The stars are not wanted now: put out every one;
Pack up the moon and dismantle the sun;
Pour away the ocean and sweep up the wood.
For nothing now can ever come to any good.

                                                     – W. H. Auden

 

PTD is sad, there can be no doubt.  From time to time I’ve spoken about minor issues I have had with my guild.  The fact is that my schedule doesn’t align very well with the rest of them.  I can’t blame anyone for that, it’s just how things are.  I’ve toyed with leaving before, and even transferred over to Draenor at one point to join another blogger. 

I toyed with it, and Friday night I typed in the most difficult of commands:

/gquit

I didn’t come to the decision easily.  I’ve been with the same group since before WoW was even released.  I hooked up with them while playing Horizons, and they are a great group of people.  Things have changed with the guild though, over time.  It’s a different group of people from when I started.  There are quite a few old timers, but we have a lot of new folks as well. 

I’m going to tell you all now what it was that pushed me over the edge.  I won’t name any names, and if anyone from my now former guild reads this, please do not take offense.  The act of blogging, the act of sharing, can be cathartic.  I need a little bit of that right now.

The /gquit Story

My guild is running 25 mans in house regularly since the release of Wrath.  Earlier I mentioned my scheduling conflicts, and they come into play here.  I just can’t raid when they do.  I’ve never been able to.  Quite a few people in the guild think that is the primary reason I left.  I’m here to set the record straight, it actually has very little to do with my decision to move on.  It is related, but not a cause.

Remember that I’ve really NEVER been able to raid with my guild.  This is nothing new for me, and I learned to live with that fact long, long ago.  It’s the reason that I find my raiding outlet outside the guild, and I’ve always been happy to have said outlet.  To be sure, I would LOVE to raid with my guild, but it just isn’t in the cards.

This does cause other problems behind the scenes, however.  Because I don’t raid with the guild, there are many players that are relatively new that I’ve never really played with.  They don’t know me from Adam, and they really have no idea if I’m any "good" or not.  Because of that, they aren’t going to be apt to invite me to fill a heroic group, or a PUG raid or whatnot.  Honestly I don’t really blame them, there are some horrible players out there.

So recently our raid leaders put all 10 man content to "open" status.  That means anyone can schedule and run a raid whenever they want to.  I had been waiting for this, because in BC I organized my own Kara runs under this rule, and they were quite successful.  I hoped to start doing that again with Naxx.  So last week I made a post on the boards to try to set up a run for Friday night. 

Nobody signed up.  I only got 2 replies to my post at all. One person said they would help out if they happened to be around, and the other saying they couldn’t make it.  That was ok though, I figured I’d just try to whip one up that night.

So Friday night I log on, and right away ask in guild if anyone would be interested in running Naxx 10.  I got no response.  A few minutes later, I asked again.  One of the late night guild tanks I often ran with told me to message another guildy, he though he might be putting something together. 

So I messaged said guildy directly, and I got no response.  If he missed my PM or just didn’t have time to respond, I have no idea.  So I asked in guild one last time, and when I again got no response, I headed off to the AH to mess around for a few.

About 15 minutes later, I was trying to put together a heroic group instead, and asked the tank from earlier if he wanted to tank it.  He said he couldn’t as he was just about to run Naxx with some guildies. 

"Huh???" 

I didn’t see anything in guild chat about a Naxx run starting, and I was frankly a bit shocked.  Lo and behold, I look at the roster and see 10 guildies gathering in and around Dragonblight.  At this point, I’m already steamed.  I rarely have time to raid, I tried to schedule something for this exact time, and even asked in guild chat if anything was happening, and from my perspective, I was completely ignored.  From what I could tell, it was a run set up through PM, with someone picking and choosing who to invite.

Then, the kicker.  This is the bit that really pushed me over the edge.  I looked at the guys who were in Naxx, and notice no less than 3 of them were running alts through.  Frigging ALTS. 

/cue smoke coming out of my ears

I know they have every right to have their fun, they have every right to bring their alts to Naxx, especially with the new "open" policy on 10 mans, but it still hurt.  I’ve been in Naxx a total of 3 times, and I’ve never finished it.  With any character.  I thought I could at least do that with people from the guild, and I thought I did quite a bit to try to make it happen, only to see myself left out. 

And I found myself sitting at my desk, with my head in my hands, frustrated, frustrated, frustrated.  I realized that it’s a position I had been in recently, for not dissimilar reasons.  It was time — this is a game, after all.

/gquit

Homelessness

And that’s how PTD found himself adrift in the World of Warcraft.  No place to rest my head, no guild to call home.  And, at least for now, that’s where I’ll stay.  I really don’t know where I will go next, I hadn’t thought that far ahead.  I do have options.

