attendance for a raid spot , I have started to raid on my other toons and ended up moving my warrior (prot / fury dps) to another guild so that I can still raid. This guild is a smaller guild focusing on 10man content. I can honestly say it has been a blast. I have been dps as fury and it is pretty fun. I still end up tanking on the warrior and last nite I was tasked with the job of kiting the Big Ooze on Rotface. Now I had done this on my pally on 25's before so I was familiar with the task, but on the warrior I was worried about keeping threat on the Big Ooze cause I lacked the ranged tools of a pally.

So we put in about 9 attempts at Rotface last nite , each one getting better and better as I refined the method for kiting the Big Ooze. We got him down to about 8% on our best attempt before we ended up calling the raid. Overall this is the guilds 15th shot on the boss so 8% is not too bad at all.

It got me to thinking about what can I do to make this strat work and showed my that sometimes we are too quick to pigeonhole classes into roles and not think outside the box. I had to put Vigilance on the tank healer so they would not pull with healing aggro. I used my throwing weapon on the Big Ooze , I would use Heroic Throw when not on CD. I would try to Thunderclap at max range and of course I would use my Taunt to keep aggro. After a couple of try's we added a misdirect macro from a hunter to help keep aggro as well. Definately feel that we got him the next time we go in based on our progress this week.

Hopefully my schedule with change so that I can get back into the 25's but for now , I am content to step into the 10's on all of my toons and gather those hard to get Frost badges.

Upcoming changes in Patch 3.3.3

2010-02-23T09:34:00.002-06:00

So the latest patch notes are out and Patch 3.3.3 is on the PTR . There are plenty of changes afoot but I would like to cover some of them in detail here.

Specifically changes to the Dungeon Finder.

1. The Deserter debuff is going to 30minutes up from 15minutes. The DF cooldown is still the same at 15minutes. Perhaps this will stop people from the ZOMGITS(H OCC / H CoS / H whatever instance you hate) and leaving the party. Additionally maybe this will stop the trend as well of tanks getting hot under the collar and leaving a group stranded with no tank mid-instance. (there is another problem related to this I will cover later)

2. Players will have to provide an reason when doing a vote kick a player from the group. This reason will be shown to all group members but the one being kicked.

3. World bosses are available now thru the Dungeon Finder. This could be good or bad as they seem to have removed the ability to 3 man the boss. Hopefully they will make it so you cannot join if you have used your summon for the day as this could cause alot of grief.

And there are lots of class changes for DK's and some other classes. Fun fun fun.

Back to the Dungeon Finder and some thoughts on group etiquette. I have noticed that as I have been tanking groups , more and more I find that DPS and even healers are pushing for AoE clears of dungeons even when your not using AoE tanks. Now granted most people tend to outgear heroics now so yea a healer can heal 3 or 4 people if the tank cant keep up with the DPS. But is that really a good habit to get into?? Are people so rude that if you cant do a zergfeast then you dont want to run it ?? And what if you have a newer tank or someone who is tanking on an alt toon that does not feel comfortable with all the class tank mechanics and is trying to learn them more??

I frequently tell groups when I am on my DK (frost 2H Tank spec cause I just don't like DW tanking still) that I don't tank much on the DK so I am going to go bit slower than my pull 3 mobs at a time cause I can do 3K dps or better as a tank pally. Yet I still have the DPS or healer saying "Go Go Go!!!!" in party chat like that is going to make me pull like a madman.

So generally what happens next is the DPS or sometimes , even the healer starts pulling mobs and that is when it all goes to hell. At that point if I had already asked them not to pull , and they keep doing it , I feel like I have two choices :

1. keep going in the run if we are more than halfway there and especially if it is my 1st one for my frost badges.
2. leave group and go farm while I wait for my debuff to wear off before I queue again.

Yes I know I am abandoning a group and just putting them back in the queue but with the easy of queuing as a tank , it is not worth the hassle of dealing with people playing poorly and showing bad manners in a group.

I hope that Blizzard is going to perhaps look at fixing this trend with the Dungeon Finder down the road. Perhaps a rating system like the Elitist Group addon that lets you rate people so you can see how the people you are queuing with stackup?? Maybe even re-tuning some of the heroic instances so they are harder or have better loot to entice groups to play nice and stay together?? Either way I love the system we have now for finding groups for instances , I just think it is still a work in progress and needs to be polished a bit more.

Generally if I can't get a group within my guild for my 1st random run , I get my 1st random done then only queue on the pally tank so I can do the zergfeast for badges. This however leaves my other toons out in the long cold queue for DPS which can seem like a lifetime and makes me appreciate the tanks I do get and do whatever I can to make the run go smoother for them.

Otherwise , I am looking forward to Patch 3.3.3. Now if we could just shorten the maint cycle!!

The Friends you make in WoW

2010-02-18T06:53:00.008-06:00

Yesterday , my wife received a facebook post from a guy who asked if she was Holydiva and played WoW, she replied that yes she was and below is the response she got back from him:

I am trying to find the person who played world of warcraft under the name holydiva. If so you played with my sister Magnolia (step sister). can't believe i found u. I have some sad news Magnolia passed away. She had left me a diary and her last wishes. One of which was to let u and someone named Honors know what you meant to her. From her notes I found out that u had a character named after u and where u had lived in Ohio, so I took a shot in the dark. She had heart trouble and right after all that was behind her, she began to get sick , no balance and thats when they found the brain tumor. We lost her on Dec 15th. I just now got the stuff she had left for me from her husband. She talked very highly of u and Honors and a character named Sideout who from the book I believe to be your husband. The time she spent playing with you all made her very happy and she lead a very up and down home life with her husband. The book says you all made her feel at ease and happy. Like she had known you all in real life forever. Anyway all I wanted was to let you know as she had requested. She said Honors had quit playing the game and she did not even know her first name. If you should see her please tell her Magnolia has passed. Thank you again for your time.

Both my wife and I had to choke back tears reading this post. We were staggered to find out the news of her passing and absolutely floored that someone had taken the time to track down a person who they had only had a relationship with in a game.

Mags, as we called her , was a person we met on our old server Fenris. We had joined a new guild and were leveling toons to start raiding Kara. She had a hunter , warrior , priest , and mage. She was always available to help you level or do instances with on her other toons. She knew alot of people on the server , including Honors , who was in one of the top guilds at the time on the server. We both talked to her alot both in vent and via ingame whispers about many things with both WoW and life in general.

Mags always named her characters for the towns she had lived in and the towns that where around her. She was from Mississippi and lived in a semi rural area if I remember correctly. Mags always had a positive outlook on things no matter what her situation was or how bleak things looked.

We lost touch with her in the game between transition to Wrath of the Lich King. She had stopped playing as much and we had moved to other guilds. We often wondered what had happened to her. Yesterday , we found out.

We mourn the loss of a friend , even though she was virtual one , we feel as if we had been friends in real life , or RL in WoW speak. We pray that her family will be able to keep the good memories of her and we celebrate her passing to a better place.

This event has truly given us pause as you really never know how you touch someones life in all that you do and what effect you have on them.

Fair winds and following seas Magnolia. Holydiva and Sideout mourn your loss and will forever hold our friendship close to our hearts.

Changes to Warriors AGAIN!!!

2010-02-16T13:36:00.006-06:00

Blizztard is making changes again the warriors after the "buff" to Devastate damage. Now they are looking at buff Revenge as it is now less useful since the Devastate buff. What's next?? Do we make cleave have a 10 yard range on it??

All of these changes are because warriors and druids (and DK's to some degree) are way behind prot pallys in terms of AoE threat. Even Blizzard admits that prot pally AoE threat is a bit over done. (http://www.wow.com/2010/01/25/ghostcrawler-on-aoe-tanking-the-paladin-method-is-probably-t/)

What this has created is a broken LFG system where DPS will get used to not watching threat because the last tank was a pally and it was ZOMGPEWPEWMOBS!!!!! till your blue in the face and you still dont pull. Granted I am one of those people that spoil my DPS on my pally as I can consistantly pull 2.6 - 3.6K depending on the instance as the tank. Sometimes I out DPS my DPS.

Logging onto the warrior and queue up and its a different story. I have to work at it and use all my tools to keep threat for the most part on multi mobs pulls. One thing I don't do on the warrior is lots of chain pulls in fast sequence since I know my AoE threat is not as good. I like to take a few seconds to setup the pull and make sure my high threat tools are not on CD.

On the DK , I still have to work at it but once my dieases are down and I am popping Blood Boils off with Howling Blasts (yes I still 2H Frost tank) I usually don't have any issues.

This however means that I usually leave one character aside , the warrior, for the others when using the LFG unless I run with a guild group. Sad I know as I have tanked successfully , Heroic Halls of Reflection on the warrior twice with PuG groups so I know I can do it. It just takes the other 4 people to work with me and not against me to make it happen.

Ever since BC my pally tank has seen more and more action and the warrior has seen less and less and has evolved into a DPS / trade crafting toon , especially with the DK's coming out in WotLK and how easy-mode DPS they seem to be for the most part. I know that gear levels play apart of how much DPS you can put out as well but the warrior and DK are pretty equally geared and the DK will just flat out pwn the warrior when tanking. (Sad panda face here)

This is sad as my warrior is one of my first toons and typically what you would see as a tank. He has all the tools , Last Stand and Shield Wall glyphed for a 2 minute cooldown , Juggernaunt , Shockwave , and many others. He carries his sword and board looking for that boss to tank and kill. It's just depressing to see my DPS numbers way less than my pally or DK and hope that Blizzard fixes it and restores come balance.

Looking Back – The Last Raid Week

2010-02-15T10:46:00.000-06:00

This last raid week brought the group transitioning into a smooth solid raiding core. It started with Tuesday's raid week- dealing with some unbearable lag, and a server that was beyond slow to come online. Not only did we endure, you know lag is bad when you hear NPCs stopping mid-speech, pausing to remember their own lines. We did manage to get the Entry way cleared, stopping early as lag was horrendous.

Wednesday night found us short on healing- something we rarely are. With less our full healer crew, we opted to stay out of ICC. It's hard to push progression when you know that the fights you are looking at will require six healers, and you risk the raid weekly. We took an easy night. With the raid weekly being Obsidian Sanctum, we decided to start there. We decided to try OS3D. It's been almost a year since we've done this place as a guild on 25 man content. We usually have a 10 man crew farming this boss on an Offnight Fiasco post, just for the drake. Remembering the effort we put forth to clear this content before 3.1 hit, and the challenges of keeping a solid raid roster together while working on this progression. What we actually found was that in roughly 10 minutes, with our current roster and gear levels, it was pretty darn easy to zerg this boss. Running two tanks, five healers, and the rest dps, she was dead in about a minute. Everyone in the raid rolled, and one guild member got their OS3D drake. This opted for policy change- in that once a week we, as a guild, will zerg OS3D, for a drake.

We transitioned to Onyxia for a quick kill. We missing the 5 minute achievement by about 30 seconds – mainly due to someone getting thrown into the whelp caves. There's always next week. From here, we quickly cleared Trial of the Crusade- getting the Salt & Pepper achievements for the folks that didn't have it. We finally saw the trinket drop again. Unfortunately, we still did not have Vault of Archavon- so Toravon was out. We opted to stay and try Trial of the Grand Crusade. We almost had it. 8% wipe on Icehowl, so it's something to keep on the back burner in the event we need a bit of time away from ICC. It was a fast, fun night.

Thursday night we were back in ICC. We did a one shot on Rotface and Festergut, completing our raid weekly. We finished Blood Prince Council in a few attempts and went back to Professor Putricide. We made some excellent progress there.

For our off nights, one ten man group got through to Blood Prince Council before running out of time- with a couple of folks have connection issues. Saturday night actually had us in Sunwell Plateau. We completed the instance (95% guild run, of the 25 folks in the raid) in about an hour. Some folks left, but we went and completed Molten Core as a few folks did not have this achievement. Zul'Gurub followed – furiously fast, allowing some folks to complete the "Classic Raider" achievement. Drops were varied but we did not have the pleasure of seeing any mount drops on the run. This also brought us flying over to Silithius to complete the Ruins of Ahn'Qiraj. At this point, we called it a night, making plans to set up another Off Night run on content that was once cutting edge.

All in all, it was a solid raid week.

Icecrown Citadel Raid Weeklies

2010-02-14T11:13:00.003-06:00

Patch 3.3.2 not only brought the release of the final bosses in Icecrown Citadel. It brought the inhabitants of Azeroth the seasonal holiday as well as some other changes- such as the Icecrown Citadel Raid Weeklies. These quests are only available in Icecrown Citadel raid instance. There are five different random weekly quests. The most rewarding part is that these quests are available in 10 and 25 man content – so you are able to complete both each week. The rewards can vary. In addition to gold, there are bind on equipment items as well as epic gems and varying amounts of gold in the "Sack of Frosty Treasures".

