Rockstar Downs Big Bad Wolf
This is the group’s first Opera Event; the first draw was Big Bad Wolf. One-shotted. Rockstar poses next to the wolf’s corpse. Eternal Force Karazhan group 3 is off to a terrific start.
Rockstar and Karazhan Part 2
Friday night marked Rockstar’s return to Karazhan. Once again we were having some troubles filling the raid at the assigned time; hopefully that problem is alleviated as time goes by. Rockstar doesn’t like being kept waiting. On this night Predictys would be swapping in and out as needed with Radiantys…tonight’s card starts with Maiden of Virtue and then the Curator.
As we lined up the start the trash pulls, someone was walking around and got aggro from the patrol in the Maiden’s hallway. Very careless. If you’re new (or even veteran), why would you go farther than the tank? If you’re stealthed and marking or assigned to check something, then you can go past the tank. If you’re not stealthed, there is no reason to go past the tank. I immediately jumped in and took aggro from both members of the patrol, and hoped the healers would notice and jump into action. Luckily for me, they did, and we survived with no deaths. We waited for the rest of the group to arrive.
We quickly cleared through the hallway leading to the Maiden, and had a quick briefing on what would ensue. With a holy Paladin in the group, Blessing of Sacrifice was now on the table. Radiantys did a great job of keep that on me during the fight, and the heals were good through Repentance. At the very end of the fight, Radiantys was killed, but Seraphyne kept up the heals for the last bit of time.
On this night, Maiden of Virtue got one-shotted in 2 minutes, 22 seconds. She dropped the Iron Gauntlets of the Maiden (needed by Rockstar) and the Bracers of Maliciousness (needed by Calithis).
Because Opera Event was already cleared, we moved through the empty chambers to begin clearing to the Curator. The pulls involving the Arcane Anomaly and Syphoners were educational for a lot of people. We had spotty deaths, this person on this pull, or that person on that pull…I focused on tanking the Arcane Anomaly while the others burned down the other mobs. And then it was time for the big event…Curator.
I was a little surprised to see that Trivia called for the DPS to be more spread out. There were a couple of rogues and a cat Druid in the group…with that much melee DPS I figured they would use a cluster strategy. But no matter…I can watch and learn. I pulled the Curator and spun him right at the requested spot (the tip of the third diamond in the floor). Seraphyne was on my left wing providing my with heals.
Tanking the Curator is really a simple task. I’m left alone with him, spamming my best threat-generating moves and trying to do as much “damage” as possible. I have no idea what DPS tanks or high-end tanks are supposed to be capable of, but it seems like I’m very consistently in the 200-230 DPS range…with not a lot of room to improve on that. I was able to call out the Evocation state, but ideally I’d like to be able to call out how many Astral Flares have spawned, so that people have a better idea where we’re at in the phase.
We one-shotted the Curator in 5 minutes, 5 seconds. I died right at the 5 minute mark, literally just before the Curator was killed. The Curator dropped the Gloves of the Fallen Hero (won by Lofkalar) and the Wrynn Dynasty Greaves (needed by Rockstar).
We had a short break and continued. The clearing was moving flawlessly. When we got to the bookcase leading to Terestian Illhoof and killed the demon trash, the group decided to take a shot on Illhoof. I was dubious, because we had no Warlock in the group. I was even more dubious about this attempt when the strategy was unfolded…the two mages in the group were going to be trading off AoE duties on the imps. I’ve heard this strategy works, but I’m skeptical. The key is DPS to the Demon Chains in this fight, and losing two mages doesn’t help that out. Mage AoE against infinite spawns of imps seems counter-productive due to the extensive mana drain that ensues.
We had another one of those moments where someone carelessly aggros the mobs because they’re not paying attention and just walks too close to them. As a tank, I have to sigh and immediately jump into the mobs…I burned my Challenging Shout picking up those imps standing right at Illhoof’s doorway because of someone’s mistake. Then we jumped into the Illhoof fight, and had a wipe after several minutes. This let people have a chance to use their macros to target the Demon Chains and see how things work. Just like our withdrawal from the Maiden on our previous night, we withdrew from Illhoof after one “experimental” attempt. Onwards to the Shade.
Time was winding down, but we wanted to have one experimental attempt on the Shade of Aran as well. The fight required a long explanation…survivability is of course stressed in the fight, as well as the DPS race, but of course that isn’t clear until you actually jump into the fight and see how it works.
We did okay…the attempt lasted over 2 minutes…Radiantys learned that when the Shade uses Arcane Explosion, you MUST immediately get to the edge of the room. No time for an extra heal. I think Lofkalar learned a similar lesson with moving out of the Blizzard effect. For me as a tank, it’s a bit depressing because the Shade seems to have a random aggro table. I ended up being unable to tank and able to do a meek 215 DPS.