I could go back.  I’m pretty sure I made my exit amicable enough that they would take me back.  And my old guild (and I’m going to have to remember that part…maybe I should call it my ex-guild, in a way it feels like a break-up) is nothing if not forgiving and mature.

I also already know of another guild that would take me on if I should ask.  I know a few of their members, and it’s certainly being considered.  I guess in some ways it seems hard to try to start over again.  (There we go again with the break-up analogies.)  So I don’t know.

I could also just test the waters and see what’s out there.  I could start running PUGs until my eyes bleed, and see if I find any good folks.  I’m sure that if I PUG without a guild tag and show what I can do, I could catch on elsewhere.

I suppose I could go as far as to look into other servers again.  But I really couldn’t see myself spending the minimum of 100 bucks I’d want to spend to get four characters to a new server.  (80 Warrior, 80 Druid, 72 Hunter [w/ my only epic flyer], and 68 Priest [high level enchanter])

Right now I’m just not really sure what I would want.  So I guess I’ll drift for a bit, and see what happens. 

And with that in mind…

Warhammer Online

Have no fear, I am not quitting WoW.    But they do have a free trial right now, so I went ahead and loaded it up.  I’ll admit that I am having fun with it for the time being.  I seriously, seriously doubt I would leave WoW for it, but it is fun.  The PvP is pretty fun, at least.  The normal questing and mob killing PvE aspect is a little lacking, but the Public Quests are a lot of fun.  It sure is a feature I’d like to see Blizzard steal, that’s for sure!

I even went ahead and picked up the full game, but only because I got it at a local Circuit City (RIP Circuit City) for 10 bucks.  Yeah, that’s right, 10 bucks.  Ahh, to profit from other’s misery.  Though I feel no real shame, it being a corporate behemoth’s misery I am profiting from. 

Anyhow, I won’t really get into it here about WAR.  I am having fun, the RvR is pretty well done, the Public Quests are awesome, and it makes for a good diversion while I try to sort my WoW life. 

So that’s it.  Change is in the air, and I’m not yet sure if that’s good or bad.  Have any of you dealt with a similar situation?  How did you deal with it and move on?

Post from: Part Time Druid

/gquit, Homelessness, and Warhammer

This is actually one of the earliest posts I wrote for my blog.  I found it interesting because while I was once utterly devoted to the Druid class, I now find myself playing my Warrior almost exclusively.  It’s interesting that I actually rated the Warrior LOWEST at the time.  My, how things change!

Also, if I had to rate the Death Knight, I would probably stick it in Tier 1.  They are still incredibly powerful, even after some nerfs, and they can fill two roles, and fill them well.  My only caveat is that you have to have a 55 to make one, and this article was geared more towards the new casual player.

Ok, maybe my title is misleading. I’m not going to blog about whether casuals have any class. I thought I would take a completely biased, totally subjective look at what I thought the "best" classes were for a casual, solo player. Casual players, by definition, don’t have the time to devote to the game that others do. Given that, it helps if we can focus on one character more heavily. We’ll divide these rankings into three tiers, starting from the bottom. There will certainly be multiple complaints and an abundance of hurt feelings – just don’t take it personally.

Tier 3

Warrior. If there was a tier 4, the warrior would be in it. So what’s the problem? Groups always need tanks, right? They do. The problem with the warrior is their extreme level of gear dependence. The one-trick-pony rogues and mages can at least get by with sub-par gear in many end-game five mans, heroics and Kara. The warrior, on the other hand, must be tricked out in great gear to attempt many of the same instances. Casuals often have the most difficulty "keeping up with the Joneses" gear-wise. Also, have you ever seen a warrior’s repair bill? Ugh!

Aside from the gear problem, there is also the issue that as the tank you are often tasked with leading the run. You are often responsible for marking kill targets, assigning CC, pulling and more. It can get to be a bit much.

Rogue. The mind-numbing, explosive DPS can make casual play sessions seem VERY worthwhile. The ability to stealth is also a boon for a casual player, as it can help make gathering skills a little easier, and allow a player to see more of the game solo than they could with any other class.

The problem with the rogue is that it’s a one trick pony. You are a pure melee DPS class, plain and simple. Although there are big differences with spec choices, it only affects how you deal your melee damage.

The problem doesn’t come with leveling, it comes when you reach the later stages of the game and instancing becomes more of a concern. Asking a group if they have room and hearing "full on rogues" makes a casual’s heart heavy.

Mage. The mage is another pure DPS class, only this time from range. Again, this can make the leveling fun, as a casual player loves to kill stuff FAST to maximize playtime. Then, of course, you find yourself on your fanny drinking after every other fight or so. Casuals no likey downtime. Give the mage class bonus points for the teleportation and portal spells to make travel quicker and easier.

As with the rogue, no matter the spec, a mage is still a mage. Ranged DPS. Period.

