Are You a Gear Slacker? (Or How you view your raid)

Well look at Big Bear and Matticus talking loot roles. Well ever one to throw my hat into the ring here we go! See to give a quick summary basically Matt says there are two kinds of players with loot.
The Perfectionist never satisfied there is always bigger and better (my hunter was like this) and the Slacker (bad usage of the word) who sets a gear goal and then passes to other people. Matt contends guilds benefit from both types of players, while B3 expounds on the beauty of being a Slacker which he renames. Btw if you are wondering my Priest…total slacker.

Me? Why am I blogging about this? Why do you care? Wait which am I? I know so many questions let’s tackle them slowly shall we?

First my loot style will flex with the role I am filling. My hunter ,DPS, was always looking for the next gear to put her DPS that much higher. Higher DPS means faster killing, faster killing means faster raids, two night runs become one night runs. See where this is going? Maximizing my dps IS helping the raid group. This is an important point, its not all about personal epeen “Look at me at the top of the dps charts”, if my dps was bad I was contributing to wipes and longer boss fights.
Zhavi on the other hand had had defined goals. Get +2k spellpower, stack all the int I can for crit and rapture returns. (thank you Plus heals for my numbers *hugs priest community*) But after getting some KILLER upgrades to my blue gear (thank you to Brory for passing them to me *kisses* *coughs* eww dwarf) So I made my gear goals. Do I have Best in Slot gear all over the place? Hmmm no. (Of course I totally use the defense that there is much desention in the Priest community over BiS) But I am getting off topic like always. Zhavi has started passing on gear. Well not really passing as you may or may not be aware Leftovers uses a Shroud, Standard, Save method. Think of it as priority Shroud<–Standard<-Save. So I’ve been saving a lot of gear. They are minor upgrades and while of
course I’d like them. Surely I’m not going to take them over someone who needs it more. So I’m…a slacker.

Looking solely at my own behavior I believe it is a function of my role. Perfectionist when my stats can, at times, completely affect the outcome of a fight. Slacker when my stats meet the needs of my role. For B3 he too is a slacker when his stats meet the overall need of his tank role. And while I
believe WW’s Rython and Soulecho to be Perfectionists regardless of making required numbers, I could be wrong (its been known to happen). The idea that it is tied to your role, and that perhaps the psychology of the roles we take affects not just our play style but how we deal with loot fascinates
me.

It ties into a larger issue for me. Do you use your raid solely to benefit yourself or do you raid to benefit your raid? Let me use well myself to illustrate. I don’t have to be the best, I don’t need the pat on the back for topping a heal meter (I play Disc for crying out loud!) but I do like the quiet
satisfaction of a job well done and a tank alive. I don’t mind passing gear to a fellow healer (or back in BC a fellow Hunter *nods to Cruzor*) because it benefits the whole if I do so. I raid to see the end content and be there. It is the camaraderie of getting the job done. I like the people I raid with and I only raid with the people I like. (Though there are more ppl I like than I have characters to raid with). What about you? Is the raid simply a means to an end for you? Are the people disposable? Or is it a larger fabric of people coming together for a goal?

(On a side note Matt made me seriously crave some Dim Sum *sigh*)

A Return to..FIRE!

Today I joined with the marry band of The Finest Thread. A consortium of crafters delving the depths of long forgotten dungeons in search of rarely seen patterns. Their quest to know all and have all patterns lead me to Molten Core in hopes of getting the Eye of Divinity and beginning my own quest for a nice RP staff. Alas while the Eye did appear another claimed it as bounty. I’ll foray with this group again. Fast and furious they made quick work of the Core’s denizens.

**Yeah I really wanted to get the Eye on Zhavi but thats ok it was nice to see old content with her. For some reason seeing the old stuff makes it sparkle all over again when I’m on a character that hasn’t been there. I forsee making all my alts take a trek in there. 🙂 Speaking of…Sember my DK made 67!!

Heart of the Matter…err Guild!

Every guild has a heart it is either a person or small group of persons that keep you knit together. Generally I associate them with the people that make you feel welcomed. Today while pondering what my next topic of discussion shall be I discovered who I think of as the heart of EW. Drum roll please!

