SW:TOR Event: Fun Times In Nar Shadaa!

Welcome to the starting line for the Div 9 Biathlon Relay!

Before anything starts, you will need to figure out your teams:

MAKE YOUR OWN!  HAHA.

Events:

Each team will tackle 2 events, and there are major ways that you can help or hinder your team.  Keep your mind open and think as a team!

·         Start:  Head to Nar Shaddaa.  Take the taxi to the Corellian Sector speeder point and follow the path east.  Take your starting place at the bottom of the ramp with your relay item. Wait for the visual cue to start, and then off you go!

·         Event 1:  Manual Dexterity:  There is a +3 Aim Datacron that we are after, and it involves crossing those beams.  For those who have never done this datacron or would like a quick guide, check out this link (mid-way down the page).  The catch to this leg is that you must have ALL team members on the beam where the datacron is to continue to the final leg of the race.  You don’t all have to go the same route, but your whole team must be on the roof to continue on!
·         Event 2: Mental Challenge:  As soon as you have everyone together and grouped up, your team member may pass the baton item to the last team member.  As soon as this team member gets the item, they will whisper the WC-A that they have the baton, and then will receive a link that the WC-A will send to them via vent private chat.  You must work to figure out the answers to all 5 questions as a team, and may use the internet, but the person who has the link to the questions is the only one who can submit answers to the WC-A.  To submit an answer, do so via a private message in vent.  Once all 5 answers have been submitted and you have received the message “5/5”, you will trade the baton to the WC-A to officially finish!

Rules:

·         Give it your all and have fun!  ^.^

·         If at any time you lose or destroy the baton item, you will have to go to the Imperial Medical Droid NPC (right by the speeder point) to buy a new one.

·        Each group may ask ONE question before we start, no more.  This is not “interrogate the WC-A about the event to see how we can find a loophole” time, dammit!  ^.~

·         Any judgment call will be done by the WC-A and will be done as fairly as possible.

Talent Changes and Fun Times in 5.0

With the latest patch, there has been a lot to explore and get used to on our beloved characters in WoW.  The biggest change seems to have been the switch from traditional "trees" of specializations to 6 tiered skill specialization options.  This, on first glance, seemed to be a large step away from the familiar trees that make their appearances in MMOs across the world, and perhaps a step in the wrong direction.  However, after really looking it through on my paladin, I am thinking that this is an okay thing.  Sure, change scares players at first, but the good players embrace it and make it work in some way!  I am pleased that it seems that Blizzard has reversed direction and instead of making things "difficult to learn, easy to master," they have opted instead for "easy to learn, difficult to master," which really makes me happy.  In WoTLK and Cataclysm, all one had to do was find a popular build for your character, get gear, and then faceroll your way to victory.  This lead to many people having ridiculously geared out characters and situations leading to frustrated raid leaders wondering why their top DPS was standing in the fire.  The new talent system really gives players the option to change their character and the way that they play.  Essentially, all holy paladins may be similar, but the beauty and mastery of one's character comes from the talents they now choose and their gameplay style!  It will be interesting to see how this plays out in Mists of Pandaria.

Akane sporting her Replica Lightforge set.
I really like this pic.  <3

In other news, I GOT THE SPRITE DARTER HATCHLING!!!  I must say that this one was definitely harder to farm than the Fox Kit, in large part due to the ridiculously low drop rate.  While committing genocide is not something I relish, I will do it to get my hands on adorable companion pets.

Akane & her Sprite Darter!  (Lawbringer Set)

People aiming to snag this little technicolor pet, I encourage you to take your time.  Do an hour or two of farming here, another couple hours at another time all together...  I did most of my farming in the evenings, but when I had a chance today during lunch, I gave it a shot again and was pleased as punch to get this little guy fairly quickly into my session.  I still killed what seemed like a HELL of a lot of them beforehand though (1500+), and am glad to cross this pet off my Wish List.  ^.^

And finally, on the mage front:  I'm generally pleased overall with the changes to my mage, but still feel like the talents are skewed too much toward fire and frost (consequently, I am betting that we will see a definite rise in fire mages in the next few months).  I'm still playing with this character to bring out more DPS from her.  More news on that as it develops.

And now, I bring you... gratuitous fun with 5.0 Polar Bear Polymorph!

Polar Bear Den!