Mages do provide a touch more to group situations with their slightly more useful CC and their AOE abilities. Also, who doesn’t like Ritual of Refreshment? You do find yourself fighting with a handful of other classes for DPS spots, however.

Tier 2

Paladin. You’ll quickly notice a theme with Tier 2. Healers. Healers, like tanks, are always needed. Unlike warriors, you can often get away with lesser gear. Paladins make great healers with the safety of plate to help out a bit if you happen to pull aggro.

Paladins are also VERY hard to kill. One thing that can help a casual player is to NOT DIE so much. Paladins are great in this respect. The tradeoff is that they can take a LOOONG time to kill stuff. Paladins are the kind of class where you can engage a mob, go make a sandwich, and not really miss anything or fear dying. Heck, the mob could still be up when you return.

Paladins also have a good deal of versatility when it comes to spec. They are now one of only two classes that can fill any role in a group depending on spec. (I’ll get to the other class later.) You can be a tankadin, a healadin, or a retadin. I’m not familiar with how much DPS a retadin can supply, but it is at least an option. Pallys do lose a few points because they have a certain degree of gear dependence, especially if you plan on tanking.

Priest. You won’t have any problems finding groups with a priest, most likely. They are probably the class that receives the most random group invites. They make great healers, and are not especially gear dependent. (The caveat is that gear ALWAYS helps, some classes can just get away with lesser gear.)

Priests also have a good deal of flexibility with spec. You can spec to be a face-melting DPS class with some utility (shadow), or take the more traditional healer/utility route with Holy/Disc. From what I understand, leveling as a shadow priest is not to be missed. I’ve often watched in awe the way a shadow priest can burn down a mob with impunity.

I’m taking away a point or two due to the fact that before 40 as shadow, or the whole way as disc/holy, leveling a priest can be a somewhat frustrating experience. (Hence the reason my priest still sits at a dusty 31.) Unless, of course, you have patience and/or a good group to roll with often.

Shaman. Yeah, I know, another healer. As a casual player, it just helps to have a lot of group viability. Healers seldom complain for lack of groups. Shammys with their totems and chain heals can be quite the powerful, versatile healing and utility class.

The shaman trumps the versatility of the priest, but doesn’t quite reach that of the paladin. You can spec to be a pure healer, or spec to be either a ranged or melee DPSer. That kind of versatility is golden.

Leveling a shaman, with the right spec choices, can also be a great experience. An enhance shammy, once they get windfury, can be quite the fierce solo DPS machine. I’ve also heard that it can be hard to beat a well-geared elemental shammy for pure DPS. Add to that the ability to heal yourself and totems, and you have a leveling winner. If my main weren’t a druid, there’s a good chance it would be a shaman.

Tier 1

Hunter. Now here we are, to the meat and potatoes. Why the hunter? Because it is one of the best leveling/grinding/solo classes there is. A well-played BM hunter can be a DPS machine, and they can also get away with lesser gear and still get spots in heroics and beyond.

It’s hard to beat a BM hunter in a leveling competition, as they can pump out huge DPS numbers with little or no downtime. They can also farm anything you need with reckless abandon.

They don’t have the kind of versatility as some other classes, so why do I rate them so high? Because I am assigning more value to pure soloability and ease of leveling than versatility. It is nice to be able to respec to fulfill other roles, but that practice can be expensive, and also necessitate multiple gear sets. With a hunter, you can focus and just pump out mad DPS with a great deal of survivability and little downtime.

Warlock. I would be hard-pressed to decide which class is better for the casual, the Warlock or Hunter. They have a good deal of similarity. Both are great solo classes that are easy to level and can really pump out the DPS. They can also both get away with subpar gear for longer.

Who doesn’t want a class that you can roll your face on the keyboard and have success? That’s the warlock. Easy to play, easy to level, and a great farmer. (Although I will add that though it’s easy to play a warlock, it’s tough to be a GREAT warlock.) Again, there isn’t much in the way of versatility, as you are a pure DPS class. What casual wouldn’t want to be the class largely considered "OP?"

Druid. I told you this would be biased! For me, the druid is hands down the best class for the casual player. They are the only class other than the paladin that can fill ANY role based on spec. The advantage with druid is that you can cover both melee DPS and tanking with the feral spec, and you can even fill the role of ranged DPS as a Boomkin as a balance druid.

The druid can be like three characters in one. I have gear for feral DPS, feral tanking and resto healing. If a group is ever short DPS, I can easily respec and hit the bank to join in the fun.

It can be tough through the first 20 levels, but the druid blossoms at 20. Once cat form hits, they level with fiendish speed. They can’t quite compete with a lock or hunter, but they can get close. A feral spec druid is, IMO, the best leveler in the game. The reason for this is that you can solo wonderfully and also almost always find a spot in a group as a tank. This is all out the window if you want to try leveling as a resto, but I know Phaelia at Resto4Life did just that.