Frendan!

I know it’s a pally, try not to throw rotten fruit at me over it! Some will say he hasn’t be there from the beginning (psst neither have I) and that he is old. And old people can’t be the heart of the guild (Mind you it would be Frendan telling you all this, infact you would only know he is old because he tells you…often 😉 )

Frenny (as I like to call him) is that rare person that is always quick to say hi when someone logs into the game, swift to strike up banter with new members, or snappy with his offers of help to any members. If you (like me) have ever logged in and said hi to your guild and been met with crickets, you need a Frendan. (please note cricket sounds were pre EW days.) But you can’t have my Frendan, you’ll have to find your own. Good Luck!

This was made no more true to me than well recently of course, otherwise I’d have blogged it by now. (ok in your defense there are tons of things I haven’t put in here but should so bad me! *slaps hand*) Where was I? Oh yes! I guilded the husband when he came back to WoW. Its always akward when you bring together your friends that you hang out with like all the time with your significant other. And I love bantering with my friends. Banter makes my life go round, it makes my raiding bareable (even though I loooove killing mobs), it keeps me connected with the game. So I was a bit leery how the mage hub would be taken. The answer of course is Frendan.

Frenny is master of banter and teasing, he and the gnomelicious mage hit it off and and tease each other like crazy. It did good for my nerves good, what’s more Frenny is just like that period. He wasn’t doing to be nice to me or do me a favor. Which is what made it all the more awesome. So I paid more attention to the way Frenny interacts with the guild and saw just how enthusiastic he is for the other members.

This is my thank you to Frenny. For being Frenny, making the guild super friendly and welcoming, and for letting me dps as disc priest on a time CoT run…WHAT? It was fun!

Frenny is by no means the only member of the Heart, but ask yourself this. Are you the Heart?

The Gnome Returns!

Last week the unexpected happened…That’s right the gnome husband returned from the lands of WAR to join the fight against the Lich King!

Of course I am super happy about this. Its nice watching someone get reinvigorated about the game. It has even sparked my interested in achievements. Bringing me up from 8 pets to…37! *sighs* I created a monster. 😉

On a side not Wild West attempted Sarth 3D. I will have to confirm it is harder than it sounded and that it takes time to get the coordination down. I anticipate Sarth and his drake friends deaded next week. Will keep you apprised of that situation as well.

Setting the Mood-Raid Prep 2

In Raid Prep 1 we discussed how to get your character ready for a raid, with fore knowledge of encounter, consumables, and gear. Today we will look at how to get you the player in ‘the zone’ for you raid, and keeping you there. Because you got to set the mood for your sweet, sweet kills.

1. Music- There is a reason Bliz has each instance sound different. Arguably they did their best work  with Black Temple. Personally I like to get my music fix outside the game. Maybe for you its smooth jazz to mellow you out after a frantic day at work before the raid, or some fast and furious speed metal to get your heart racing for the dps races ahead, either way music is a great way to set your mind prior to a raid. (And I keep it running in the background during as well)

2. Fluids- Just like your character, who needs to chug some Honey Tea to replenish their reserves, you too need something on hand to keep you hydrated. Used to be a nice soda could be found on my desk, but in an effort to cut out needless calories from my diet, water can now be found there instead. Ultimately, have on hand something to drink during the raid, be it coffee, tea, soda, water, or something stronger 😉

3. Snacks- Personally I eat right before the raid (or as my raid leader will tell you as we are doing invites) so snacking has become less an issue for me. But if you plan your meals better than I do, it’s a good idea to have something on hand for your 4 hour excursions. Rython, it turns out likes to have peanut butter crackers on hand (which concerns me with the peanut scare) while Soulecho leans towards Chinese food or chips and dip. Personally I want the tasty mana pastries my character is eating, they look so good…

4. Bring your self– Be present in the game, really be there. Don’t be half in the raid and half watching tv etc. (or working on your blog post <.<)

How to Herd Wombats

The Illustrious Wild West Leads Emox and Woleca let me impose upon them for some suggestions and tips for prospective raid leaders. Congradualtions are in order for Rython, he has been promoted to tank lead! Woot!! *crowd goes wild*

Read on!