The group did pretty well for the second night in Karazhan…two more one-shotted bosses (including our first look at Curator). We had a couple of looks at the Illhoof and Shade fights. Overall, I’m happy with the group’s ability to destroy trash, improvise in emergency scenarios, and analyze boss fights. Big things to work on are refraining from careless aggro (on both trash AND bosses) and focusing on the clearing speed of the raid.
On this night I would have to spend 300g on stamina gems and enchants for my new gloves and leggings, but I am extremely pleased to do it.
Rockstar Downs Attumen
Rockstar poses in front of the slain Attumen…this is the first kill for Rockstar. Predictys tanked Midnight and Rockstar tanked Attumen.
Rockstar and Karazhan Part 1
Through an amazing series of events, Rockstar has found himself in the position of being the main tank for Karazhan Group 3 of the Ysera guild Eternal Force. And tasked in the off tank position is friend feral Druid Predictys, also of Eternal Force. Rockstar’s tanking experience is pretty limited…I’ve done about a dozen regular instances, about three heroics, and this would be my first raid. There’s a lot to know in tanking Karazhan, and hopefully the pieces of gear I’ve been collecting over the previous weeks wouldn’t let me (or the group) down too badly.
The first night was Wednesday night. Most first-night Karazhan runs clear through Curator as a goal, plus or minus one boss as the night progresses. Four members of the group had never been in Karazhan before at all. I think everyone was cautiously optimistic, and we would all have to wait and see. Trivia, rogues officer of Eternal Force, would be leading the raid. Predictys and I were promoted to help play with the marks.
It took forever to get the group assembled and ready to roll. Once we got started, the trash clearing to Attumen was pretty smooth. The shackles were good, the trapping was good, and I was able to rotate targets pretty effectively. I felt I was able to build threat pretty effectively.
The Attumen fight was terrific. We one-shotted him in 3 minutes, 44 seconds with no deaths occurring. Predictys of course tanked Midnight, and I picked up Attumen effectively (meaning I intercepted him and took aggro before he could get a shot off on our healers). Using a Disarm and then a Shield Slam against him is pretty satisfying. Rockstar actually attained Friendly status with the Violet Eye as Attumen was slain. Attumen dropped the Harbinger Bands (needed by Lofkalar) and the Spectral Band of Innervation.
We began clearing trash towards Moroes. Trivia put marks on all of the patrolling undead, and Rockstar got a chance to begin the pulls. Between myself, Predictys, and a couple of rogues, no one was dying on the AoE pulls on the stairway…this is a spot for frequent caster deaths. Eternal Force skips the groups composed of all elites, and lets them despawn after Moroes is dead.
Tanking the Moroes fight is great…there’s not too much to do. This fight emphasizes DPS (for dropping the first pair of adds and burning Moroes) but showcases the healers (who have to keep re-shackling, remove Blind effects, heal the tanks, and keep heals up on whoever receives a Garrote). Predictys and I simply have to bash and smash Moroes to keep his attention between Vanishes. We used Calithis, a second Druid, to tank the first couple of adds while DPS burned them down. The group then shifted to Moroes. Rather than exit the room after killing Moroes, Eternal Force chooses to down the remaining adds.
We one-shotted Moroes in 3 minutes, 55 seconds. At the end of the fight, both of our healers Seraphyne and Pithicus were down. Moroes dropped Edgewalker Longboots (needed by Calithis) and the Crimson Girdle of the Indomitable (needed by Rockstar). That belt marks the first loot for my Warrior in Karazhan. The group was doing very well.
Clearing towards the Maiden of Virtue ran smoothly. We didn’t have a Warlock to help with banishing the demons, but that was okay. We shackled the undead and brought the demons forward in the kill order. We got to Maiden, and talked through the fight. It was pretty awkward, because we didn’t have a Paladin in the group to help with Blessing of Sacrifice. A few healing responsibilities were discussed, the option of me bringing Maiden to a healer was discussed, and we decided to give it a single try to see what happened. The result was a quick wipe, with Rockstar down at the end of the second Repentance. Trivia called for a tactical withdrawal, and we would re-visit the Maiden when we had a Paladin in the group the next time.
So, we went to Opera. Clearing to the Opera Event is always pretty fun (at least for me). I love fighting Spectral Performers, especially when they use their Spotlight ability. I was able to experiment with some chain pulls, as the coming and going of patrols in this area allows that to some extent. I’m already looking for ways the tank can chain pull to keep the pace of the group moving right along.
We drew Big Bad Wolf for the Opera Event…this is the simplest in terms of what needs to happen, although it might be the most difficult event to execute properly. But the group was pretty good…we dropped the Big Bad Wolf in one shot (3 minutes, 18 seconds). Sure, several people died (including myself), but this is one of those events where it doesn’t matter so much, as long as there is at least one healer still alive. The Big Bad Wolf dropped Big Bad Wolf’s Paw (needed by Amrys) and the Earthsoul Leggings (needed by Calithis).