On 25 man content, we, as a guild, have seen Securing the Ramparts as well as Residue Rendezvous. The first quest had us slaying the Rotting Frost Giant. Honestly, he was a bit more intricate for us than a few of the bosses- but that is the element of unknown. It's actually pretty awesome to adjust on the fly to a "boss" that you have no experience on. Residue Rendezvous had me slightly nervous as Rotface had given us a few hiccups. However, we did a one shot of both Rotface and his brother Festergut, allowing us to complete the quest quickly. Another note was that as long as one person completes it, it becomes available as completed for everyone. This makes me think a DI could be used in the event of a wipe occurring on one of these bosses.

On 10 man content, we saw the Blood Quickening, but we didn't get that far. All in all, it's a nice additional quest on the weekly ideas that are raid oriented. It seems that Blizzard is indeed pushing and making content available to all members, and also throwing emblems around as well. I know our own raid decisions this week were impacted by the raid weekly. For example, we did not continue in Icecrown Citadel on Wednesday because we didn't want to risk losing the raid weekly rewards.

Rolling Restarts - The Heartbeat of Love

2010-02-10T13:19:00.007-06:00

Love is in the Air Event is happening all over Azeroth. Not only do we have the new boss in Shadow Fang Keep, we've got all kinds of dailies to get tokens. Blizz re-vamped most of these quests, more than likely after much complaining form last year's event. I really like the changes. The way to acquire bracelets now is much easier than last year. I think it really brings the ability to get the achievement and titles completed, as long as you are willing to put forth the effort and time.

My only complaint on the changes was that the charm pieces only stacked in 10, and the bracelets themselves didn't stack. For someone always in need of bag space, this is a huge hassle. (Yes, I'm the proverbial pack rat in game.) Some recent hot fixes corrected this issue though. We suffered through a ton of lag last night. Even the NPCs were stuttering, as Lady Deathwhisper seemed to forget her speech. Today brought rolling restarts across Azeroth- and while I hope they fixed the lag, they also made a few changes. The charms now stack to 40. Another chief complaint by many healers/tanks alike was that rarely do these roles get killing blows. Now, any player who has a Lovely Charm Collector's Kit in their bags now has a chance to receive a Lovely Charm when in a group or raid and a group member gets a killing blow as long as they are within a certain range of the kill.

Personally, I'm still working towards the title. I have to get my Perma Peddle pet yet and 4 Love Fools and I'll be pretty much set.

When Love is in the Air - more than an achievement

2010-02-10T07:58:00.003-06:00

Today is a special day for me. It's my wedding anniversary. What makes this more special than ordinary you ask?? Well for me , the game of WoW helped my relationship grow and prosper rather than causing a rift between myself and my spouse. Let me tell you the story:

It was back in 2006 when my wife and I had been living together and in a steady relationship for about 2 years already. I had stopped working at the bars as a part time job and she was getting adjusted to her new job. We were looking for something that we could do together as my interests in volleyball and softball and her friends who like to go out partying did not really mesh all that well. She had mentioned that her ex and her had played together on consoles before but I am not that big of a console guy being that I played alot of FPS on the computer. So we went to the local Best Buy and got some demo CD's . WoW was one of those CD's.

We installed it , got on a server and made our first two toons. Like any new WoW players , we were complete noobs, we both made 2 warriors because hacking up stuff was so much fun but found that maybe one of us should be able to heal the other , so I rolled a paladin and off we went a questing. As we got further along , she decided to roll a priest and so then we had tank / heal combo to use depending on our mood.

This lead to a server transfer and we found our first raiding guild. We started raiding Kara together and the challenge of the instance provided many nights spent together raiding and time away from the game figuring out how to beat encounters and things of that nature.

Since we had tank and heals , we quickly found that we could form a group and thus we established our own raiding group in the guild and we were clearing Kara regularly. We then moved to a bigger guild to get into the T5/T6 raids and at this point it seemed that we grew closer in the game and closer in real life.

We realized that as in the game , our roles in the relationship in life were quite similar . I was the tank , I stood the brunt of the assault , I would quickly assess a situation and take action and provide a safe haven. Her role as the healer let her heal any emotional or physical needs and provided a natural outlet for her desire to nurture. Together we made a great team both in game and out of game.

After grinding away at T5/T6 content we decided that our guild was not progressing as we liked and took a short break to wait for WotLK to come out . I waited in line at a local Gamestop on the release day for 2 copies of the game and we played till about 4am that morning.

About 1 month into WotLK , we apped to the #1 Alliance guild on our server and we got accepted. We just stepped into the world of progression raiding hard core style. Our new guild raided from 630pm t0 11pm , Sunday thru Thursday and expected you to make every raid. We were excited about the opportunity because all the people in our old guild said we were not good enough to do it. We became hardcore raiders , so hardcore that on our wedding nite , we were in our honeymoon suite raiding Naxx 25!!! (Now that is hardcore!!)

We progressed thru Naxx racking up achievements . We got our Twilight Vanquisher titles before they nerfed it. We achieved our 6 minute Mally fight before that nerf as well. We became engrossed in the race for server firsts achievements and beating the other guilds. It slowly became a destructive cycle that we started seeing in our relationship that a bad night of raiding usually meant we would fight later. Additionally the pressure from the guild came in that Ulduar was coming out and more raiding time was going to be needed. Suddenly though , life threw a curveball at us , my wife's health took a turn for the worst and she had to step down from raiding.

We stopped hardcore raiding and moved to a more casual raid schedule. We bounced around a couple of different guilds during that time trying to find somewhere that fit our schedule. In our relationship I think and felt we did the same thing , trying to find a balance with each other and figure out how to handle each other emotionally. We have had chaos in our lives this past year but we have learned that together we can weather all. Together we are better than we are individually.

This has lead us to where we are now. Currently I am a raider in No Quarter Given. She has moved one of her toons the guild but is casual. She is content to level her druid up on our old server and get it to 80 before she starts to play again. Additionally her job has taken off , she got a promotion and new responsibilities and is going to be traveling. She has worked very hard to be where she is and I know she will be successful. This has cut into her WoW playing time. This has been hard for me as well as I miss my playing buddy. We spent alot of time together in game and we achieved alot of accomplishments TOGETHER, and that made both of use feel our relationship was stronger.

We still play together as I help her level the druid , we sometimes do randoms , but for now she does not raid and listens to me tell about my raiding times. So for all the stories you hear about how WoW has ruined relationships, this is one that it has made stronger and help prosper.

Happy anniversary , Divaheals, without you , I would not be the person I am today.

Unannounced Nerf - The Soup Nazi strikes again!!!

2010-02-08T11:39:00.005-06:00

The latest patch had a few surprises in it for prot pally's; namely a 4% stamina nerf!!!! Seriously what is Blizzard doing here??

Yes I know that right now everyone and their brother is bring out the prot pally's to tank cause we are bit OP in terms of our tanking DPS. I guess they missed the other part of the patch notes that said that Devastate is getting a DPS buff but why take away our stamina??

Across the board , pallys have the lower HP when compared to warriors / druids of equal gearing. Yes I know we have that awesome AoE and Holy Shield uptime.

It just reaks that Blizz did this and then posted afterwards, "oops , we are sorry". I thought I had left some gear off or missed an enchant or something.

Granted it is Bilzz's game and they make the rules but it seems that lately Blizz is playing a vengeful God more and more. First this unannounced nerf , then Ensidia is banned for using something that may or may not have been a true exploit. What next Blizz - " ZOMG you mounted in H UK and used your mount to run to the last boss!!!! " "NO SOUP FOR YOU!!!!"

How many other times in the past has Blizz done under the table things like this and then feels like it did nothing wrong??

I know this is just a game but in my view , if you say the rules are x , y , and z and I play by those rules and then you suddenly change them because you woke up on the wrong side of the bed , I should not be penalized for that.

I hope Blizzard rethinks it's ban on Ensidia and restores their titles and loot. If anyone got a suspension , it should be the dev's for not testing the encounter or admitting this fault and hotfixing it to prevent so no one else could use it.

Who would have thought that using a trade skill item to beat an encounter was an exploit??

I know the community is mixed in their view on this as some are Ensidia haters and some are fanboys but still the fact remains they did it first and used all the tools they had to do it. Kinda hard to fight when you tie one arm behind your back isn't it??

The Lich King is back.. 3.3.2

2010-02-04T23:22:00.006-06:00

He's back…. Back again… so yea.. 3.3.2 landed on Tuesday, complete with the next Arena season and Toravon the Ice Watcher. Honestly, I would expect a bit more from a guy that drops the next tier. The fight was pretty much what you could have read about on WoWWiki.com months ago. Ranged completely needed to handle the Orbs spawns, and as long as you have solid tanks and healers, it's not hard. In a matter of 15 minutes.. Vault of Archavon was cleared again, even after being out of rotation for months. Will we keep doing it? Absolutely, because it's free tier gear. But damn Blizz, what the hell? You landed this patch and implement this boss, which is pretty much a pushover. You screw up Deathbringer Saurfang… to the point that half the mechanics do not function properly. Killable? Absolutely; we have to heal now.

Enter the many other changes.. such as the raid weekly in ICC. That was a fun experience. Our first go at it was the Securing the Ramparts quest. You get a "frosty sack of treasures". Not only do you get 5 badges, but you also stand a random money amount, and possibly an epic gem or BoE item, not to mention reputation with Ashen Verdict, provided you are still seeking it. You have to admit, at first look, most of the raid is "WooHoo" , to "Where is he?" to the "Look at your mini map, Blizz dumbed down the game!". All in all, it's somewhat nice going into the event/quest blind. As any progression guild, going in blind is not always advisable. As a person that plans and tries to help with our personal strategies, I look ahead constantly for what information I can find, be it from the PTR and what not. This was something that slipped under my radar. It was a great change. I love being able to think on our feet. Our tanks did great. Knowing we could run back in during the encounter will prove valuable on later raid weeklies in ICC. The mechanics we figured out on the fly, and the weekly was completed on Tuesday for the bulk of core raiders. It's also comforting knowing that it can be completed in 10 man versions.

This brings us to completely normal farm content- just to find out Blizz jacked with Deathbringer's abilities. From the guilds (not that we used this on 25s) that blew mobs on the ledge, to the DI/discipline priest bubbles, that absorbs weren't being honored. Talk about feeling like a jackass, after saying "Folks, make sure you are watching your range finder" "We're getting marks way too early" only to find Blizz yet screwed something else up during the many changes. Going back in on our second night, after completing the raid weekly, the ICC weekly, and VoA, and the other three bosses, it took an attempt to figure out positioning, and walla, one Deathbringer's head on a platter served with a side of Rotface and Festergut for Wednesday's raid.

Thursday's raid left us continuing to get our positioning down for Blood Prince Council. Doable again, with a bare raid roster; we were using pirates, but they are pirates for a reason. We made some adjustments to this fight and dealt with the lag that we encountered. The boss fell close to the end of the night and we got our first glimpse and impressions on the Dreamwalker encounter. Yes, the Blazing Skeletons really hurt. We'll see how Sunday's raid goes, complete with it being Superbowl Sunday (TiVo anyone?) but I have high expectations and hopes for the raid core.

Doing the Curly Shuffle

2010-02-02T10:49:00.004-06:00

Most WoW players have multiple 80's that they actively play. With the advent of the Dungeon Finder and the ability to gain Triumph and Frost badges via the weekly raid quest , gearing these alt characters has become easier than before. This presents a sticky issue , who is your "main"??

Your "main" in WoW speak is the main toon that you do the following on:

Raid progression content on

Has the best gear

typically has the money making professions on maxed out.

Is your fav toon and you would rather walk barefoot over cut glass than delete.

If your like me you have 2 or 3 level 80 alts that you like to play as well but their gear was not on par with your "main" till the latest patch. Now you are running randoms on your alts , getting that 4 piece T9 badge set and even pugging out ICC raids on them to get better gear.

So how do you make time to play all those toons?? Do you end up switching your "main" if you start to gear one more than the other??

In my case all of my 80's perform the same function in a raid , tank / dps. I know that seems boring and I have not explored the other classes / roles but that is what I like to do so I do what I enjoy.

What do you do if your guild has no alt policy ?? If that is the case then you have to find time to raid on both and not compromise one or the other. Sometimes you have to make the hard decision and start playing one more than the other due to your raid /guild comp.

Luckily for me , my guild allows alts and has raid runs that you could bring your alts and let them get gear.

Additionally there are plenty of PuG runs on my server that allow me to gear out as well. Sometimes though the problem is the "LFM ICC 10 link achievement" posts in Trade . This drives me nuts. If I have cleared ICC 10 on my "main" does that mean I am incapable of doing it on my alts as well?? To further compound this you have the "must have 5xxx GS" to go along with that. I mean seriously if guilds have cleared Yogg in blues , don't you think that this whole gearscore thing is a bit overrated??!!!

Matticus has a blog post about an addon that uses your experience instead of gearscore. That would be a better indicator of what you can and can't do in a raid setting. (http://www.worldofmatticus.com/2010/01/22/it-came-from-the-p-u-g-gearscore-edition/)

(http://www.nostockui.com/2010/01/use-elitist-group-to-find-out-more/)

I enjoy all my alts , I just wish I had more time to play them and gear them. Oh for the 3 day work week and 4 day weekend!!!!