Argent Tournament Polar Bears!

...Whut?

It FLEW AWAY when I got too close to the rhino!  o.o
Someone should go get that polar bear down from there...

Star Wars Guild Event: Triathlon Relay!

Welcome to the starting line for the Div 9 Triathlon Relay!

Before anything starts, you will need to figure out your teams:

• Team Jawa: Frank, Phil, Brian
• Team Tauntaun: Gordon, Jeff, Jason
• Team Orokeet: Ken, Jay, and Kevin
• Team Party Bomb: Ring Ring & Matt
• Team Lightsaber: Dan, Dave, Bob

Events:

Each team member will be tackling one event per person (in teams of 2, you will have 1 person who does the 1^st and 3^rd events), but pay attention!  Everyone will be involved, and there are major ways that you can help or hinder your team.  Keep your mind open and think as a team!

·         Event 1:  Speeder Race: You will line up on the starting line on Tatooine in your favorite speeder and receive the baton, an item that will be used to pass between the team members throughout the overall event.  You will be racing from the sandstone arch in the Northern section of the desert right outside Mos Iila, around through the arch toward the southeast, and then loop back and up through the narrow pass and back to the start (see the map below for the official route).  The person doing the first event will be in a group with the WC-A so that she can see you on her map.  You may scoot close to the corners of the route, avoid mobs, kill mobs, or whatever you need to do to get through the course the fastest!  Wait for the visual cue to start, and then off you go!

·         Event 2:  Manual Dexterity:  There is a +3 Cunning Datacron in Mos Iila, and that is the crux of our next leg of the Triathlon.  As soon as the team member who was doing the speeder challenge crosses the finish line, he/she will then trade the baton item to the team member starting the next leg of the race.  As soon as that person has it, off they go to the next start point (see the map below for the datacron route) and start to make their way across the rooftops to the datacron.  For those who have never done this datacron or would like a quick guide, check out this link (last one on the page).  The catch to this leg is that you must have ALL team members on the roof where the datacron is to continue to the final leg of the race.  You don’t all have to go the same route, but your whole team must be on the roof to continue on!

·         Event 3: Mental Challenge:  As soon as you have everyone together and grouped up, your team member may pass the baton item to the last team member.  As soon as this team member gets the item, they will whisper the WC-A that they have the baton, and then will receive a link that the WC-A will send to them via vent private chat.  You must work to figure out the answers to all 5 questions as a team, and may use the internet, but the person who has the link to the questions is the only one who can submit answers to the WC-A.  To submit an answer, do so via a private message in vent.  Once all 5 answers have been submitted and you have received the message “all 5 answers correct”, you will trade the baton to the WC-A to officially finish!

Rules:

·         Give it your all and have fun!  ^.^

·         If at any time you lose or destroy the baton item, you will have to go to the NPC "Phrague" (the stims vendor by the speeder point) to buy a new one.

·         Speed Racers:  If you veer from the path, you will be penalized by having to wait before finishing for an extra 10 seconds per infraction.

·         Each group may ask ONE question before we start, no more.  This is not “interrogate the WC-A about the event to see how we can find a loophole” time, dammit!  ^.~

·         Any judgment call will be done by the WC-A and will be done as fairly as possible.

What's In Kita's Bag?

In my endeavors to help our guildies as they discover WoW and all of it's loveliness, it occurred to me that when I was just starting out, I wanted to hoard EVERYTHING.  I had no idea what to keep on me, what to put in my bank, and it took me a while to figure out exactly where to put everything.  Then again, I'm a natural pack-rat, and when combined with mild OCD, it makes for very organized gaming.  But in any case, I thought I would give you glimpse inside my main character's bag to let you know what an end-game character is toting around.

Rainbow-colored bags!  :D

The top of my bags have at least 40 free slots for items that I pick up, and that seems to be a pretty good number for what I do in-game.  I'm a big fan of cleaning out my bags frequently and repairing my gear just as frequently!

I'll start from the lower right hand side.  The square that is not highlighted at all in the corner, of course, is my hearthstone.  Gets you back to wherever you choose to bind yourself at, and I never leave home without it!