Because of time constraints, this is where the raid was called. We didn’t get to Curator, but that’s okay. We were able to one-shot three bosses, which was excellent. We were also able to concede defeat on Maiden of Virtue without a Paladin, but at least the group was able to see how the fight works. All in all, the group did extremely well. With a little more attention to punctuality and a lot less talk between trash pulls, this group was moving as smoothly as any of the others I’ve ever been in.
For now, I’ll have to get a couple of stamina gems for my new belt.
Kruenor Versus The Razza
Today Kruenor and Stryker (his pet Ravager) attempted The Razza in the Dire Maul arena. They emerged victorious. The Razza dropped Lazy Alizabeth’s Pendant and the Lordly Armguards.
Frost Resistance Tanking Gear Checklist
As it happens, the pieces of equipment used to build out a frost resistance tanking set could be used by either protection Paladins or protection Warriors. As a guild approaches tackling 25-man content, having tanks decked out in resistance gear is a necessity. As you would expect, building out a full set is going to take quite a bit of time (if you’re doing it all yourself) or quite a bit of money (if you’re going to pay crafters to help you out).
In order to prepare a full set for a magic resistance fight, the tank should aim for the 365 (buffed) resistance cap versus level 73 mobs. With 365 frost resistance, the average damage reduction should be about 75%. Hydross the Unstable hits for about 8000 damage; with a full frost resistance set, he should hit for about 2000 damage on average.
Head
- Iceguard Helm is a crafted item. The plans can be learned by a Blacksmith who has reached honored reputation level with The Violet Eye. The helm should be adorned with a Glyph of Frost Warding, which can be purchased for 100g from the Keepers of Time quartermaster when the tank has reached honored reputation level with the Keepers of Time. Between the helm and and the helm enchant, this item accounts for 70 frost resistance.
Neck
- Pendant of Thawing is a crafted item. The design can be learned by a Jewelcrafter who has reached revered reputation level with the Lower City. This item accounts for 30 frost resistance.
Shoulder
- The shoulder should be adorned with the Inscription of Endurance, which can be purchased for 30g from The Violet Eye quartermaster when the tank has reached honored reputation level with The Violet Eye. This item accounts for 7 frost resistance.
Chest
- Iceguard Breastplate is a crafted item. The plans can be learned by a Blacksmith who has reached honored reputation level with The Violet Eye. This item accounts for 60 frost resistance.
Legs
- Iceguard Leggings is a crafted item. The plans can be learned by a Blacksmith who has reached revered reputation level with The Violet Eye. This item accounts for 60 frost resistance.
Finger
- The Frozen Eye is a crafted item. The plans can be learned by a Jewelcrafter who has reached honored reputation level with The Violet Eye. This item accounts for 35 frost resistance.
Other
- A Frost Armor Kit should be applied to the equipment in the chest, legs, hands, and feet slots. If all four pieces are augmented this way, this can account for 32 frost resistance.
- Frost Resistance Aura from Paladins can account for 70 frost resistance.
- Frost Resistance Totem from Shamans can account for 60 frost resistance.
- Gift of the Wild can account for 25 frost resistance.
- Flask of Chromatic Wonder can account for 35 frost resistance.
- Flask of Chromatic Resistance can account for 25 frost resistance.
LF1M Heroic Mechanar, Lock Needed
Ah, heroic Mechanar…the bread and butter instance for Warlocks. This is how Warlocks farm for Badges of Justice out of heroic instances. They simply log on for the day, and wait until some would-be Mechanar party of four calls out for a Warlock. Illustra got a chance to PUG tonight with a new group of people.
The group was composed of myself (70 affliction Warlock), Hkilla (70 protection Warrior) and Penical (70 feral Druid) of Epic, Quantus (70 frost Mage) of Spiritus Mortis, and Arterus (70 holy Priest) of Endless. I don’t believe I’ve ever run with any of these folks before.
The group seemed skilled as we moved through the first few pulls. I was in a mood for getting things done, and was glad to see the tank pulling almost right away. I created and applied a soulstone mid-fight, and before the second pull was finished, was able to get my food buff. As we fought Gatewatcher Gyro-Kill, I noticed that my threat was rapidly rising on the threat table. The tank wasn’t capable of generating enough threat for me to go all out in the fight. I wasn’t paying attention to the others because I was studying the threat table…Penical ended up dying during this fight. For what reason, I cannot say. But I noted that I was probably going to have to watch my threat for the duration of this run.