Until that happens , I guess I will continue to do the curly shuffle for all my characters.

Raid leaders

2010-01-30T16:53:00.003-06:00

One of the most under appreciated jobs in the game has to be one of raid leadership. How hard can that be you say? Well as an ex-raid leader let me say its not a picnic. Raiders sometimes dont see the big picture and just think a raid leader is there to get the group together and put out ready checks. Its not as simple as that not only is that involve but also (and not limited to) getting boss information, keeping track of raiders, loot distribution, answering questions, hearing complains, and on and on it goes. Its one of those things that can make you want to pull your hair out ( seems sometimes some of our raid leaders feel like that).

Raid leaders get frustrated it seems because after posting many strategies, posting videos, and as up to date information people still go into a new encounter not knowing anything and asking questions. Even when questions are answered it seems that the raid leaders are repeating themselves because someone was not paying attention or people were talking in vent over the raid leaders and information got confusing.

Its not only that but it can get nutty for raid leaders getting whispers trying to answer them and also keep doing either (tanking, dps or heals up). Then comes the loot distribution. The mother of all problems there people whispering asking for time forgetting to bid or roll or whatever method the guild uses.

In the end it can be truly so frustrating that it makes you want to pull your hair out (right ony ;p)

So next time you are raiding and it seems to be going slow just think about all that the raid leaders are putting up with and thank them afterward for a job well done.

NOTANKITIS - Someone call the CDC!!!

2010-01-27T10:33:00.006-06:00

I am a tank. All three of my 80's , warrior /pally /dk , all tank. I like being the tank and setting the pace for the group , knowing the fights , and generally being out front of the group , starting the encounters till we defeat the instance.

However , the new Random Group Finder has left me a new malady I call , NOTANKITIS. Sometimes I just would rather beat me head on the wall than to endure the constant series of bad PUG people in the Random LFG now. Here is a short list of my favorites (see if yours is on there)

"GOGOGOGOGOGOGO" - typed in party chat from one or many dps - like seriously that is gonna make me pull faster??

The DPS that typed the above line decides to pull for you because you are not moving fast enough. Personally my rule is if you pull it , you tank it.

They don't know that LOS means Line of Sight. This is my fav on my warrior whose AoE threat is not as strong as the others so I use LoS alot to get things where I want them.

DK's in 52/0/18 spec thinking they can throw up Frost Presence and tank FTW.

Checking out the players for enchants and gems and seeing empty sockets. Love that one.

Now granted I don't normally get upset or even drop group. I know that everyone has to start somewhere and I like to take a chance at potentially teaching someone a thing or two to leave the virtual world of WoW a better place than when I got there , so I have a pretty thick skin.

However when the wipes start happening like say on the 1st boss of PoS because no one thinks to LoS the boss and drop the debuff on them , or they fail to see the big hunk of saronite headed their way repeatedly , then I start to think about dropping group and just farming till my next dungeon CD is up.

I would rather endure a 10 -15 minute DPS queue for a random where all I have to do is kill whatever I see , than to have the shorter queues as a tank and deal with the above. In fact , I am more inclined to not use the queue unless I have a known healer /dps with me to make sure the run goes better. This causes another problem you see called ORLYIMNOTATANKITIS.

This disease (yes it is a disease!!!) is where you have a person queuing up as a tank/dps when in reality they are not specced to tank nor do they have the gear to tank , they just want the faster queue times. (See above in point #4 ). Now you have a group sitting around playing "Who's the tank??" (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ekLO8BwxwE) This creates a vicious cycle or requeing and blame storming and just generally ruins your day.

So the next time you are queued up as dps and you get into your random , give the tank a break , be the pro player you can be , and make the run a smooth one.

Achievements Anyone?

2010-01-26T17:27:00.005-06:00

This guild does not focus on 10 mans. It is usually an off night thing. The 10 mans are posted on a volunteer type basis. People sign up in the appropriate forum thread and the group takes off from there. As a result, our 10 man rankings and achievements are just, well pathetic. Lord Soth, the guild leader, decided we would make some effort to change that.

In our Off Night Fiascos thread, he posted an "achievement whore run". It peaked allot of interest. Our 10 mans have been filling up on the weekends since ICC released. His agenda this past Monday was to start small- OS3D, Malygos 6 Minute Kill, and we actually ended up completing Nax as well. We gathered a fair amount of achievements during the process, missing the Undying due to the bear tank being color blind (ok he's not really but he missed the giant swirl under his feet on KT).

All in all, we spent 4 hours running through old content. Personally, I gathered a few new achievements, and others gathered even more. It was fast. No one was complaining about a wipe here in old content as we all were a bit rusty. It makes me look forward to next week and to see what Soth has in store for his "achievement whores".

Sailing into uncharted waters

2010-01-26T13:08:00.007-06:00

Ahoy to all my NQG mateys and anyone else who reads this blog!!! My name is Lineshot and I am a recent server transfer from Fenris. (I know , i know its the South Park server)

Anytime you answer a recruiting post from another guild off server , you always wonder if it will work out , if the picture they paint is accurate , and if you are just going to waste $50 potentially.

If you have these doubts like I did with this transfer then let me tell you , NQG is the real deal!!!

This is the guild I had wished to find upon first joining WoW. They have a wealth of information on the website and it is used and maintained daily. They are serious about raiding but not to the point of "OMGWTF did you die on the 1st try on the new boss and wipe the raid for GFTO L2P!!!!" serious. They have players with depth in many types of fields , ie theorycrafting , UI tweaking , and others, and they actually SHARE the knowledge and don't expect you to learn it by osmosis.

I know I am pumping up the guild I am in currently but I feel that I have found my WoW home and as with anything you do and work it , you take pride in it and want to show it off.

Even after joining a new guild you start the next uncharted voyage - going on your 1st raid with them!!!!!(Zoinks!!!!)

My first raid with NQG was to come in for Festergut (the kill referenced in Ony's last blog post). Having only done Festergut on 10's and as DPS , coming in to tank on 25's seemed like I was stepping into the shark tank with 20lbs of fresh meat strapped to my back.

Having done my homework the night before I had my DG/DS macro ready and I had gone over my duties in the fight:

Taunt boss at the proper time.

Pew Pew boss till the other tank taunted

Listen for the call on vent of AM (Aura Mastery) falling off and pop my DG/DS macro

HoS myself and dps the boss till time to tank again.

It took a couple of wipes but we downed him and got our loot. I felt relieved because I did not mess up and did my job. (Whew!!!)

We moved onto Rotface and the intensity just reached out and smacked me in nads!!! What do you mean I have to kite these ooze thingy's and not melee them??? Oh because they hit me for 20K plus on plate??? What do you mean the room floods in a random pattern and I have to try and avoid it???

Seriously who decided to make the offtank feel like an oppressed labour in a sweatshop?? (Ghostcrawler promised me a pony and I am still waiting for that too)

This is one fight where the offtank has his hands full. After a couple of days worth of attempts , we finally downed him on 25's . This fight truly tested everyone in the raid and at times I felt the pressure of the whole fight on my shoulders but ultimately it rested on all the raiders to do their jobs as well.

In closing let me say that I have charted my course to this new guild and server and arrived with expectations that have been met and exceeded.Now I look to help them stay the course of progression raiding and together chart our path in WoW.

WoW Lore

2010-01-26T12:55:00.003-06:00

As a foreign player I love reading quest and actually hearing the animations of the game. It not only helps me learn the english language but also learn more about the history of the game. World of Warcraft has by far a very rich story. Wanting to learn more of the lore i began searching the internet for sites that explain it with more detail. I found out that there are actually books with short stories of some major events and important characters in the game. I will give a quick overview of the first book i recommend and will try not to provide any spoilers on the way.

The first book is called The Warcraft Archive and it consist of four great short stories on the lore of Warcarft. I actually had to order it from London since in Spain they did not carry it. But i'm sure you can get it at a major bookstore chain or order it online.

The first story is called Day of the Dragon and its about an adventure with Rhonin which is the current leader of the Kirin Tor and can be located in Dalaran. This first story is one to wet your appetite and will truly reveal the depth that Blizzard put into their character and their past and what makes them tick.

The second story is called Lord of the Clans and is by far an awesome story. Its about the rise of the Warchief Thrall. From birth to his rising in the horde this story has it all, action, adventure, even some emotional parts that may get some readers choked up. It is a very interesting story and a must read for any avid WoW player.

The third is called The Last Guardian and is about Medivh. Its basically a history about Karazhan and about how one of the greatest spellcaster handles that responsibility and what absolute power can do to one person. There are some interesting parts to the story but it takes a while to get going with a lot of pauses so I will suggest to just give it time it does get good and gives great information on the history of Azeroth.

Lastly is the final short story called Of blood and honor. This is a story about Tirion Fordring. Not know him? you will after this story. Its by far a great example to not judge a book by its cover. Its a relatively short story compare to the rest of the book but one that really puts a lot of information and leaves you thinking afterwards.

Well there you have it my first recommendation if you have any please feel free to drop a line.
Happy Gaming.

Festergut - ICC 25

2010-01-23T05:00:00.001-06:00

This guy took us a bit to figure out. He's a DPS/Gear check as well as an execution check. We struggled at the start to figure out the right compositions, the correct execution, and then, of course, to up our dps.

The first kill came with using 2 range groups and a central melee/healer group. We ran with only 5 healers- utilizing the Aura Mastery buff, with the DS/DG Combination that you can gain with a pally tank. The five minute enrage timer is a pain - but doable. It takes work, and everyone on the same page for popping hero and what not.

The week we went in without having a pally tank- instead, we had our normal (and awesome) warrior tank and a bear tank. Last week, we ran with 5 healers, and this week we ran with 6. But the difference is, the dps brought it. Execution was flawless, it was a very clean kill, and running the extra healer. It was a great night. It also goes to show you, understanding the mechanics and being comfortable with the fight is a solid course of action to increase raid DPS.

Our own attempts we learned it takes 3 ranged on 10 man, and 7 minimum on 25. This is to prevent the vile gas from hitting melee and what ranged are stacked in the melee. Gas spores on melee had to run between his feet slightly so that the tanks got inoculation.

Raid Composition versus Raid Core

2010-01-22T16:09:00.003-06:00

Ask any guild leader or raid leader how hard it can be to keep a twenty five man raid core full, to factor in enough leeway to allow real life to occur, yet keep the raid moving. It’s a daunting job. Currently progression content (ICC) is full of situations where max DPS has to be achieved, lots of fight mechanics (which Blizzard loves to reuse in new and twisted environments), and less healers gave to perform to higher levels. Having a limited number of raid slots on your raiding roster is the only way to accommodate such a goal, but it brings in other factors as well.

How many raid slots is enough? That’s really a hard question to answer, and dependent on each guild’s attendance policy. It also doesn’t factor in how fast a guild can usually fill the opening or if you have members that tend to have real life occur more often than others. For this guild, we put a cap on our raiding core of thirty five raid slots. This means we will not exceed that number of slots. At one point, we had a cap of thirty raid slots, but due to the number of couples we have in this guild and a few rotating schedules, the cap is set at thirty five core slots.

In any given twenty five man raid instance, you generally have no more than two to three tanks, six to seven healers, with the remaining slots a myriad of ranged and melee DPS. For ICC, this has usually been one Main Tank, two Off Tanks with DPS Dual Specs, six healers –with one having a DPS Off Spec, leaving sixteen raid slots for DPS Main Specs. With a ratio of 12% tanks, 24% healers, with the remaining 64% being raid DPS, it stands to reason the bench is going to be smaller for the healers and tanks. If you take the percentages and apply them to our thirty five core slots, you end up with a max of four tanks/off tanks, eight healers, and twenty-two DPS members leaving one slot open to float.

With these percentages, it stands to reason that DPS will sit more often than a healer or tank. But it also stands to reason, these things happen too. The only resolution we can offer is track attendance, and track the bench – in an attempt to keep rotation as fair as possible. Each guild has to handle their bench in a way their guild leadership sees fit. For us, we rotate. Occasionally volunteers happen, but composition has to come first – as it is detrimental to raid success, offering buffs and specific strengths needed for the fights ahead. Occasionally, poor performance that needs to be improved may cause rotation or the person to sit. The issue is brought up to the individual on a personal level, with officers present, and will either be addressed and corrected, or the person will move to a casual rank until improvement can be made.

Some guilds do not rotate. They will try a new person out, and make their core compete for raid slots. Some guilds aren’t organized at all. They just expect people to show up, and they often have a slow start time. It’s not the way this guild operates. No one is above the rules, but what you have to keep in mind, is that you cannot raid with twenty-two DPS slots filled, and all tanks/healers sitting – composition is always paramount, and it is why the EPGP system continues to grow with the guild and be amended to accomplish the right objectives.

Anal Tendencies – Toilet Paper Anyone?