In addition to all that goodness, you get to fly before any other class, without having to pay out 900g. You can’t beat that!

So there you have it. I told you it was biased, didn’t I? I do honestly believe that the Druid is the best class for a casual player. Their combination of versatility and soloability is unmatched in the World of Warcraft. The first 19 levels can be a bit of a pain, but from 20 on it’s like every day is Christmas. Thanks for reading!

Post from: Part Time Druid

Casual Class – How Things Have Changed

Or is this just one of those rumors making the rounds?  Has Blizzard really nerfed the hardcore raiding philosophy into the ground, or is there significantly more challenging content coming down the pipe?

Before I try to answer that, here is a quick update on my in game progress.  I have officially started leveling my Druid again for use as a healer at 80.  Though I toyed with a Warrior for a bit, and got him to 77, in my heart I always knew I’d find a reason to buckle down and level the Druid.  As it turns out, my guild is hurting a bit for level 80 healers, and I’m glad to help out.  I hastily respecced my Druid out of Moonkin (you may now consider me "anti-Moonkin") into a feral leveling build, and I’ve been having a blast.  I’m taking the same "completionist" path as I was with the Warrior.  He has cleared (meaning finished all the necessary quests for the achievement) Borean Tundra, Howling Fjord and Dragonblight, in that order.  He is roughly halfway through Grizzly Hills as we speak.  Berserk is nearly as much fun as Bladestorm, though not QUITE.  My grand scheme is to get both the Druid and Warrior to 80, and once dual specs arrive the Druid will be Feral/Resto and the Warrior Prot/Fury.  I’ll cover a lot of bases there!

Now, back to our regularly scheduled programming.

I’ve heard on a couple of different podcasts and read on a couple of different blogs that some people consider raiding in Wrath to be too easy.  I’ve heard claims of many guilds clearing Naxx 10 within a couple of tries, and then moving on to Naxx 25 and having similar levels of success.  That most vocal of the WoW population, the hardcore raiders, are crying foul.

In particular, Syncaine over at Hardcore Casual said something that I had to comment on in his post on Wrath raiding.  (In defense of Syncaine, he is plainly "anti-WoW" right now, and is more interested in Warhammer Online.  Props to him for not being afraid to give an opinion.)

I’m guessing very little of that happens now, with how much more ‘accessible’ raiding is in WotLK. When you down a boss the first night, with fresh 80s, I can’t help but wonder if that’s even considered a raid.

Yes, we all know about 25th of whatever, the uber guild that cleared Naxx before I was even out of Borean Tundra.  I’m also sure there are other strong guilds that have done almost as well, and I’m also sure there has been early success in Naxx thus far overall. 

Guess what, Naxx doesn’t count.  It’s a bad example.  Naxx has been around a LONG, LONG time.  It’s been retooled a bit, but there are strats out there that have been out there before even BC.  A lot of those Uber guilds also spent the beta time practicing that raid over and over, just so they could say how cool they were when they cleared it.

Beyond that, though, my guild hasn’t cleared Naxx yet.  Not even the 10 man version.  Yes, we’ve cleared our share of bosses in there, but other bosses are right now kicking our teeth in and showing us that we are not ready.  It’s not like every guild out there is already "done" with Wrath, right?  Hell, I personally NEVER cleared anything beyond Magtheridon in BC.  I saw Lady V, and I saw a lot of the Black Temple and Mount Hyjal, but I never was a part of a "clear" of any of that T5 or T6 content.

I also want to point out the fact that there are more raids coming, and that Blizzard recently gave the hardcore a raid to their liking in Sunwell Plateau.  Do the hardcore really think they will be abandoned forever?  Maybe there isn’t a BT or a Sunwell in Wrath as of right now, but I’m sure that Blizzard has some more difficult content to come.  We already know that Ulduar is on the way, and I’m sure it will be much more difficult just because it’s completely new content.  Not old, rehashed content.  A NEW raid that nobody has ever seen.

In the end, though, I can’t say I’ll care all that much if the ultimate "bleeding edge" players decide that WoW isn’t the game for them.  I’m a little tired of the 1-5% of players, the hardcore, dictating too much about how WoW should shape up for the masses.  I don’t know about you, but I’m having a fricking blast with this expansion, and I can’t wait to see what else Blizzard has in store for us. 

Post from: Part Time Druid

Is Wrath Wraiding Too Easy?

The end of the Amani War Bear is almost upon us.  It’s now only a matter of days until you can never get the fancy shmancy bear mount again.  You’re all well aware that my guild has been working hard in ZA to get at least a Bear or two.