Next, the yellow squares.  These are squares that pertain to my professions.  Akane is a blacksmith and engineer, so she has her tools that help her do that.  The vertical yellow section contains my fishing gear and cooking hat!  Gotta love items that increase your secondary professions' skill level and speed.  The cooking hat makes you cook like you are an Iron Chef, no joke.  o.o

The other couple unhighlighted squares are quest items for the Darkmoon Faire.  If you haven't been there yet, you must.  Even if you are a lowbie, you MUST go there.  Fun faire games, heirloom items, achievements, fishing...  Oh yesh.  Go there.

The light blue squares are items that enable me to teleport to different locations (other than where my hearthstone is bound).  These are immensely handy when trying to get somewhere fast, or when my hearthstone is on cooldown.

The large section in red is actually my secondary spec gear and my PvP gear.  Some people will leave their extra sets of gear in their bank, but if they don't have a way to quickly pull it out of their bank when needed, it really defeats the purpose of being able to quickly fulfill a role.  Plus, when a Night Elf is camping your favorite fishing spot, you're gonna want to bust out your PvP gear quickly and destroy him before he even realizes you're there!

The green items are my playthings!  WoW has all sorts of fun items to play with, whether you're waiting for a dungeon queue to pop, or just hanging around with friends in-game, everyone has at least one item like these in your bags.  My personal favorite?  The Bones of Transformation.  I <3 being a naga.

The dark blueish-purple items are a MUST: raid food.  Now, in my bags, there are several different foods that I carry because of my diverse abilities.  There are also feasts in there; items that will feed more than just myself are handy when tackling a particularly tough situation and you need everyone in your group to be on point!

And finally, the pink section is the flask/potion/first aid section.  Flasks are a MUST for raiding, and again, I keep several different flasks on me for my different roles.  Same thing goes for potions (which I appear to have run out of ^.^').  Always be prepared and bring health/mana potions, as well as bandages.  You never know when those can come in handy, especially if used in conjunction with a macro.

Well, that's that.  I hope I have given you a helpful little glimpse into what my characters normally run around with, and what you can throw in your bank to make things easier when questing, raiding, or whatever else you may want to do in WoW.

This post features the addon "OneBag," which makes organizing and searching in your bags an easy and stress-free experience.  ^.^

New Pet & New Mounts!

It's been a while since I have posted, but it is not for lack of gaming!  I have been doing a lot in SW:TOR and WoW, and am excited for so many things coming up!

Division Nine (my guild) is one boss kill away from clearing everything in the SW:TOR PVE end-game content.  3% left on Kephess, we can do it!

In WoW-related personal news, I got the Vial of The Sands recipe on my Druid a while back, and promptly set about making a beautiful Sandstone Drake!  So excited about that.  ^.^  13 canopic jars later...

This is a truly awesome mount.  Also managed to pick up the Crawling Claw via Archaeology, which is a fun pet!  It makes the same squeaky-purring noises as the Creepy Crate and walks with its fingers.

A friend helped me get this one: The Spectral Windrider.

There will be more news coming, but right now I need to get ready for a guild event!

~Kita  ^.^

Nar Shaddaa Questions

1.  Chiss is a race that a few of us like to play.  What is this species' homeworld?
2.  Jay likes to bring his little Tauntaun everywhere he goes.  What is the Tauntaun's name?
3.  One of our guild members had a birthday yesterday.  Who was it?
4.  Ken likes to make videos for us.  What is the company pseudonym that he makes them under?
5.  How much did George Lucas sell Lucasarts for?

Change Of Titles & Reasoning Behind The Awesome

Again, I haven't been writing here with any sort of regularity, which really sucks for my one reader.  xD  Anyhow, things have been going down an interesting path in the world of this paladin.  Recently, my Guild Master, Fallenjack, stepped sideways and gave me the acting title of GM for Bloodforged.  This was something that we had spoke of for a long time, so it was not a snap decision.  Initially I was not totally thrilled with it, seeing as how my GM put a hell of a lot of time and effort into the guild, and I wasn't sure if I would be able to lead as effectively as he did.  But eventually, I came around, and I am sure that I will be fine GM for our little guild.  Thank goodness Fallenjack will still be stepping into WoW to help lead our raids!