2010-01-12T23:19:00.003-06:00

All too often I hear this.. "you have anal tendencies" Yup, that's right. I do. I organize, I plan, I strategize, and I make sure the raid goes on and the guild survives another day, another patch, so on and so forth. To raid in 25 man content, it means you need 25 people – with the right balance of tanks/healers/ dps – this section split even more dependent upon the encounter, such as x number of melee and y number of ranged- online, at the same time, at the same place, and ready to go. Factor this with people on different continents, different countries, different time zones, and scheduling can really be a nightmare. Throw in the occasional wrench of "Sorry, it's 'Significant Other's' birthday" , "Timmy has a softball game" or "Mandatory overtime" and then you watch twenty something people meet for nothing- or PUG (attempt to even) the remaining slots to complete the raid- with the hopes that they are competent.

In my opinion, this is not what a guild should really be comprised of- at least, this guild is not based on that type of loose principal. This guild is about having scheduled runs, set raid days, and a roster that can allow life to happen. Respect- if you say you are going to be there, you are- this is a basic concept, and something not all guilds hold true to- this one does. Consistency –if you don't have the same core group, you aren't going to get anywhere- think to 3.2 content and Yogg, or any of the hard modes. Expectations –the most successful organizations have set expectations and requirements, and this guild is not any different. We have our core values, our expectations, and the rules are pretty much drawn out. The exceptions rarely exist – and everyone should know what is going on. Do mistakes happen? Absolutely, but this is an adult guild, and we can say, hey- this shouldn't have happened, and we'll try to ensure it doesn't again.

Our raid roster has 35 slots. I have a co-founder of this guild MIA, not included in those slots, because the raid will move on. Composition will be met. I've met some outstanding, wonderful, and unique individuals. I seen all types of World of Warcraft players come and go, from the hardcore to the complete utter inexperienced want to be raider that bit off more than they expected. In the end, while I have enjoyed/loathed/debated so many types of personalities, it really doesn't matter. What does matter is the commitment to the unit- the guild- the raiding core- to fill those slots and ensure raids are happening as scheduled, efficiently, with competent people. This means I am always looking ahead, because real life happens- your roster and needs today, will most probably not be your needs tomorrow or even by this afternoon. Recruiting people, at least solid players that fit well with the expectations of the guild- it's living, breathing, atmosphere- can take time. Sometimes it doesn't. If you know you are losing people, with content popping on a bi-weekly basis, you know you have to replace them quickly. Time is not a luxury on progression- and the responsibility to stay on track and with the right composition is out of necessity for survival. It goes hand in hand with consistency, and begs the question why would you gear someone for the upcoming content, when you know they will not be there to help the guild through it?

It isn't personal. It's about ensuring a group of like minded individuals have the necessary tools to move forward. Shit can hit the fan- you can find yourself calling raids, because your roster no longer supports your raiding goals. That's when you are happy you have someone like me- who keeps the toilet paper handy, and the raid moving. Timing is not always my choice- you have to work with what you have, when you have it, forever looking ahead. In all of this, know that what I do is and has always been in the best interest (at least as I've seen it) for the guild. I have never tried to ruin the game for someone, or force responsibility on someone who did not want it. The positions have been always volunteered, but in anyone that has held one, be careful of what you ask for. It's much easier watching an organization run from the outside, then to be on the inside making it run smoothly- because things are rarely ever as smooth as it seems.

PuGs – so cute, so painful

2010-01-11T22:58:00.003-06:00

The changes with patch 3.3 to the LFG system have had, in my opinion, one of the strongest impacts on World of Warcraft as most players know it. Not only is it a lot easier to group, but you can chain run instances/heroics all day. It's easy to farm badges, get gear, and either complete instances quickly, or wipe your way through them.

The nice thing about this is that it works for all levels of characters. Not only do you get experience for grouping, but you get an item in your Satchel of Helpful Goods. The downside is you either have really experienced / knowledgeable players or you have people who just do not know how to group, or behave decently in that type of scenario. All of these things factor in with the wonderful ancient places most people haven't seen in at least a year or better, unless you've been experimenting with recruit a friend.

For the experienced (and geared) mains, this can be intimidating. Addons, such as gearscore, are commonplace to see how well geared people are. This method of evaluation has never been a true test of skill. It's right there with the "link your achievement" mentality. I've gotten groups where the tank charges off, leaves the healer and promptly gets killed- all this for asking for mana, after chain pulling the first 5 areas and groups of mobs (not to mention, letting some mob beat on me a bit). You find great people to group with too. They are quiet, competent, and efficient. They really don't "need" anything other than a badge/money/mat run. Occasionally you get the azzhat in the group- all I can say is thank god for ignore. I give it a few attempts at being social – and if people are just rude/belligerent, I bail. That's complete honesty there. I just leave- it's not worth an argument with some pixels of a person I don't know and seriously doubt I will run with ever again. I've learned as I have become quite the "PUG" person, that with pugs come a bit less responsibility. I feel bad if I let you die, but hey, at least it's not coming out of my guildmate's pocket for the repair bill.

The pet- completely worth it for me, and I'll probably work on this achievement on my priest (as I start running heroics to gear her). I will work my way through learning to heal on a priest again, and probably go ahead and get a DPS dual spec for versatility.

Patch 3.3

2009-12-30T11:13:00.002-06:00

Patch 3.3 is live and has been since December 8. My thoughts on when it would it were pretty much on target. This patch brought so many changes. Not only was the LFG tool introduced but a raid weekly change- no more daily heroics here- they are all in the LFG tool, the emblem changes, and new content. It's been a whirlwind, complete with Winter Veil occurring in the middle.

If I had to pick the single biggest impact on the game that was introduced- it would be the LFG tool. All you need is time, and lots of patience. You can run heroics non-stop now if you like.

Icecrown Citadel – a staggered released instance- has proved to be fun. There is some challenge in there. New bosses can provide that, and it is a bit of a check for the listening impaired. It's not the face roll that ToC25 was. I don't really see a lot of nerfs anytime soon there either. I was surprised with the changes that they slid in on Lord Marrowgar. I do expect the achievements to be a pain in the butt – but I think they are designed that way because they want to give you something else to work on. Lady Deathwhisper is strategic on dps placement. The Gunship is probably the best fight in the game, in my opinion – it's just fun. Deathbringer Saurfang – he is such a combination of fights I remember. This one is strictly clean execution and positioning. The next wing in ICC is due out January 5. Three bosses, and not a lot is out there on the last one. It will be an adventure.

Latest PTR Build Thoughts & Insights Part 1

2009-11-23T00:23:00.003-06:00

The latest PTR build notes have illuminated me with some insights that I just find interesting. The first change (thankfully) is that any one can use meeting stones – there are no maximum level caps. This is awesome – just think of doing the Headless Horseman in Scarlet Monestary! The only catch is that there is a minimum level of 15. No biggie there!

The next change that caught my eye was the AoE damage cap change. It has been redesigned (we'll see if it makes it to the live realms this way) to have a cap of on the total damage done. The cap is designed to hit 10 targets- so for example if you have an AoE spell that does 1000 damage to each mob – the damage cap would be (10 * 1000)= 10000. If you hit 20 mobs instead of 10, basically what happens is you would take the maximum damage done on 10 mobs and divide it by 20 – so 10000/20 = 500. This means each mob would take 500 damage instead of 1000.

The latest PTR build also has health and mana regeneration buffed by 200% for low level characters. It decreases as the character levels but by the time the character hits 15, it is reduced to normal regeneration gains.

Taunt Diminishing Returns has been changed on the PTR build. The system for diminishing returns on taunt was modified so that creatures do not become immune to Taunt until after 5 taunts have landed. The duration of the taunt effect has been reduced by 35% instead of 50% for each landed taught. To add to this, most creatures in Azeroth will not be affected by taunt diminishing returns- instead, just if the mobs have been specifically flagged for that behavior. This leaves me guessing that the adds on Yogg will still have it but overall, I'm think our tanks will like the change.

Naxxramas has been changed as well. Most people will only be running this place for new 80s or badges. (Likely the latter) Once 3.3 hits, you no longer have to clear all wings. Instead you can tackled whichever part of the instance in whatever order you like. Teleportation orbs are being added in Sapphiron's lair to allow players access to and from it.

Occulus also got a face lift. This place is generally dreaded by most folks. Blizz definitely implemented a lot of changes here. The Azure Ring Guardians agro distances have changed from 50 yards to 40 yards. Many bosses and creatures in Occulus have had their total health reduced as well a nerf on their specific abilities, effect durations, damage, and health. Mob groups have been dropped from 5 packs to 4 packs. Vehicle scaling has been changed to increase the vehicle more powerful for the player's item level.

That's a quick rundown on a few things that stood out. I'll be posting more about the PTR a bit later this week.

Pilgrim's Bounty Update

2009-11-20T21:09:00.004-06:00

The event starts November 22 -28; It's allot of quests to cram into the 6 day time frame.

Here's a shopping list - compiled by the folks at wow.com

25 Teldrassil Sweet Potatoes/Mulgore Sweet Potatoes (purchased from Pilgrim's Bounty vendors in Darnassus or Thunder Bluff respectively)
25 Tangy Wetland Cranberries/Tangy Southfury Cranberries (purchased from vendors in Ironforge or Orgrimmar respectively)
25 Ripe Elwynn Pumpkins/Ripe Tirisfal Pumpkins (purchased from vendors in Stormwind or Undercity respectively)
25 Wild Turkeys (from Elwynn or Tirisfal)
25 Simple Flour (for Spice Bread, purchased from any Cooking vendor)
25 Mild Spices (for Spice Bread, purchased from any Cooking vendor)
125 Honey (purchased from Pilgrim's Bounty vendors in any major city)
75 Autumnal Herbs (purchased from Pilgrim's Vendors)

Pilgrim's Paunch

Bountiful Tables will spawn in or around each faction's capitol city, and at each Table you need to stuff yourself on each holiday dish -- turkey, stuffing, sweet potatoes, pie, and cranberry chutney. The Spirit of Sharing buff is gained when you eat all five dishes. You have to run to each of your faction's cities, park yourself at a Bountiful Table, and eat!. Repeat until you've got all four cities done. One thing to note - if you're a reputation grinder - this buff is your best friend and lasts for an hour.

Perky PUG – A Play on Names

2009-11-04T12:22:00.002-06:00

The latest version of the PTR introduces a new pet- Perky PUG. He seems to either be a random award, possibly as an achievement from using the new Looking For Group system that Blizzard will introduce in Patch 3.3. The model was gleaned from the latest PTR build – 10747. The puppy itself will probably be highly sought for. The speculation is that this is a reward for grouping with 100 random players. As most experienced Warcraft players know, a PUG in game refers to a Pick Up Group. I think the new system and variety of achievements/awards linked with it are ways that Blizzard is trying to encourage more random grouping in game. A large population of the game avoids PUGs, but it seems that Blizzard is definitely putting measures into place to encourage it. The pet is called a "Perky Pug".

Pilgrim's Bounty - Nov 8 - Nov 14

2009-11-01T13:25:00.013-06:00

Keeping in the spirit of adding even more holidays, Pilgrim’s Bounty is the next upcoming, newly added holiday in our World of Warcraft. This holiday comes complete with a title and cool pet, provided you can complete the requirements during the week it’s available in game. Most of the achievements/quests are pretty straight forward. The quest available are listed here.

The meta achievement and title requires these quests to be completed. At first glance, it doesn't seem too hard. You need to keep in mind that you have to complete the daily quests available for this holiday to complete one of the requirements for the meta.

Pilgrim's Progress is the achievement for completing the dailies. This quest leads one to believe some new recipes will be entered into game. Below are the requirements to "complete" Pilgrim's Progress.

As you can see, you are basically sent on a set of quests to help make the dinner. Each quest sends you to a different capital city, and from reading the quest descriptions, it sounds like you can make these dishes if you have cooking high enough and the ingredients. Never fear, I'm sure enough capitalist folks will be putting these items on the Auction House. If you find yourself unable to cook these dishes, you might ask a guild member. Keep in mind each recipe sends you to a different area in Azeroth.

Here are the individual quests.

Starting with Can't Get Enough Turkey- you have to travel to Elwynn Forest. The turkeys are apparently running around there - plus the additional ingredients that you'll need to purchase from the holiday vendors. Mind you, this holiday falls in between the Canadian holiday and the American holiday.

The next quest on the list is Easy as Pie. This quest sends you to outside of Stormwind so you should pick up what you need from the

area at the same time. It turns in at Darnassus but the pumpkins need to be purchased from the Pilgrim's Bounty vendor outside of Stormwind.

The next quest is We're Out of Cranberry Chutney Again.

This quest sends you to Ironforge to acquire the Cranberries from yet another Pilgrim's Bounty vendor. Again, the quest sounds like there should be a recipe available.

This leads us up to Don't Forget the Stuffing!

This is probably the easiest quest to complete. It requires spice bread (level 1 recipe) and autumnal herbs. That leaves us with just one more daily quest to go.

The last quest that you need to complete for the Pilgrim's Progress is She Says Potato!

The potatoes should be picked up when you are turning in the quest in Darnassus. The Pilgrim's Bounty merchant there sells the items.