Well, we have been flat out getting it done.  Since our first success roughly two weeks ago, we’ve frigging owned the place.  Well, when I say "we" I’m referring to our guild, I haven’t been part of it.  Not until tonight, anyway.

It turns out the regular Tree that has been going couldn’t make tonight’s run, and yours truly just happens to be second on that nebulous list.  I gladly accepted the invitation to fill the spot.

Well, I will freely admit that I was pretty dang nervous.  They’ve been running this VERY successfully with very nearly the same 10 players each time.  They knew what was what, and they were getting the job done.  The last thing I wanted to do was waltz in and screw up their Mojo.  So from the very start, it was pure white knuckle time.  I checked and rechecked my inventory, checked and rechecked my gear, and maybe triply positive that I had everything I needed.  I also made sure to get all the advice I could get from the other tree and the priest I would be working with.

Well, I’m not going to bore you with the details.  It went just plain swimmingly, and we did indeed get ourselves another Bear mount.  I was a little nervous during the lynx fight a couple of times, and we almost let one scout get away that could have been a problem.  In the end, though, we finished up with at least 3 minutes on the clock.  I’m not sure how many minutes exactly, as I was just too drained at that point to take note.  Here are a couple of shots to prove it!

I was very, very happy to have been part of a successful run.  I was doubly happy to have not fouled it up for everyone else as a "sub" and all.  I didn’t even roll on the Bear, as 8 of them there have been working on it solid for awhile.  Besides, I want the Headless Horseman’s mount.    It was quite stressful, I won’t lie.  I was putting a lot of pressure on myself.  I didn’t let the team down, though, and we walked away successful.  That’s all I could really ask!  That’s one more tick off the running scorecard in my head pre-Wrath.  Successful Bear Run, check.

Post from: Part Time Druid

PTD and the Bear

This morning I went over to WoWJutsu to check out my guild’s progression, now that we have our first bear mount.  It’s not that I expect us to be ranked crazy high or anything, but I was just curious.  Well, we are ranked 31st on the server, which all things considered isn’t half bad.  Keep in mind that we rarely run 25 mans in house (our last 25 man was probably 2 months ago) and we are most definitely a casual guild. 

While I was there, I took a look at the big time raiding guilds that are on top on my server.  We don’t have any guilds that have cleared SWP, but of course we do have our share that are running it.  Still, there are many guilds FAR more progressed than ours.  Just for giggles, I decided to look into how those higher up raiding guilds do recruitment, and see what kind of commitments they require.

I did this with NO PLANS to ever try to apply to such a guild, just as an academic exercise.  What does it take to be in the top 10 guilds on our server?

Well, what I found showed me that I will never, ever, EVER be a part of any of them, and here is why.

First of all, I STILL don’t meet many of their gear requirements, and I like to think I’m doing pretty well.  I don’t have ALL the good badge gear or anything, but I have the best pants and healy mace.  (Frankly, it’s dang near impossible for me to farm badges regularly.  When I log on at 10 pm, it can be hard to find a decent heroic run, in guild or not.)  I also have a smattering of gear from ZA, SSC, and one of the best pair of healing boots in the game.  (My armory, for the curious.) 

From the looks of it, all I really have to do is farm the 230 or so badges to get the rest of the 2.4 badge gear.   

Yeah, right.

Of course, I could also get lucky with a couple more drops, like the helm from Jan’alai in ZA and the T6 gloves from Azgalor, should I get lucky and be high enough on the SK list to grab them.  Still, it would take considerably more time, unless I got REALLY lucky.

Ok, gear aside, what about the time investment?

Well, most guilds I looked at raid 4 or 5 nights a week, for more than 3 hours each night, and expect 80% attendance.  So I’d have to raid 3 or 4 nights a week, 3 or more hours each night.  And that doesn’t include time farming for consumables and the like.  I play roughly 10 hours a week now, as a raider I’d have to put in at least 5 more by my calculations.

Add to that fact I’d have to raid Monday, Wednesday and Thursday nights in most cases.

Again, yeah, right.

The only way that would happen is if I went through the Big D, and I don’t mean Dallas.  Now, I know there are those out there who have sacrificed their relationships for WoW, but I am not one of them.

I don’t have the gear, I don’t have the time.

So I sighed, realizing my lot in this game.  There is only so far I can go. 

Let me ask you this, though, why don’t raiding guilds value skill MORE highly than attendance and a few holes in gear?  Yes, they do all have a trial period or other skill-based "audition" for the guild, but that comes AFTER they see you can make 80% of the raids and you’re already decked out in T6.

I am POSITIVE that if they gave me some kind of audition, maybe a run with them through Heroic MagT or something, they will see I’m no slouch. 