Aside from that, it seems that Bloodforged is... taking another impromptu vacation.  -.-'  On the up side, at least we all know each other enough to let each other know what is going on.  My shaman is moving to a new place (Arkansas, mecca of... ______?) and my rogue is taking a trip to Vermont to see some friends and do some other assorted things up there.  And with my 2 warriors, 1 hunter, and myself enjoying Star Wars The Old Republic, I suppose it's up to my second hunter and the crickets to get the raiding done!  Cricket DPS is viable in raids, yeah?

On the subject of SWTOR, I must say that I am thinking of making this a gamer's blog, not just a WoW blog.  Which is slightly sad because I <3 my banner art so hard, I should have the original framed and hung in my den.  In SWTOR I have focused on 2 characters, both Sith Twi'lek Inquisitors, one as a sorcerer (healer) and one an assassin (tank).  Thus far, my healer is the one I am particularly enjoying.  I'm not sure that this is due to my cautious nature and my fondness for having a meat shield in front of me, but Akanekita has been reincarnated once more as a healer!  Kyriekita went from a mage to a tank.  ...  *insert mage tank joke here* I may yet change her to a DPS assassin...  Time will tell.  All I know about her is that I want her to have some awesome pink light sabers at some point.  >:D  Pink light sabers = badass.

Oh!  So here are some interesting thoughts that I wanted to put here...

This is something I realized the other day while talking to Fallenjack (who also has been reincarnated in SWOTR as a Sith Juggernaut):  When I decide what character to play in an MMORPG, I mainly do so based on looks.  Shallow, perhaps, but that's exactly how it is for me!  I want to play a character that I like to look at!  My first character in Perfect World was a venomancer, not because I liked the caster/pet class, but because I wanted to have a fox tail and fox ears.  THAT'S IT.  In WoW, I saw the other paladins and got all starry-eyed because of their beautiful plate armor and impressive weapons.  And now in SWTOR I want to wield the spiffy double light sabers and saber staffs.  In a possible act of personal atonement for my shallowness, my secondary method of choosing a character has to do with the people I play with.  Depending on the group or partner, I will choose something that compliments their classes.  If they are all tank/DPS, I'm the healer; if we already have heals, I roll as DPS, etc.  This usually ends up with me finding new things that I enjoy, or things that frustrate the hell out of me!

If you are reading this, I want to know:  Why do you play the classes/races/characters you play?

How can you NOT want to look this awesome?!?

C'mon, FOCUS!

Recently, I was healing a random dungeon with my guildies when I noticed that one of my DPSers seemed to be having trouble hitting the same mob as our tank was.  I asked him if he was using a focus macro, since I use them as a Retribution Paladin.  When he asked "what's a focus macro?" I decided I should probably do a quick walk through of these invaluable tools at some point!

Focus macros can make a huge difference in anyone's game play.  Whether you are a tank wanting to keep an eye on your healer or off-tank, or a DPS who wants to make sure you are attacking the right mob, focus macros can be quite handy.  So let's take this step-by-step and I will give you a little leg up on your next fight, be it dungeon or raid!

Okay, first off, what is a focus? How do you set a focus?  A focus is a specific person or mob that you set so that you can keep an eye on them.  You can set your focus a few ways, but the most commonly used ways are to either target the person you want to be your focus and type "/focus" or make a key bind.  I use a key bind, which is found under "Targeting Functions" in your Key Bindings section of the Game Menu (press ESC).

This way, all I have to so to set my focus is to click on the person and press "F."  Simple!

So, now that you have a focus, what next?  Hmm.  For the purposes of this article, I'm going to keep to the purposes of DPS, but the principles are the same for healing.  To make sure you are hitting the same mob that your tank is, focus your tank, and then take one of your skills that you use frequently and make a focus macro (for me as Retribution, I use Judgement).  It should look similar to this:

#showtooltip Judgement
/use [@focustarget,exists,nodead]Judgement;Judgement

Now, I can do my regular rotation, and when I throw in my Judgement into the mix, it will make sure that I am on the same mob as my tank is!  Of course, this is not fail proof, and may take some getting used to.  Please feel free to comment with your comments, questions, or concerns.

~Kita  ^.^

Again, After A Long Break From Blogging...

Thanks to IRL obligations over the last 3 months, I have barely had time to play WoW, let alone blog about playing WoW!  I am finally done with my latest theatrical exploits, and recently have had a few days to relax and spend some time playing the game.