On the whole, the holiday quests don't seem to be overly complicated, even getting people to go into Sethekk Halls to kill King Ikiss (granted you have to be dressed up in holiday attire). What isn't known is where you end up purchasing those items from (maybe a vendor) or with what (think back to brewfest). You have to have the Pilgrim's Hat and either Pilgrim's Robe, Attire, or Dress. Alot of people will probably try to get a druid to come along for a chance at the Ravenlord mount. The recipes range from level 1 - 56, so a variety of cooking skill will be required. You may have memories of the putting out the enemies fires as you try to complete Pilgrim's Peril.

For anyone wanting the title, you better get your cooking leveled - as you will still have to cook up each one of these dishes. Keep in mind, at least this recipes count towards the cooking titles and achievements. Depending on if there are NPCs or not required for Turkey Lurkey.. we may all be hanging on in Dalaran looking for rogues to pick off. On the whole, for just a week long holiday, they have crammed tons of activities into it.

Day of the Dead - Revisited

2009-11-01T12:08:00.004-06:00

Well Halloween is over in game and out, which brings the onslaught of this new holiday – even as short as it is. Some things to note now that’s it is here. Yes, it’s still only November 1^st and November 2^nd. Where is the elusive Catrina? She appears outside of any capital city Graveyard. To get the achievement “Dead Man’s Party”, you just have to /dance with her.

To get the cool pet, you have to complete a quest called the Grateful Dead. The recipe “Bread of the Dead” is purchased from Chapman, the NPC next to Catrina. You will need simple flour

and ice cold milk to make the bread. You’ll also need either Orange Marigold or a Bouquet of Orange Marigolds from Chapman. Note- the only difference here is that the Bouquet is a multi- use item and the Orange Marigold is a single use item. Important items to mention- you can only pick up the “Grateful Dead” quest at your character’s capital city’s graveyard. You can also only see the quest giver using the Orange Marigold or Bouquet of Orange Marigolds. The bread can only be cooked at a ghostly fire. The ghostly fire is located close to Catrina- it is blue.

Once you complete the quest, you receive gold and the Macabre Marionette pet. The pet itself is very awesome. My only complaint is that it isn’t permanent. You only have the pet during the Day of the Dead celebration. I believe Blizzard will get tons of complaints over that decision but who really knows if they change it or not.

Day of the Dead

2009-10-24T19:24:00.005-05:00

Blizzard's went out of their way to add more holiday/seasonal type events. Earlier this year we saw Pirate's Day, with it's own achievement. November 1 and 2, we'll see the introduction of Day of the Dead. It's on Blizzard's Official Event Calendar. What we don't know is where is this Catrina that we need to dance with? It seems to be a reference to Día de los Muertos, which is a Central American holiday to honor dead relatives. One thing is for sure, we'll all be looking for Catrina come November 1^st. Who can miss out on an achievement called Dead Man's Party?!

Vault of Archavon – Toravon the Ice Watcher

2009-10-24T19:08:00.004-05:00

With the introduction of patch 3.3 and Arena season 8, a new boss will make an appearance in the Vault of Archavon. Enter Toravon the Ice Watcher. Following with the same themes of the other VoA bosses, this is an ice giant. The abilities haven't yet been gleaned. It's pretty safe speculation that this boss will drop tier 10 pieces, and with his introduction, the emblems in the 25 man version will change to Emblems of Frost, with the 10 version dropping Emblems of Triumph. You're probably wondering where are they going to fit in this boss? They've added a new wing. See the map below for clarification. WoWWiki.com is my source for most of this information so stay tuned to that site as 3.3 and Arena Season 8 approach!

How safe is your character?

2009-10-09T14:35:00.002-05:00

As you develop your character, you spend a lot of time getting achievements, reputation, pets, and all those shiny epics. In a blink of an eye, it can all be removed. Sad as it is, hacking is a common thing in WoW. You see good players with geared toons get hacked frequently. You log in to find your toon someplace you didn’t leave him/her. The toon is naked, stripped, your banks are empty, and your guild bank has been violated. You get a sinking feeling in the pit of your stomach… and you get angry. Can it be recovered? Yes, but it’s iffy if you will get everything back exactly the same. Since the guild itself has seen a handful of members hacked, it brings up a solid issue of security. Personally, I’ve never been hacked, but just the thought sends my stomach quivering in anxiety. With the recent influx of victims, I think a brief overview of the topic is warranted.

How did it happen?

Well, there are varieties methods at the hackers’ disposal but below are the most commonly used ones:

Keylogger: A keylogger or keystroke loggers are pieces of software which sit in memory, capturing your keystrokes when you enter the game, the Blizzard account, or Blizzard forum web sites. A keylogger program does not require physical access to the user's computer. It can be downloaded on purpose by someone who wants to monitor activity on a particular computer or it can be downloaded unwittingly as spyware and executed as part of a rootkit or remote administration (RAT)Trojan horse. A keylogger program typically consists of two files that get installed in the same directory: a dynamic link library (DLL) file (which does all the recording) and an executable file (.EXE) that installs the DLL file and triggers it to work. The keylogger program records each keystroke the user types and uploads the information over the Internet periodically to whoever installed the program. (Source)

Phishing: A phishing web site (sometimes called a "spoofed" site) tries to steal your account password or other confidential information by tricking you into believing you're on a legitimate web site. You can even land on a phishing site by mistyping a URL (web address). Is that web site legitimate? Don't be fooled by a site that looks real. It's easy for phishers to create web sites that look like the genuine article, complete with the logos and other graphics of a trusted web site. Important: If you're at all unsure about a web site, do not sign in. The safest thing to do is to close and then reopen your browser, and then type the URL into your browser's Address bar. Typing the correct URL is the best way to be sure you're not redirected to a spoofed site. Phishers are becoming more and more sophisticated in designing their phony web sites. There's no surefire way to know if you're on a phishing site, but here's some hints that can help you distinguish a real web site from a phishing site. (Source)

The Friend (Not!): This is the person that you were leveling with and felt safe- or this is the leveling service you used. You shared your password with this person, and now, either this person is no longer your friend, or the service you paid for is up and you never changed your password after sharing it. This is a simple avoidable situation – don’t share your username/password. It also is advisable to use a strong password, something that cannot be guessed by people that may know you well. It’s best to be greater than 8 alphanumeric in length, a combination of upper and lowercase characters and numbers. Another good practice is to use a different username/password for any Warcraft sites you may belong to and frequent.

The Best Prevention

Buy an authenticator: the cost is about the same as an Extra Value Meal – a whooping $6.50 – and this will provide you with two-factor authentication. Not only your user name and password, but a generated password that expires in 60 seconds. How does it work? After you enter your normal username/password, you will get a dialog for the authenticator generated code- get a code by pushing the button (unless you have a mobile application of it), enter it and you’re protected. The catch is you need to keep it safe because while you can recover your account should you lose it, it isn’t easy. It requires a phone call to Blizzard’s Billing and Account services to verify lots of information. You can order an authenticator from the Blizzard Store or you can purchase the mobile application (it’s available for several phones) at Blizzard’s Mobile Store. If you do decide to purchase an authenticator, you should write down the serial code and keep it in a safe place (wallet, etc).

Wiping – Is it really a waste of time?

2009-10-07T12:45:00.003-05:00

Progression.. it's a simple word really. It is measured in WoW terms by a variety of things- achievements, bosses killed, hard modes completed, gear level, reputation level, and the list can go on. It rarely happens over night. It takes effort, planning, and cohesiveness of the group to accomplish things. After all, one person isn't soloing Ulduar. It takes time and attempts to learn the mechanics of fights, and to figure out what strategy needs to be deployed for the group to be successful. Until the entire group understands the mechanics, how it works, what each person's role is and how to perform it to the best of his/her ability – it takes practice. Ever remember that old cliché phrase your mother used to say to you: "Practice makes perfect." Well, it holds true, even in WoW. Of course, it's easier to swallow the cost of learning if the guild bank is paying. At this point, it isn't about the "numbers" of WoW, be it TPS, DPS, or HPS – it is about the execution. Do they factor in? Absolutely- if dps is pulling aggro off the tank, we have to figure out the problem. If we are dying, and we do not know why, we have to figure out the problem. At this point, it's about staying alive (**theme music "staying alive staying alive"**). The numbers are what comes after everyone knows what to do, and we're getting to the point that the numbers are an issue is something else entirely. At that point, we have to work on how fast or how well we kill things.

Can progression be rough? Aside from bad leadership and loot, it's in the top three issues that KILL and CRUMBLE guilds. If you've been around this game long enough, you see blocks in the game. Usually they are put there as gear checks, or strategy/execution checks. Today's World of Warcraft has even created separate modes for "harder" instances – so if you choose to go that route, you can push your skill level. The point is, why settle? If it was easy, would you really want to do it? Isn't part of the satisfaction knowing that you are doing something or you've done something, others haven't? Wiping in Warcraft is a lot like going to the track for practice runs. You'll never win the race if you do not know how the car handles, especially in a pinch or on an unknown track. Just because you have spent a fair amount of time wiping on boss, it doesn't equal you are unable to do this. It means you have to learn what you are doing wrong and correct it. If you are lasting longer, getting to a different point, and learning – then it isn't a waste of time, but rather an conscious effort to succeed. This is really what progression is about.. guilds spent months stuck at different bosses throughout the game – for a variety of reasons. It goes with the territory.

Abyssal Shatter

2009-10-04T14:16:00.009-05:00

This is a new enchanting spell that they've put out on the PTR 3.3. It was actually supposed to be released with 3.2's content but for some reason it was left out. It's back on the 3.3 PTR but the interesting thing is that the rumor mill has it being hot patched into live servers, supposedly with Tuesday's maintenance.

The beauty of this is for guilds that have ample supply of these crystals and not enough of the other materials required for enchanting. This recipe is available from an enchanting trainer (or will be when it hits). It takes one Abyss Crystal and will randomly turn it into either Greater Cosmic Essences or Infinite Dusts. I was actually curious as to the ratio. I know for some guilds, their banks are full of crystals, but they may be lacking either of these other two materials- and with some enchants taking between 20-30 Infinite Dusts, it's easy to run low.

I experimented on the PTR with a pre-made character to see exactly how consistent the results were and if it was really worth it. Out of 8 shatters (there's no cool down):

4 turned into Greater Cosmic essence - 2 Greater Cosmic essences each shatter - for a total of 8
4 turned into Infinite Dust - 8, 7, 15, 10 = for a total of 40, averaging 10 dust per crystal

Depending on server prices, this is probably not a great way to make money, but it is a good way to save some - for guilds and guild members that supply enchanting mats. Also, depending on the economy, it may just be more cost effective to sell the crystal and buy the mats needed.

WoW Economics Article

The link above shows another resource (probably far more indepth with shattering abyss crystals than I've done)

Shattering crystals requires an enchanting skill of 445 and can reportedly yield as many as 18 dusts or 4 essences.

So with that.. and the fact it is already on the EU servers... it will more than likely be this Tuesday.

New Map PTR 3.3

2009-10-03T09:54:00.004-05:00

Last night I finally got the client installed. I am still working through what mods will work or not. So far, my challenge has been getting Xperls to work (I may have to switch to a different set of frames-currently I can't see my target). The mods I started with are: bartender 4, xperls, totemtimer, dbm, ora2, and omen.

Of course, Ice Crown has received an overhaul. I flew around trying to find the new 5 mans, and I definitely have a solid idea of where the new raid instance is going to be. This led me to looking at my map. All I can I say is wow. It's changed. I did not have any quest helpers loaded. As you can see they've integrated the quests, with the map. Overall, I believe I do like it. I installed TomTom because I want to see how well it works with this new map. If you click on a quest, the information appears below the map.

WoW Jones: Tradeskill Etiquette

2009-09-28T17:53:00.003-05:00

Sooner or later, at some point during your character's lifetime, you'll have to barter, trade, or arrange for an item to be crafted. Generally, within guild, most outside trading can be kept down to a minimum, and offsets tips and fees because generally guild members do these things as a service to their own community.

With the rare patterns and drops, orbs (both runed/crusader) and the mat lists that total 1000s of gold, trading can be intimidating. Before you enter into a trade, you need to be very clear about what you are getting, and what you paying for an item.

There's a distinct difference in words- and it is something I would encourage every person entering a trade to determine- what is the fee being asked? If the person says a tip, you should clarify what they expect- such as, what is the minimum tip you normally receive? You need to have a price settled before materials ever change hands. Generally most people are trust worthy but you need to ensure that everything is agreed upon up front so that it leaves less room for misunderstandings. The last thing you want is to gain a reputation for being "cheap" (making it hard to get items made) or a reputation for charging to much. Most of this is common sense, but unfortunately not everyone uses common sense. Even in a virtual world such as Warcraft, there are still interactions with people, and etiquette should be followed.

Perspectives

2009-09-25T11:51:00.002-05:00

"Do not let what you cannot do interfere
with what you can do."
- John Wooden

Raid composition used to be a top priority because each class brought something unique as a benefit to the raid. In today's WoW, most of that has changed. Multiple classes crossover on that benefit, and as such, it's one of those things where Blizzard has made it for guild to "bring the player, not the class". Today's raid composition is entirely a lot looser than raiding in Vanilla or BC World of Warcraft. It isn't just skill, it's also knowledge of game mechanics and each raider's own class.