Oh well, those are the breaks.  That’s the sacrifice I make, or rather don’t make.  WoW is a past time for me, and I have no intention of "clocking in" three or four nights a week.  This has made me even more appreciative that I do have a raiding outlet given my time restrictions.  I can only go once a week, but when I sign up, they always take me.  I like to think I’m one of the better healers in my raiding alliance, and I can be happy with that.

Maybe Wrath will change the way things are done.  We shall see.

Post from: Part Time Druid

Why I Will NEVER BE a "Real" Raider

Briefly, I want to give a shout out to my guild for nabbing its first Bear mount from ZA on Sunday.  I wasn’t there personally, but it’s awesome that they got it done.  They have been working on it diligently for a couple of weeks now, and I’m ecstatic that their work paid off.  That’s one more check mark for my casual guild before Wrath hits!

Post from: Part Time Druid

Un-Bear-lievable!!

As you know from some of my recent posts, my guild has been making an effort to get a bear mount or two before the big patch hits.  While we are close to success, I thought I’d use the mouthpiece of my blog to try to dredge up some extra tips and advice from my readers.

First, 3 questions:

• What kind of group do you take?
• Do you use any fancy tricks or shortcuts to cut time?
• Is there a particular use of trinkets or other tools that you consider necessary to a successful Bear run?

By way of example, here is the general group make-up we have been using.  All members have some or most of their 2.4 badge gear.  They represent most of the best our guild has to offer.

Tanks:

• Warrior
• Pally

Healers:

• Tree
• CoH Priest

DPS:

• Elemental Shammy
• Elemental Shammy
• Boomkin
• Mage
• Rogue
• Hunter

We also have a VERY well geared Lock that often comes along for one of the DPS spots.

There you have it.  I don’t need to get any further into details, the rest of this post is up to you guys.  Let’s hear it!

Post from: Part Time Druid

A Clarion Call for Bear Run Advice

Ok, not directly. 

On a side note, wouldn’t it be kind of interesting if Blizz worked occasional national disasters into the game?  It’d be tough to get a boat from Menethil to Theramore if there was a hurricane off the coast!

But I digress.  Hurricane Ike did have a direct affect on my raiding alliance.  The main raid leader for the alliance and quite a few other members live in the Austin, TX area.  They were without power for about 10 days.

And our alliance has been without a raid for longer than that.  This brings me to the real point of this post.  I have found what I believe to be a major fault in our guild raiding alliance.

When the main Raid Leader is out, people don’t show up.  It’s not like we don’t have other experienced raid leaders, either.  We have a co-raid leader who is there for EVERY SINGLE RAID. 

But when the big guy is away, we struggle to get them off the ground.  I suppose people are used to his style, and used to the success we have when he is leading.  The problem with that argument, though, is this:  How are we going to have success with another raid leader if we can’t get people to show?

Oh well.  It doesn’t matter much to PTD in the end. I had already decided to suspend my 25 man raiding in order to help my guild try to get a bear mount before 3.0 hits.  I can only raid one night a week, so if it’s between 25 mans that will still be there after 3.0 and a bear mount that won’t, I’m going for the bear.

I’ll keep you posted as far as how it goes, I’ll be in the attempt again Thursday night — Hopefully!

Post from: Part Time Druid

Hurricane Ike Hits Azeroth

I’ll come right out and admit it.  PTD is in a little bit of flux right now.  There is a chance, I won’t say how big, that I won’t keep playing a Restoration Druid when Wrath hits.  That throws off the whole blog title and all, but hey, it’s my blog!  Again, it’s only a chance, but it’s there.  You see, way back when I switched Pummra over to a healy Druid, my guild was struggling a little bit in terms of healing numbers.  The team player I am, I offered to help fill the gap by changing my talent spec from Feral to Resto.

Now, with Wrath coming, things are a lot different in my guild.  Healers have popped up everywhere, and now we are positively awash in healers.  Paladins, Priests, Shaman, Druids, we have them all.

So I’ve been asking myself, “will I actually be better off leveling a DPS class, given my part-time tendencies?”

I don’t know yet.  I do have a fairly well-equipped and well-traveled level 70 hunter sitting around.  And I’ll admit, I’m a lot more excited by the Hunter changes than the Resto Druid changes.  (Yeah, an OOC rez is awesome, a group heal is great, but come on…I can tame a COREHOUND??)  Heck, this is strange to say, but there is more than a decent chance that if I DO elect to level my Hunter, he’ll go Survival.  That talent tree in Wrath actually looks…REALLY….good!

If you really get down to brass tacks and think about it, isn’t the release of a “vertical” (ie, more levels to grind) expansion the perfect time to switch around your focus?

Yes, yes it is.  I’ll tell you why.