As we approached the stairway leading down, Hkilla studied the three mobs and called for the succubus. I was wondering if he might. I’ve mentioned before how I don’t really like using the succubus, as I consider it a weaker form of crowd control. My real concern here is he depended on the succubus now for a three-pull, how was he planning to deal with the four-pulls that lay ahead? We cleared the stairway and below. I put on the usual Warlock show, by enslaving and banishing demons, using demons to smite other demons, and causing mayhem among our foes in general.
We were able to one-shot Mechano-Lord Capacitus. We were all standing on the edge of the staircase until the first polarity shift. The tank shifted negative, and I shifted negative, so I immediately moved to stand on the tank. The mage (whose polarity I did not notice) yells “move Ill, you’re negative” and then again “MOVE ILL”. Um, no. Someone was causing some explosions, but it wasn’t me. This annoyed me enough to break my concentration so during the second polarity shift I retreated to max range and stood on the other side of the staircase, against the wall. I was away from everyone, and had better opportunity to study the polarities. The mage and I ended being positive on the third polarity shift, and stood together in my spot. We had good healing, and no one ended up dying. Mechano-Lord Capacitus dropped the Hammer of the Penitent (needed by Arterus).
We were able to easily drop Gatewatcher Iron-Hand. I had to Soulshatter early in the fight, between the tank having to run out of melee range early in the fight, and his being unable to generate huge amounts of threat. We were are careful to not aggro the boss. I was tempted more than once to ask the Mage if he was finding he needed to throttle his DPS, but I restrained myself. I’m not sure what technique the tank was using…I had a quick look at his gear and everything seemed good enough for heroics. He might have to re-visit his sequence of threat-generating moves.
The Cache of the Legion yielded the Bloodfyre Robes of Annihilation (Illustra won the shard). We took the elevator up and began clearing the room. There was some succubus work…the druid ended up with off-tank duty on the fourth add. In my opinion, that’s how we should have handled the three-pulls earlier. The group elected to skip the second boss and pursue the third boss first.
We ended up having to run to the elevator between each of the six waves of mobs (even so, there were still several deaths). I didn’t really like this strategy, as it indicates to me that the group has weak technique. The tank wanted to be able to mark all of the mobs before we fought them. I suppose this might work in a group without voice communication. It just means it takes a lot more time than necessary is all.
In fighting Pathaleon the Calculator, we would wipe three times before finally bringing him down. During the first two attempts, we were having a lot of problems with the adds, despite the use of fear. The Mage was consistently being the one receiving the mind-control from the boss. Really, we weren’t even close on these attempts…when the tank went down, the boss was still at 30%-35% of his health. On the third attempt, I spent too much time using Seed of Corruption and the Mage spent too much time and mana trying to DPS down the adds. The fourth attempt was more successful…we agreed the tank would Thunderclap when the adds first appeared, and concentrate on DPSing down the boss. The high DPS approach worked. Pathaleon the Calculator dropped Baba’s Cloak of Arcanistry, the Beast Lord Helm, Handguards of the Steady, and a Primal Nether (won by Hkilla). All of the items were sharded.
With a bit of time left, we backtracked to attempt the second boss. This was encouraging. Most groups that wipe several times on the final boss elect to cut their losses and skip the second boss. Our first attempt against Nethermancer Sepethrea resulted in a wipe. On the second attempt, things went a lot smoother. I had fire elementals on me early, and didn’t have much time to get DoTs onto the boss. I think this helped with the threat, because I didn’t aggro the boss at all. At 5% health the tank was killed, and only the healer and I remained. Sepethrea charged me, and my final Shadowbolt finished her off. Dramatic finish. Nethermancer Sepethrea dropped the Nethershrike (disenchanted).
For a PUG, it was a good run. As today’s daily heroic quest, it gave me 6 Badges of Justice in all.
Black Is Still King
One of my staple money-making tips, at least for low-level characters, revolves around a simple article of clothing. This works great when you first create a toon on a new server, and you have no money to your name.
The item in question is the Stylish Black Shirt. Everyone wants to be stylish, and in the World of Warcraft (just as in life), a black shirt is the way to go. Just think of all the Rogues and shadow Priests who want to blend into the shadows. Many classes are known for having purple or green PvE gear, so it’s nice to have an option that has a chance of matching the rest of the outfit.
The shirt has the distinction of being sold in only one place…Stormwind City. Specifically, Lisbeth Schneider in the Canal Tailor Shop sells this shirt for only 60 silver. The tailor shop is a quick run from the auction house…which makes this process even more convenient.
The first 60 silver I make on a new server goes into purchasing the shirt and then auctioning it for between 4 gold and 6 gold. Assuming no one else is already selling them or undercutting you, they sell like hotcakes. This is one of the few items that is worth putting up at a neutral auction house every once in a while, because the Horde has no equivalent for this item in their own cities.
Before long, your level 5 toon on a brand new server could be sitting with 20-30 gold. Not bad for such a simple strategy.