One of the most frustrating things I've found in this game is the inability of people to think outside the box. It's an old cliché "think outside of the box" but I'm really at a loss of how else to describe it. I suppose it comes from my direct disregard for the word "NO" or "You can't" because, frankly, I rarely take those words to heart. There are many World of Warcraft sites on the internet, and from scouring them, you can find a wealth of information on your choice of subjects. Specifically of interest to most raiding guilds, boss strategies, with diagrams, and other people's experience abound. I know of guilds that prefer to do things "blind" and some that always will, as they are the first ones there, on the PTR, hammering out the new encounters, while the majority wait for the content to be released and tidbits of news/tips/tricks.

This guild may use strategy xyz, but guilds are not all cookies cut from the same cookie cutter. Each guild and raid core has members that are real people. These people have strengths and weaknesses. The key to any successful strategy is to utilize those strengths and compensate for those weaknesses. The idea is to be able to re-group when strategy xyz doesn't work, and adjust to the talents/skills of the people and players on hand. Gone are the days of Player A, can you step outside because we really need a <insert class here> for <insert ability here>. Is it different? Absolutely, but that's what makes this such an interesting game; There is no "one method" that works for all guilds~ it isn't about what you do not have, but what you can do with the composition and people you do have. The next time someone suggests something, keep an open mind, and just remember, just because YOU haven't done it that way, it does not mean that it is impossible.

Recruiting

2009-09-08T15:36:00.002-05:00

If you are a raiding guild, recruitment is something that is inherently a part of the guild's life – much like breathing is to you and I. Obviously no guild ever starts out with a full raiding core, even if the guild was formed as the result of a split. Recruitment is a continuous process, and stabilization can also be a contributing factor to the success of a raid encounter. It's something that I have done in a couple of guilds and in some aspects, it never really gets easier. NQG keeps a roster of 35 raiders. We allow alts and casual members, but that roster is our raiding core. Our roster size makes sure we rarely have to a cancel a raid due to lack of raiders.

There are a few things that always weigh in if you are trying to fill a specific role or class on your roster. You always have to worry about overfilling the slot (roughly 3 is a magic number for most classes). You have to worry about how your existing members are going to take to the new member. This isn't even looking at performance, because some folks could bluster out great performance in raid, but could be struggling with a solid mesh with the guild's atmosphere. The recruit could also be struggling with adjustments, due to a variety of factors such the guild's current progression level and raiding style.

For NQG, we really strive to ensure a solid fit. Our application is a bit daunting, and it's continually under improvement and adjustment, based on our own applicants' history and experience. We ask everything from the basic questions such as raid experience, a possible sample WoWWebStats or other meter form, to a simple question of if the person has cold weather flying. All of our raid applicants are asked and required to fill out an application. We try to keep our expectations posted and updated, as well as our website. Upon completion, the application is posted in a members' only forum for review by the guild. This was actually a revised process- at one time the applications were kept in an officer only forum. We've actually found by opening it to all guild members, we get better input. Diversity can be a great thing, and the varying input can assist with the right questions to ask. The last thing we want is to bring in someone and that person not be happy, which is even more true as this guild mainly consists of transfers. The quality of the application speaks volumes. It can tell you just how interested the potential member is. Often, it can give insight to how well they may fit in. Lack of raid experience is not an automatic "no", and the person's progression experience is just weighted. It's something that has to be done with a guild that pushes forward on progression. Also, some people may not understand what it takes to learn a fight, wiping, etc – and this has to be covered as well other expectations. Previous raid experience (and a few in-depth questions) can assist in finding out if the person has ever had this type of experience.

If the application looks sound, we then send an email asking to take our application process to the next step. Once a time has been arranged, we will conduct a vent interview. If there are questions over the application, or spec/gear choices, we'll usually ask them at that time. This vent interview may just contain a guild officer, or it may contain a few folks from the guild. We usually find out if the applicant understands the loot system, and what kind of expectations the interviewee has of the guild. It's imperative that we cover our expectations and the expectations of the person applying. If all goes well, an invite will be extended and a hard transfer date setup. Forum access is usually granted at this time. If we have some concerns, we note them as the application is moved to a private area. We have a two initiate period to see how an applicant is going to adjust/mesh.

Where do these folks come from? Many guilds struggle with recruitment. As a guild is like any organization, it is continually evolving- people are leaving, due to a variety of reasons, and people are joining. There are many areas to look for potential guild members. Most guilds will look to recruit from their server. This method has some positives, as you can run heroics/instances with the potential guild member and evaluate skill level. Some guilds spam the recruitment channel and/or the trade channel. Other guilds may just post on the server forums. If you are seeking to fill a specific role, you need to ensure you use a variety of methods.

NQG typically does NOT recruit on server. With that said, we will post on the Guild Recruitment – Alliance World of Warcraft forums. We also use a variety of sites, such as WoWMatcher.com, lookingforguild.net, recruitgamers.com, and forums such as MMOChampion.com. We post ads and search for potential folks, and we respond to folks. We try to follow up on occasion with contact in game, because we aren't just filling a role, we're looking for an exceptional person to join our roster. In the end, a solid fit is what we are after, and seeking emotionally sound and drama free individuals can sometimes be a challenge but with persistence and hard work, it can be done.

Raid Lockouts - Extend your game!

2009-08-13T10:58:00.010-05:00

This was a hot topic before 3.2 hit, but the advantages are really nice. It’s something we’ve avoided due to having new members that needed gear. After going through the first bit of Ulduar this week, we disenchanted entirely too much loot. With that said, it’s time to figure out how to use this feature.

The first thing that you have to do is hit O and pull up your guild/friends/raid tabs. Notice on the top right the "RAID INFO" button. Click here. As you can see from this point, all of your active raid instances that you've been saved in are listed. Notice the button on the bottom- EXTEND RAID LOCK.

Here's a better view of it- it will show you the instance, version, and when the lock expires.

You can then select the appropriate instance, and click Extend Raid Lock. This is not something anyone can do but YOU. Before you start panicking, you are probably wondering a bit more how this works-well keep in mind, if you change your mind you can remove the lock and if you forget to extend the lockout, you are able to do so after the reset.

Once you have extended the lock- notice the green "Extended" text, and the button changes to Remove Raid Lock Extension. Basically, this is going to allow alot more control over what you want to work on and when- once you've accomplished what you were after, you'll have to wait for the current raid week to be over for the reset, but for guilds struggling with attendance, or composition, this tool can come in handy.

Patch 3.2

2009-08-11T16:45:00.002-05:00

Patch 3.2 hit this last week and with it, of course, came tons of bugs. The bright side is that if one wants to a raider now, there is no reason not to be able to get your toon suitably geared for content. It may take a week or two, but if you do daily heroics, you should be able to knock down quite a few badges and items this way. Lots of people (geared and under-geared, as well as skilled and unskilled) are all chain running heroics these days.

In addition to the emblem changes, you also have the opportunity to get the triumphs by doing the daily. New Crusader quests are available, and some have changed considerably. New pets have been introduced, and the Northrend Orphan's week went live as well. Mount changes for your alts so that at level 20, you can ride from Redridge to Darkshire insteading of walking- and they've made it affordable as well.

Most exciting is the new 5 man instance- that drops Nax ilevel gear- and the new raid instance. Although the raid instance is being released in Sunwell style- one boss a week, first impressions are everything. The Northrend Beasts encounter wasn't as bad or hard.. albeit, challenging as I had hoped, but hey, that's what Heroic is for.

Raid Fallout

2009-08-10T16:59:00.002-05:00

Well, it's about time I got back to updating our blog. We've been working overtime on tightening up our raid. While this last week brought major changes to the guild as whole, we've proven we can survive the many curve balls that Blizz and just the lifecycle of a guild bring us. This week we lost a few offtanks.. well in honesty, 1 offtank, and two dual spec/two role offtanks and a single dps- but this is the way things work sometimes. The focus of this guild hasn't changed from the day of inception- simply put, we are here to raid, and to have a great time doing it; we are adults (18+ for the most part) and we're here to be damn good at what we do, and make the most of the time we have to do it. The stress of a guild focused on this type of progression, involving multi faceted focus isn't for everyone. For that we lost our OT, and one dps- because to them, the enjoyment of the game was gone- and that is something no one in this guild wants. I call it fall out- simply because when you get to points like Yogg or a hard mode- it can cause frustration. The point is to learn from your mistakes. Some people have issues with repeated wipes. All in all, no one guild ever walked or cleared all new content without at least some wiping and learning the fight. And even with learning it, it doesn't mean that the tactics may not change.

This last week has made me reflect on just the type of members this guild holds as its heart and core. The drive/ambition/motivation to continue forward and not "go quietly into the night," albeit kind of frustrating, it's very easy to overcome. As I think of each of members, and where this guild started last year, we've come a long way. Based on guild feedback, I've adjusted our application to allow us to more easily screen applicants- as there is no sense in wasting anyone's time or money. The quality of applications varies – but we quickly replaced the folks we lost. Our current openings are down to just a couple of DPS but we aren't hurting by any means. Sunday night we had an amazing turnout- and 36 people online around raid start time.

What astounds me the most about this last week is that while I was shocked, and some folks did the mature thing- posted their goodbye- one cowardly transfer in the middle of the night- was that our core wished them well and happiness in their endeavors. The only concern ever raised was the reasoning behind leaving- if this guild isn't for you, that's fine- but be honest about it, because I promise you, we'll honestly tell you if things are not working out. This has been something that has really made me go back over our policies as well as ensuring that the players which join this guild are here for the same purpose – casual members aside, the raiders that are here- have the same goals and determinations. There is no one person that cannot be replaced, but in the end, the guild core makes this guild what it is. I look forward the next weeks as new bosses die by our efforts. All these departures were just dust in the wind.

Hard Modes, Morale, and Raiding

2009-07-27T16:58:00.002-05:00

There's a lot of talk at various blog sites and WoWInsider about Hard Modes, specifically in relation to Ulduar and the next patch changes with 3.2 and the new raid instances. Discussion has ranged from a variety of, you should even consider a HM until you have cleared Ulduar to people trying to achieve HM when they are far below the capability- and how devastating that can be for the raid roster. I know just within our guild there was some discussion- but I firmly feel we arrived at the best solution for us- simply put, we will attempt a HM, and give it 3 solid attempts- and based on those attempts, call it and do the boss normally, or try again. There is no reason to ever burn someone out wiping.

We've gradually been building our experience up on the towers. Perhaps we'll try 3 towers up on FL this time and see how the attempt goes- but it is nice to know up front what limitations we have in place already. As far as DPS race HMs, there is really no reason not to try for these every time- because they cost nothing. We can increasingly push ourselves harder/further. Since our focus is currently Yogg and Iron Council Medium Mode, we've been pushing through content quickly to have time to focus on these fights; it's paid off too, because we are mastering Yogg's phases, and IC would have been cleared if we would have had a second hunter Sunday night.

Recruiting has really paid off, and we've also very quickly filled our immediate needs, and hit "critical mass" as far as our roster is concerned. With our latest additions, I really feel it will definitely make our first HM- IC – Med, very possible, which will then unlock the way for us to begin working on other HMs. Guild Bank Repairs on Sunday also helped as we were working through Yogg, and we did a 180 on improving our number of attempts for the time we had available. On the whole, aside from some miscommunication on 10 man raiding (I swear bliz loves to put these things out there just to test guild mettle), our core is stronger than it has ever been, with a great group of core people. The choice is always that YOU choose who YOU raid with. I love my decision!

A New Reason to do the Fishing Daily

2009-07-22T10:54:00.002-05:00

When 3.2 hits the live realms, players will have a new reason to do the fishing daily. Aside from the possible pet, the extra gold from vendor greys, and the possible storm jewel gems, the next patch will offer the chance for the Bag of Fishing Treasures to contain a Waterlogged Recipe. The quest available from the Waterlogged Recipe requires 350 currently to accept.

Cooks, don't get too excited. This operates in a similar fashion as the Sealed Vial of Poison. The only difference is that the Waterlogged Recipe can currently be traded. Once you start the quest, you have to deliver the recipe to Christi Stockton, a Wine Vendor located in Dalaran's premier shop- One More Glass. Frequent cooks haunt this location in search of wine and cheese for cooking dailies. Basically you talk to Christi, and she offers to buy the recipe from you. You receive 5 cooking badges, 250 Kirin Tor reputation, and of course, gold. For now, on the PTR, these waterlogged recipes are tradeable- making it possible to sell them on the auction house. This could provide a way for some chefs to get their chef hats. I personally thought it would have be neat to offer a new recipe drop this way but obviously this is not what the developers had in mind.

Northrend Children's Week – PTR First Look

2009-07-22T10:16:00.002-05:00

One thing I did notice on the PTR last night was that they are testing the Northrend Quests for Children's Week. It starts in Dalaran. The Orphan Matron is located close the fountain in Dalaran- she offers you a choice of orphans- either a Frenzyheart or a Oracle orphan to keep for the week.