No Gear Reset, But Still Some Nice Gear

Wrath isn’t like BC where you’ll drop your T6 gloves for a pair of green gloves off the first mob you kill, but if you have a character who’s only recently 70, and hasn’t gone through the epic equipment grind, you’ll find some nice gear quickly.  My take on the early quest rewards is that you can largely ignore them if you’re wearing Kara or T4 equivalent gear, but they are nice upgrades if you are wearing anything less.  Hell, I took a look at the ranged weapon quest reward, and almost took it.  My hunter has epically bad luck when it comes to ranged weapon drops, and he’s still using the Wrathtide Longbow from Heroic SV, even though he’s seen Kara many, many times.

Heck, even your T6 will someday go the way of the dodo, so don’t let the purply glow suck you in.  Sure, T6 should last a good while for leveling, but at some point you’ll get rid of it.  In the not too distant future you’ll be decked out in your T7 on your NEW main, and you’ll wonder why you hesitated to make the switch.

Anyhow, if it turns out you have a BRAND NEW level 70, Wrath is the perfect time, gear-wise, to make them your new main!  You’ll actually get some real nice benefit from early quest rewards AND early crafted items.  Which brings me to my next point.

Finally Level That Tradeskill

Let’s face it, it can be fantastically painful to max out some tradeskills right now.  Heck, outside of gathering and cooking, it’s downright horrible to level most past 350.  Well, you don’t have to do it now.  Hold off and wait for Wrath.  The tradeskills that I have looked at are all giving new patterns that start at 350 skill.  These new recipes/patterns also require MUCH easier to obtain mats, and you should be able to finish off that Leather working or Tailoring skill without much trouble while you level.

I know I’m ecstatic to finish off Tailoring and Enchanting without breaking the bank, so to speak.

Talent Trees are A’Changin Anyway

I’ll admit it.  I haven’t even looked closely at the Resto Druid talent tree in Wrath.  If the other trees I have looked at are any indication, though, there are a lot of changes.  I know Feral and Balance have a lot of changes, and the Hunter talent trees are totally reworked, and of course there are the new PET trees to learn.  The point of all this is that you are going to have to relearn a lot of stuff anyhow.  Why not do it with that other class that you’ve always WANTED to play, but couldn’t stomach abandoning your shinily epiced out Main to the Nether.

Conclusion

There is no better time than now.  You aren’t going to be left behind due to gear, as everyone will be busy leveling.  Even seasoned players will have to learn new tricks and new encounters.  Sure, if you want to continue to be the best healer or Warrior or whatever you can be, you are more than welcome to continue on your present path.  But if you’ve always wanted to ditch the Priest for a Fire Ballin’ Mage, don’t hesitate.  Now is the time.  Heck, I might do it, and I have a blog and it’s title to worry about!

Post from: Part Time Druid

Wready for Wrath: Change Your Main?

This post comes to you courtesy of the mailbag.

I read your excellent posts in http://parttimedruid.com/category/casual-play/ and I really enjoyed them.
I’d like to look at it from a slightly different angle though. What advice would you give to someone looking to form a Casual Raiding Guild.
For this discussion, let us assume our CRG is a 9 hour a week guild.

This is something that I’ve kinda sorta covered before, though not in terms of guild formation.  Well, it got PTD’s old gears humming, and I’ll do my best to share my thoughts on building a casual raiding guild.  I initially planned to do a “how-to” kind of post, detailing it step by step, but I soon realized that what would really help were a few key points to focus on.  Without further adieu, here they are.

Key #1: Strong Leadership

The first thing you’ll need for a casual raiding guild is strength at the top.  Casual players have a whole host of wants and needs, and you’re going to need a Mother Brain that can keep everyone fed and happy.  “Casual Raiding” can be a bit of a contradiction in terms.  The raiding environment is more naturally suited to the hardcore player, but that doesn’t mean casual raiding can’t work.  In order to MAKE it work, however, you need determined leadership.

The leader of a casual raiding guild must be flexible.  You are basically living in two separate worlds, one focusing on raid progression with the other focused on alts and keeping things fun for the non-raiding contingent.  Let’s face it, even in a casual raiding guild you will HAVE to have a portion of your membership that doesn’t really raid, at least not much.  How else will you gear up new toons, if there is nobody willing to run Heroic Mechanar while the guild at large is busy in SSC?

This is important because as a casual raiding guild, you might need a larger overall membership to make sure you can fill those 25 man runs.  Hardcore raiding guilds can recruit to fill specific class slots in specific time periods, you most likely will not be able to function that way.  You will have to continually reinforce your raiding contingent from within.  Having a guild that can focus both on raiding progression and leveling new toons is ideal.

Key #2: A Reliable Core

In a casual raiding guild, your raiding roster will no doubt be fairly fluid.  People will be attracted to your guild because they want to raid without being “required” to be there 4 nights a week.  You will attract a lot of people that can only raid one night a week.  Don’t turn them down.  You need all the help you can get.  You might end up with 4 Resto Druids, for instance, but they all can only attend a different night.