1) First things first, Why four raid leaders?

Emox: Arbitrary minimum set by Leftovers for 25-player charters. In reality we really only use 3 of the raid leaders.

2) How do you split raid responsiblities?

Emox:Ace handles slotting and overall raid lead stuff, Tayjor does most of the tactics. I handle most of the administrative stuff — Points, WWS reports, interaction with Leftovers lead community.

Woleca:Same as Emox. I am the overall lead, but this does not mean I am almighty. My job is to weigh all arguments and decide which works best for our group and convince all our leads to agree on the same plan

3) Veneratio on Tankspot recently made a post asserting his belief that a RL’s role affects how they make assignments etc. ie Tank leads give hearder assignments and heal leads tend to over stack healers etc. Would you say you agree/disagree with this assertion?

Woleca: I have raided under several leads feel that in most cases leads fall into these personalities:
Tank leads- are usually more strategic and orders are direct with little detail. Will try to push the pace.
Healer leads- explanations are too detailed, and raid pace is usually slower
DPS- They have the toughest time leading, cause tanks and healers usually do not like taking orders from a dps lead. This is my observation. Just a rough stereotype of the type of leads out there, but most have their own flavor

4)Coming into an already established raiding structure did you find there were still growing pain in the beginning? Bumps that had to be worked out?

Emox: Wow that was so long ago. I think the big change was getting people used to Leftovers Points system, when the prior standard for Eastwind was essentially a much looser ‘Be Cool’ system.

Woleca: Fine tuning the raid was challenging. Figuring out which combinations of players will make the raid enjoyable.

5)With the way Bliz has changed classes in LK with the hopes roles will be slotted not classes. Has this made slotting easier for you in actual practice?

Woleca: We try not let encounters dictate who or what we can slot. Slotting is never easy.

6)Dual Spec will be introduced with 3.10 do you anticipate it to have any impact on how you decide now?

Emox: (ditto) I intend to take advantage of Dual spec for both Meddic and Emox, to provide dps and/or healing as needed.

Woleca: The only problem I see is more loot will be taken and be rarely used. Dual specs will be interesting, especially raiding politics.

7) As a RL what do you do differently to prepare for a raid, than you did as raider?

Emox: Better collection of mods, to keep a good overview of the general status of the raid. Grid and/or ORA2 are a big help here. Macros to announce things like vent information and/or Leftovers Loot rules, etc.

Woleca: Raiders get to plan raids into their schedules, as a RL I plan around my raids =(

8)Having conquered current content. How did you avoid burn out on your progression runs?

Emox: Alts. Alts galore. Keeping the rest of the raid group motivated and avoiding drama is always a challenge.

Woleca: Pacing, raiding is a Marathon sport.

9)RL is said to be a stress filled time of herding players, how do you avoid burn out, yourselves?

Emox: A fair bit of solo play after every raid.

Woleca: Only deal with players you want to go. Give your raiders ample warning and let them decide if they can or want to go. Chasing raiders down is a fast way to burn a lead out. The only time I chase raiders is at invite time =)
10)What do you find is the most challenging aspect of your job?

Emox: Job? When’d this become a job? I think of it more as a role.

Woleca: The most challenging part for me is juggling all the gears that make our raid go.

11)Having asked that what do you find the most rewarding?

Emox: One nice benefit — and a curse — is regular attendance at raids.

Woleca: Good company and being able to see perfect executions of plans.

12)Do you have any advice you would give prospective or new raid leaders?

Emox: Keep everything in perspective. avoid drama where possible, keep the interest of every raider in mind.

Woleca: Don’t do it!

A very special Thank you to Emox and Woleca for contributing. ❤

Alms for the forgetful

I apologize for not posting the Monday guest post yesterday. I have a special post from my fav Guild and Raid Leader Ace and trusty sidekick Point Master Emox. I will finish polishing it up and get it up tonight!

I could tell you lots of drama stalled the post but that is no excuse for not keeping up.