On Onyxtotemz, I picked up the Oracle orphan. To complete the opening quest and unlock the quest chains, you first have to talk to the matron about both orphan types; note, you can only pick one faction. Once you have done that, with your orphan out, you complete the opening quest.

The first three quests are The Biggest Tree Ever, Playmates, and the Bronze Dragonshire. These quests are very straight forward.

The Biggest Tree Ever has you taking the orphan into Grizzly Hills to see Grizzlemaw. Grizzlemaw is the giant tree that has hostile furblog type creatures in it. To get credit for the quest I landed inside of Grizzlemaw, summoned the orphan, and moved slightly- quest complete.

Playmates takes you to Borean Tundra to visit the Winterfin Retreat camp. Here your lil' oracle orphan will meet with the kid murlocs and you get to see some really nice dancing.

The Bronze Dragonshire takes you to Dragonblight, just northeast of the Wintergarde Keep. Once you get here and summon your orphan. At this point you realize that your orphan is going to grow up to become the leader of his tribe. He chats with an elder here for a minute, and of course, you end up with more quests.

The Dragon Queen is also in Dragonblight. You just need to take your orphan to the top on Wyrmcrest Tower, and chat with the Queen for just a bit.

Meeting a Great One is the last quest outside of Dalaran. You get to take the orphan thru the waypoint in southern Sholazar Basin. Once you enter, summon your orphan, go up to the large guy on the left of the ramp.

Then it's back to Dalaran. A Trip to the Wonderworks quest has you purchasing a paper plane. You "play" with your orphan, throwing the plane back and forth. Once this one is complete, you turn him back into the Matron.

In the mail, you receive a letter from your orphan, and a mini orphan as a pet. Neat idea, but kinda freaky if you think that this is supposed to grow up to be a leader of a tribe; all in all, the quests are very straightforward.

PTR Trial of the Champion (5-Man) – First Looks

2009-07-11T14:25:00.004-05:00

We managed to get two groups and attempt this new 5 man as it came up during our organization process. BTW, we need DPS on the PTR.

First Phase – You know all those Argent Tourney dailies.. well I hope you are good at them, and if you aren't, you need to start practicing your jousting now. The first phase is mounted, and you are jousting 3 Horde factions; these 3 groups can vary, judging by the groups we had spawn between the our two 5 mans.

If you thought Rag had a long speech, prepare to be bored- because the opening is very long. Also note: if you wipe, you get to go through it again; Let's hope Bliz changes that. You enter the room , and there's a ring with horses along the edge; Equip your lance, mount up up, and start that long intro. Each of three random factions will move in, with their respective boss. The object is to defeat each of the factions, and then each boss, on horse. The PTR was really buggy (go figure, eh?) and if you died, the client crashed, if you dismounted, the client crashed. Once this phase was over, you had to fight the 3 heads of the factions again, on foot. After that, we have no idea; it seemed to bug out repeatedly for both groups.

Here's the video- note you will not see loot etc. The video stops where I crashed from dying =) -edited, unfortunately YouTube would not allow the Kid Rock audio of Cowboy- Boo on YouTube so here's our version hosted by Blogger =)

Lootwise this instance drops epics- 200 and 213 iLevels; the list of loot is available here: MMO Champion

A Great Holiday Weekend!

2009-05-26T10:09:00.002-05:00

Well, for those of us in US, this last weekend was Memorial Day! Despite the holiday weekend, we still filled Sunday night's raid. We had quite a busy weekend- some folks working on achievements, some old world content, and 10 man Ulduar as well. We finished up Nax, and got some of our casual raiders into the mix. There were some nice gear upgrades for some folks, and some nice offspec pieces to be had as well. We even rounded out recruitment, with just one position open- a mage slot. With the next upcoming month, I suspect we'll be seeing great progress in Ulduar, but at least for now, if nothing else we are consistent.

Off Night Fiascos

2009-05-24T14:49:00.002-05:00

So.. in a typical fashion.. we went visiting some Old World content.. a few weeks ago.. we hit up the old world dragons.. all but the one in Azshara..lol... Last night, we started at Onyxia, completed MC.. after attuning a couple of people and alts-

remember when if you pulled 3 core packs it was sudden death?... and then wrapped that up with Rag's defeat.. which I might add still looks as epic as ever!

This followed an adventure into BWL.. but first we had to attune a few people.. so while a small group ran UBERs,, (remember that?!) We had a dance party!

We crafted a few cloaks.. and away we went to BWL...

Nef died of course.. and it was another dance party.. all in all a great off night.. finished up with some new 10 man achievements and a few BoE drops. =)

WWS != meters

2009-05-20T12:09:00.004-05:00

Originally posted on our forums: Posted: 02 Apr 2009 08:52 pm RECAP: Interpreting WoWWebStats

Here's a write up I found about Wowwebstats that may explain more about this tool to everyone and how to read it.

You can link either the anonymous version of the report (which will use fake names and not link Armory profiles) or the 'private' version to the forums. IMO, more information is better, so unless you are doing this without the consent of the guild leaders, there isn't a really good reason to hide specs and gear. Allowing people to see specs and gear will eliminate the uncertainty when judging actions, otherwise we can't criticize a player for using a skill they didn't put points into.

WWS records DPS during DPS time, which will result in a different number than recount or Swstats which will record DPS over the time of the boss fight. As a result, there are two other numbers which become important for WWS, presence and DPS time. Presence is how much of the fight the player spent alive. DPS time is how much of THAT time the player spent DPSing. This will vary from class to class and fight to fight, but it should not vary too much between players of the same class doing the same job.

Non-damaging debuffs are not necessarily recorded as attached to a specific player, so if a warlock doesn't show a curse active, it may be because he kept up a non-damaging curse. In order to check to see if non-damaging debuffs have been put up, click on the "Raid and Mobs" section, then lick on the boss, and scroll to debuffs.

Healing meters may not show the full story, if you want to check healing assignments, click on the "Who Heals Whom" page. You will end up on a spreadsheet with healers on the columns and healing targets (including those healers) on the rows. Their "focus" is listed as well. The focus is a measure of how "focused" (for lack of a better word) a healer is on a single target. If you assigned a MT healer and that healers focus isn't the MT, talk to him.

Reading WWS

Clicking on a single player's name in WWS will result in a breakdown of their damage done, heals, buffs and debuffs. Let's look at a specific character

We can see percentages of damage done, crits, and misses. When WWS records a 'miss' and generates a miss rate for a spell or a physical attack, it is just counting your misses (which will be shown on the combat log as full resists if you are a spellcaster) and dividing by the total attempts. The miss rate should approach your theoretical miss rate (so 1% if you are hit capped), but does not need to be close.

If you click on an ability, you will find a breakdown of partial resists, blocked attacks, parries, dodges, and so forth. This also works for incoming damaging attacks to see how many crushing blows a tank took during a fight or what their avoidance was on average. Scrolling down, we find that we can see how many time a player clicked an 'on use' trinket, assuming we know the name of the effect the trinket causes. We can also find out how many potions, healthstones, mana gems, or other abilities the player used. Remember, WWS uses the names that the combat log uses, which may or may not match the names we use for them in conversation.

You can read DoT uptime from counting the DoT ticks and multiplying by the period of the dot (how often it ticks). This is NOT an optimal solution, because if dots are refreshed early or dispelled by the boss, you may have different values for estimated and actual uptime. If anyone knows a better way to figure DoT uptime, let me know.

What you CAN'T read from WWS

You can't tell, directly, the group makeup from WWS. This is why it is important for you to post what the raid groups were in your request for help. You can guess at who was with whom by seeing who received certain groupwide buffs (FI, Battleshout, Heroism/Bloodlust, etc.) and auras, but this is wasting time that is better spent looking for other things.

WWS handles buff uptime poorly because the combat log handles it poorly. If you refresh Battleshout before it expires every time, then it is entirely possible that WWS will show "Battleshout: 1" under the buff category. Similar problems exist with recording debuffs on a boss that are procced by abilities but meant to be maintained the whole fight, like Scorch. The debuff for Scorch shows up as "Fire Vulnerability (Stacksize)" (Where the relevant number is inserted for stack size. For a fight like Netherspite, having Scorch up 3 times may mean that the fight went through three portal phases—in this case, looking at the combat log, that is true. For other fights, a large number of scorch debuffs recorded may mean that the raid isn't keeping it up, this is very fight dependent.

WWS cannot tell you max health, minimum health or max/min mana. You can not tell strictly from the charts if an arcane mage is potting/gemming correctly or only when he is OOM. You cannot tell if a tank was kept full or barely above 75% for the duration of the fight. Assuming that the players from the raid logged in their buffs and in their raid gear, you can extrapolate some of this information, but it isn't worth it for most of the cases.

WWS does not record latency, so you can only tell from DPS time and combat logging if players are using macroes/stopcasting/etc. If you look at percentages, you may be able to tell the player's specific rotations, or area for improvement in rotations. This is merely another tool to allow players to improve their overall performance.

Things to add.. DejaWoW, World of Logs, and WoWMeterOnline also break things down differently.

There's a raid analysis section. From reading WWS, I can see what buffs were had, what people died from, or if they killed themselves.. i.e. tapping when too low on health.

By looking closely, I see about what rotation you are. Some sites are incredible analytic for spec and rotation that should be kept up, even coming close to providing %. This will tell you alot about playstyle. For example, compare my healing with Spans. I guarantee he spams CH alot more (Chain heal for you non healing types) where as I use Riptide alot in pinches and I believe I keep ES (Earth shield) up.

We have vastly different playstyles. Everybody does. Rotations are something that can be consistent- more for dps, but also, healing can change up alot depending on the fight. You can look at specific fights and see decursing etc, who heals whom, etc.

These are not just METERs, they are far more than meters, they are tools. If someone is better, (and there's always someone better), you can learn, if not from them then at least from their meters.

It's not a competition. It's about working as a team- if the goal is to live, the massive amount of DPS you did in the 10 sec you were alive DOES NOT MATTER. DPS and HPS do not matter. What it boils down to, is this is a tool that you use to learn from your mistakes.

This site does a great job of explaining how to interpret raid analysis tools.
http://www.worldofraids.com/forums/showthread.php?t=22022
An easier way to navigate the WWS meters.. there are two links in the above link that explain this far better than I can.

Being Prepared

2009-05-20T10:15:00.002-05:00

Well, it's been a bit since I've posted here and I'm working on cleaning out old topics on our forums. I'm going to archive some of those topics on our guild blog. Here's a good one, amended to reflect current changes. Original Post Posted: 23 Feb 2009 09:48 am

Being prepared is not just about flasks.. or food, it is also a certain level that you must commit to, in a much similar fashion that one does when he/she has a job. You have a certain time that you have to be to work. You better show up properly attired, and you better keep gas in your vehicle, or money to buy gas to get to work or your job may be at risk.

The same is true in correlation for raiding. Of course, if you read through our policies, you find that we EXPECT to make the first pull at 6:30. The expectation is that you are online and ready to raid 15 minutes prior.

The policy also states that we expect you to be at the instance- admittedly this one has been hard as of late, due to the fact our schedule has been bouncing around on what we are raiding. That schedule is something else I'm updating. Composition and attendance provided, we will focusing on Ulduar

Bonus EP and Penalties are about to be changed. The full impacts of those changes have not been fully decided upon. Attendance has become flighty. We always seem to end or be close to a full raid by the end of the night. What we have to allocate is simple- a full group. The On Time Bonus is going to be re-defined.

In our current policy, we state to be prepared and ready. Let me clarify exactly what is meant by this. This guild raids 4 nights a week, for a total of 13 hours. This is less than a part time job, if you want to look at raiding in that perspective. You're in this guild because you want to be, because you want to raid, and to do so competently. That means you have agreed to our raiding terms:

• Be online 15 minutes prior to the raid start time

• Be available – this means don't say, hey, hold up- I'm doing OS 10 really quick or Vault, or finish up a BG. This is rude behavior to the other 24 people waiting on you. It isn't just your time if you have committed to be in the raid and available for it.

• Be fully repaired-
This one is common sense. If you go to a raid, you show up fully repaired- that's 100% durability. No one is here to babysit. This will be checked at the beginning of every raid- and if you aren't repaired, it will be noted.

• Bring your food buff/flask/elixirs/bandages/potions.
Do I expect you to pop it on a Nax run? Flasks- no, but this goes with raiding. You should have these items ready for any raid. Several guild members assist me with helping to supply the raid with fish feasts, but you should still keep a stack of food for buff in the event you die and the raid doesn't. Our raid nights are pretty much set- so you should always have flasks/food available at that time.

• You should - at a minimum - be in Dalaran, if you are unsure of where we are going, if not outside the raid instance. Do not expect a summons. If you are going to be late or close on time, get prepared, and log out by the instance.