So what do I mean by a reliable core?  Well, you’ll still need a STARTING point for all your raids.  You’ll need, for 25 mans at least, a dozen or so dedicated players who DO make most or all of your raiding nights.  This reliable core will also ideally encompass many “key” classes.  A couple of tanks, a couple strong healers, some of your best DPSers.  And, of course at least a couple of people to lead those raids.  Raids don’t lead themselves, you know.  You’ll want a main raid leader and probably an assistant who helps call out orders throughout the night.  You could also employ healing leads, DPS leads, or a variety of other things, but you can get by with two strong raid leaders.

Most importantly, you want to start with a good amount of reliable members.  You don’t want to start any raid night saying, “Need 18 more for SSC.”

Key #3: A Narrow Focus

You will have your share of challenges raiding casually.  The last thing you want to do is try to go in too many directions at once.  Keep a narrow focus, at least at the beginning.  What this means is, don’t run TK for 3 hours one night, SSC for 3 hours the next, then ZA for 3 hours.  My specific recommendation, at least at the beginning, is do one 3-hour run in Kara, and then spend the other 2 nights on ONE 25 man instance.  You could start with SSC, depending on the strength of your raiders, but it might help to start with Gruul’s Lair, as it is short and gives you a good primer on 25 man coordination.  If you clear Gruul’s in one night, try Magtheridon the next.

Another element of focus that could help is make sure the guild at LARGE is focused.  By that I mean post and discuss strategies for the bosses you plan to attempt in the near future.  Because at least some of your raid will be fairly fluid, you need to make sure everyone is on the same page.  Set up some message boards and USE them to be sure this is the case.  If you plan to work on Lurker in the coming weeks, make a post about it on your boards in advance.  Make sure everyone takes a look at videos and reads the strategies.  You need your members to be OVER prepared for boss encounters.

Key #4: Flexible Scheduling

Hopefully, you already realize this.  You have to set your raiding schedule a little differently than a more serious raiding guild.  You can’t raid every Thursday, Friday and Tuesday from 7-10.  A schedule set in stone will likely lock out too many people.  You’ll need a greater degree of scheduling variance to give the majority of your guild access to raiding.  Perhaps a 2 week rotation would work.  Raid Tues, Thurs nights and Saturday during the day one week, then Wednesday, Friday night and Sunday day the next.  You have to give your members options.  If you find you can set up a hard schedule, chances are you aren’t really a casual raiding guild.  Be aware when setting up your schedule when the various raid instances reset, of course.  (You could also use this to your advantage early on, setting up Kara on successive nights.)

Key #5: A Casual Loot System

This could be the most difficult decision you have to make.  People raid for fun, but they also raid for loot.  If you have members that don’t see any shot at getting drops, they won’t bother signing up.  A DKP system, for instance, could favor the members that can make most raid nights over those that can only come once a week.  This is not acceptable in a casual raiding environment.  You need a system that will NOT punish people who can only get there once a week.

Now, I can already hear the arguments from those who think constant raid attendance means they deserve more.  In my experience, there is one element that contingent always seems to forget.  If you’re making every raid, your chances at loot are already MUCH MUCH better than those who only come once a week.  Honest.  In a month you might see SSC 12 times to the more casual player’s 4 times.  That’s a huge advantage already.

The system that has worked well for my casual raiding alliance is Suicide Kings.  It’s simple, constant attendance does HELP, but erratic attendance doesn’t kill you either.  I’m sure there are other systems out there, but I frankly don’t know much about them.    We have always used SK, dating back to Molten Core, and have never had any real issues.

Conclusion

Admittedly, I wasn’t even really aware of how and when our “casual raiding” alliance was formed.  At the time I didn’t see myself running Molten Core anytime soon, so I didn’t think much of it or pay attention.  I don’t know what decisions were made, or how every thing was hashed out.  I do know, however, the ways in which what we do, well, works.  My raiding alliance has been around a LONG time, and we were never in any real danger of it dissolving.  We got it done before Burning Crusade in Onyxia’s Lair, Molten Core, and Blackwing Lair.  Now we’ve accomplished quite a bit in every 25 man short of Sunwell.  I know that technically my alliance is not a casual raiding “guild” per se, but I think its philosophies can be easily translated to a single guild.

I hope this article didn’t ramble too much for you, but its a rather large topic to try to tackle.  If I had to try to sum it up in very few words, I would say this:  a successful casual raiding guild needs strong leadership along with great flexibility.  Remember that, and you’ll do just fine.  Thanks for reading!

Post from: Part Time Druid

5 Keys to Building a Casual Raiding Guild