• The Cost of Epix/Purplez – The cost of getting gear and raiding is time and gold. Why did I say time? Because it takes time to farm mats, ply your trade to make money, or doing dailies so that you have gold. Why did I say gold? Gold is needed to be able to enchant items (the guild bank offers some high prices items at ½ going AH rate), get the consumables you need if you aren't farming them, and have money to repair. This is a guild that consists of mature members, 99% adults, and with jobs/real lives/ significant others. We all have other obligations/duties. This aspect of the game also goes along as the cost of raiding. There is NO valid excuse not to have these items covered. Gold is easier to come by now than it has ever been. The AH is another avenue to make money. If you need pointers, please make a post.

The Winds of Change

2009-04-27T14:59:00.003-05:00

What a week in review… from a stellar start to a vast amount of changes have blown a lot of debris from the guild. Unfortunately it's also put us back into recruitment but even more focused on keeping the founding principles of this guild at its core. The dust has settled and a lot of loyal people are remaining. If there is one thing about adversity, it's that it can pull people together.

Some major changes have been in process, with just 3 officers- and yes, we are still looking for a solid raid leader, it would be impossible to ensure we have someone available for invites online most 90-% of the time. We've since opened up our applications to be viewable by all guild members, and we've allowed swashbucklers the ability to invite. A solid guideline has been presented. Allowing members to read the applications gives everyone a feel for the people we are recruiting and what we are looking at. It's also allowing specific input on those classes.

Everyone has pulled together, and Thursday saw us running Ulduar 10 Man with alts tanking. Granted, their gear wasn't the best, but they damn sure played their classes as though it were their mains. We spent 3 hours in Ulduar that night- and we killed 3 bosses. Not too shabby =) Sunday we worked on Iron Council, still working with one alt tank and a new DK tank that we've added to the roster. After some very close attempts, we decided to give Kologarn a try- and he was a one-shot. Back to Iron Council went our little 10 man, and they came damn close to bringing him down. We should see that boss kill on the front page soon.

Our roster is filling back out rather rapidly. We've got a couple transferring in, and a rogue. We've already picked up a priest and DK tank. We're currently still on the hunt for a MT. We've also got a several interviews lined up for tonight. I think by the end of the week we will be back in 25 man content.

Due to recent departure, and the nasty little flames, it brings some discouragement, but out of the ashes rises a phoenix- brighter and more full of fire than ever. As a guildie related, a forest fire started naturally is part of the process, the brush and deadwood needs to be burnt out to let the forest grow rich and thrive. It was a very astute observation, and one who's sentiments I share whole heartedly. We're here, and we're going to be better than ever!

something old, Something new, somthing blue(ish)

2009-04-27T02:20:00.004-05:00

So after a lil schism in the ranks we lost some members...oh well. But hey if this week proved anything its that we don't die...we just get better! 4(almost 5)bosses in 2 days? Not bad for guild thats currently using ALTs as tanks! I say good job to everyone! lets keep gettin them purples!

We are also recruiting for our 25mans now. So welcome everyone who's joined and to those who will be joining us!

Words of Wisdom:
"He who makes a beast out of himself Gets rid of the pain of being a man"

Welcome To the World(of warcraft)

2009-04-16T22:23:00.006-05:00

So...where to begin. I guess i should start by saying now not only will Onyx be doing the blog but she hired Oryxlea and I to help out. So here I go with my first postNow onto the stuff ya’ll want to hear about! As many of you are aware, we have taken our first steps into Ulduar but we have gotten the server first achievement for Flame Leviathan! That’s right ladies and gents. No Quarter Given is server first for Heroic: Orbital Bombardment. Congratz to all who were there and all who were sitting on the sidelines cheering us on. Also in news, the Argent Tournament is in game. If you haven’t checked it out yet I strongly recommend it. It is located in the northeast corner of Icecrown (just look for the part of your map that isn't filled in). Many daily quests that are new, exciting and best of all...actually make you earn your way! So I urge you, young knights, to grab your lance tight in your hand and thrust forward into the dark depths of the unknown! Yeah it gives Silver Covenant faction/reputation gains.

In other more speculative news...the next Xpac. What will it be? When will it come? How will it change the game? Who will be the big bosses? Why the hell am I writing like this? Check the public forum and add your thoughts.

I leave you with my words of wisdom "Be kind to your knees. You'll miss them when you're kneecapped by a lone shark."

Patch 3.1 Live!

2009-04-16T11:59:00.001-05:00

So, it's here- finally. We basically had to scrap raiding on Tuesday since the realm was down until after 8PM server time. Lots of mods were/are broke and some of us are still trying to get our UIs back to normal. A few of us poked our nose into Ulduar 10 man and took out the first boss on Tuesday night. He seemed a pushover! Wish the same could be said on 25 with hard mode enabled =) ! Achievements for dual spec were flooding guild chat as many people got their dual specs on, and demands for glyphs were on the rise- except that most folks don't have some of the new glyphs yet. Where, oh, where are those books of glyph mastery? A lot of new patterns are available now- and the new Emerald bag is out there for herbalists- with a hefty cost of 4 moonshroud and 6 frost lotus (that's 12 flasks without a proc with the changes). On the whole, herb prices have increased. Another change noted is that our fish feasts are no longer soul bound- so I've been making them up as mats become available in the gbank- and depositing them back there. These are located on the 3^rd tab- which is viewable by all but accessible by an officer. I suspect we will have some off night runs/nax clears/os3 clears. We are currently banking cloth CDs and titansteel CDs (if the mats are in the bank and you have a CD, ask an officer). These items are for the BoE epics that can be crafted.

With raiding back into swing, it became pretty obvious last night that most of us will be farming again for gold/mats etc. With my armor, I believe I spent around 125g, and I'm not a tank or wearing plate. Our brief experience in VoA with Emalon was definitely something to write home about. Everyone is still talking about all the colored dots on the map – not to mention I noticed that both find fish and ore were active at the same time?? Anyone else? I'm sure we will still be discovering little changes as more people have more time to play; In the meantime, don't forget the dailies for the Argent Tournament in Icecrown and be sure to read the posted strats and videos!

OS 3D Kill - A little late

2009-04-09T21:27:00.000-05:00

Ok so here it is. A little late but none the less- here's the video that Owlkin frapp'd for us. It was a helluva fight. It took alot of preparation and work to get a full raid, and once we did, with a little work, we finally did it. Gratz to all! Twilight Vanquisher titles to all, and gratz to Devi for the awesome mount!

X Perls - Raid Frame Choices

2009-04-07T17:20:00.000-05:00

This is the unit frame I use for raid frames. We've got a video of grid posted. This is my first Fraps- so bear with it. I'm still trying to figure out and tweak the settings. The point of this video is to give you a brief overview of how functional X Perls can be. I put this together on my priest to quickly show you all the basic functionality.

Clique - How to setup this mod

2009-04-05T15:18:00.000-05:00

basically non verbal tutorial on Clique mod. This mod can be used by DPS and Healers alike.

Avoiding the burnout

2008-12-29T18:09:00.001-06:00

An article I ran across and something I wanted to share:

It will take a guild about two nights per week to raid. And a guild to raid usually take three to four hours of one night.Some guilds have longer raid nights than that. The more nights a guild sets aside for raiding, the faster it will progress.

The key to being successful in WoW without it taking over one's life is scheduling raids. Certain nights are typically less socially demanding than others - for example, Friday and Saturday nights are usually spent going out with friends, seeing movies, dates, events, and other social functions. Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursday nights, however, are typically less active. Notice that these are sweeping generalizations, so this might not be true of everyone, but they are true of most people. Raids must be coordinated to fit the schedules of either 10 or 25 different people, so it's important to keep in mind that scheduling for raids needs to fit everyone's needs, not just a few individual's needs.

Self-discipline is also important in keeping a distinct barrier between one's real life and raiding life. There are several guilds on my server that push their members until they physically cannot stay awake any longer and keep raiding. These guilds raid up to 6 nights per week and are extraordinarily demanding of their members. While they have seen much success as far as reaching and pushing far into Sunwell Plateau, raids leave most members drained both physically and mentally.

It's important to set limits. While it's tempting to keep pushing or to re-clear the instance when mobs start to repop so one can get another few cracks at a boss, sometimes it's best to simply call it a night and try again another night. One problem many guilds face from time to time is that of "burn out," when players are simply so tired of a particular instance that they stop showing up, or even stop playing.

On one of the loading screen tips, it says, "Remember to take all things in moderation (even World of Warcraft!)." This is something to keep in mind; sometimes to prevent burn out, it's best to cancel a raid. If many of the regular players in a raiding guild are getting tired of a particular instance, it may be a good idea for that guild's raiding leader to instead schedule a different instance, or perhaps to cancel the raid altogether and give his or her raiders an off night. This is obviously not a practice that is directly helpful in downing a raid boss nor something that should be done regularly, but it is helpful in keeping morale up, especially if said guild is halfway through a new progression instance and there hasn't been a new boss kill (or at least reasonable progress on a new boss) in weeks.

One mod that is very helpful in maintaining a regular schedule or in planning guild raids is Group Calendar. It's a mod that adds a calendar to the clock interface, accessed by clicking on the clock in-game. This allows for the creation of events, with detailed description of said event, scheduling the time, and what restrictions one can put in place as far as who can sign up and who can't. This allows everyone to keep track of what days and times raids will be taking place, as well as give the raid leaders a head's up on who will be coming and who won't.

*** Edit: we use Rapid Raid for signups. ****

It is also necessary to decide how high of a priority you wish to make raiding. Some players make raiding a very low priority and consider any night spent raiding free for doing anything at a moment's notice. Others may choose to keep their raid nights free in order to ensure that they can log on. In all honesty, if you wish to see consistent progress, it is probably best to try and keep your raid nights free. Obviously, things such as dates and important family events are things that would take priority over a raid, but when planning to do things with friends ahead of time, it's usually a good to consider your raid nights as nights where you are busy.
***This is why we ask what to expect on attendance. This is also why we have two ranks- casual and raiding.***

If you want to see some progression, then you must make raid attendance something of a priority, especially if your guild only spends one or two nights a week raiding. Raiding doesn't require a fanatical devotion every night in order to make it to the highest instances of progression, but it does require some time spent and effort, so consistent attendance is necessary.

Keeping raid nights under control rather than allowing them to control one's life is key to maintaining a healthy "real world" life. As long as you maintain a schedule and set limits, as well as goals, there's no reason you can't spend time raiding the World of Warcraft without it becoming your whole world.

http://ffxi.ffxi-gil.net/News/game-news-15086.html

Grouping - What you need know

2008-12-26T14:44:00.000-06:00

In guild, or out, grouping is a must for completing heroics, instances, and some quests. There are a few things that I would not normally think would need to be discussed, but I believe at this point, they should be covered.

Let's start with Pick Up Groups- or PUGS. When you pug a group, you rarely know what you are getting into. The most important thing here is that if you find a person you like to group with- add them to your friends list, with a note- such as, awesome tank. Likewise, if you find someone who just plain is really bad at their class, or a habitual whiner, etc- you can also add them to your friends list with the same type of note- terribad player, etc.

With any PUG, the first thing is to decide how loot is going to be determined. If you pug alot, macro it. I used to have a macro of standard loot rules- such as greed all blues unless an immediate upgrade for your current character, greed all greens, pass on all epics, etc. This leaves NO ONE guessing and no hard feelings.

If the pug falls apart, or you are having a bad time, or if for any reason you get removed from a group, then just leave quietly. Don't put up a fight, or make things hard by not leaving the instance, just quietly leave. The old motto you can't make everyone happy all the time comes to mind. If you have had a bad grouping with a pug member, make a post. I will start a thread for this so that you save the repair bills or attitude chafing from your fellow guild members.

GUILD GROUPS
Guild runs are great because we usually know exactly what to expect. There are some things that should be covered though. It is NO ONE's personal responsibility to run you through a specific heroic to have a chance for your drop. What you determine as this person is "doing nothing" but won't run with me is in fact your opinion. Maybe that person is farming mats, working on rep, but regardless that person may feel it is worthwhile and important- which could be a difference of opinion.

We have a few husband/wife guild members so it stands to reason these guys like to group together. Kallon and I usually don't because neither of us want to gimp our groups but the other husband/wife groups contain tank/dps sets- so expect to see those people grouping frequently.

Run heroics for other people as well, not just yourself. Sure, the loot you want doesn't fall out of Heroic UK, but a nice caster ring does and so so needs it. Regardless of where you are going, even if a specific piece of loot does not fall for you, badges do, and you can always get reputation gains by doing the clear. The main thing I am trying to point out here, is that a guild is a relationship: it is give and take, and you can't be one sided no matter which side of you stand on. If all you do is run heroics for where you need loot, people will be less apt to want to group with you. If all you do is run stuff for other people, you will likely get resentful. The key here is to compromise and run a few heroics for what you need and what other people need.

Don't be afraid to pug. It's how you meet people in this game and it can expand your horizons. Whining does not become any one. If you are whiner, then we missed something in the screening process, and you will probably find yourself looking for a new guild. It's something this guild has low tolerance for. If you have something specifically you need help with, post! That's why we have the website, and you can always say "I have had no luck getting through Heroic Gundrak and I'd like to put together a group for it on Dec x, at 5 CST PM." I'm sure people will help you!