I still am loving my paladin.  She will always be my main.  With the latest changes, paladins are becoming more and more like the Gnomish Army Knife of healers, moreso now than ever before.  We can AOE heal, we can tank heal, we can run into the middle of things or we can stay further back.  Full raid heals are somewhat lacking when compared to other healers, but if called upon to step in for a dead healer or whatnot, we can get the job done.  I am still somewhat irked about the loss of speedy movement burst that we used to get from our insta-cast Holy Radiance, but meh.  Just means I have to keep my head up rather than staring at my health bars so much!  Also am still not digging a full set for my paladin, all I know is that I want the Lightbringer Helm (from Tier 6).  I still am waffling about if I want to really go after a whole set for my Paladin, or put together something that really is unique and something that no one else will be wearing!

I have tried to heal in the Looking For Raid and it went fairly well.  Though I feel like the LFR raids are so dumbed down, a monkey could at the very least DPS their way through Dragon Soul.  I will say that it's a good way for smaller, more intimate guilds to start raiding and those people who lack an overly active guild but still want to raid can go out and do so.

A while back I had started up a priest for the purpose of having a tailor and inscriptionist, and have come quite attached to her.  Holy Priests are quite a different animal compared to Holy Paladins, but I am enjoying playing this new character.  She is now 77 and I would LOVE to get the Incarnate Set (Tier 4) for her, as it is simple, classy, and perfect for her back story.  The only other tier I might go after on my priest is the Sanctification Set (Tier 8), but that's only if I am feeling REALLY ambitious.  :3

And to finish this post, here is a random shot from my screenie folder...

I can do anything I want? ... *sleeps*

After yet another long hiatus from writing here, I am back (again)!  My IRL stuffs have subsided momentarily, and all I want to do is game and sleep!

Lots of things have happened recently in WoW, and I have managed to keep up with things as best I can via mobile guild chat and my guild website.

First off, <Bloodforged> celebrated a birthday earlier this month.  We gave away a Mechano-Hog, some pets, and assorted other goodies and had a naked run through Karazahn!  It was great fun, and we downed the Prince half-naked.  How many guilds can say that?  ^.^

Nakey-time!
TOP: Fallenjack, Kayvaan, Ironbull  MIDDLE:  Kitain, Draedenne, Moonflow  BOTTOM:  Wildmoon, Sunsprite, Kita

Bloodforged is now a level 15 guild!  This is very exciting, and it just means that we are that much closer to being a level 25 guild eventually.  I have noticed, though, that people looking for another guild are usually looking for the higher level guilds, and it makes me wary that there are guild-hoppers out there that just take advantage of the guild perks without putting significant effort into the guild.  Kinda sad, because I have put lots of time and effort into my guild, and someone else can just waltz in, not give a shit, and get the same perks.  Makes me glad that we have an extensive application process!

Also, the new expansion, Mists of Pandaria, has been announced.  This is not a surprise to anyone who pays attention to MMO-Champ or any of the other WoW community sites out there.  I am a bit apprehensive about this expansion, as it seems really random.  I will have to delve into the lore behind this expansion, because as it stands right now, it really seems like someone at Blizzard just has a big panda fetish and paid off over half of their Board of Directors so that they could roll a panda.  Meh.  Don't get me wrong, it's very pretty and whatnot, but the more I look at it, the more I feel like I am playing Perfect World and not WoW.  I will reserve further judgement until I get more info, but right now, I am on the fence about MoP.

There are some big changes coming to our guild website, so stay tuned for that, and now I am off to take a nap before someone calls me and I have to do more work.  xD

Thanks to Beth'tilac and Rhyolith for these lovely gifts!

It's been a while!  I have been doing a lot of work IRL and getting things taken care of in my personal life, so WoW has taken a bit of a back seat for the moment.  However, I have managed to get some imporatnt things done in what little time I have had in the game.

I pugged a quick run in Firelands a few days ago, and am now 3/7.  I downed Beth'tilac and Lord Rhyolith with a great group who was very appreciative to have a sensible paladin who was communicative and aware.  And for our efforts, I managed to pick up a trio of new people on my RealID list as well as Volcanospike and the Ward of The Red Widow!  I am so freakin' exstatic about the Ward, and I nearly shat myself when it dropped, then held my breath as me and a Shaman rolled for it...  I literally jumped out of my computer chair and did a happy dance when I won it.  Volcanospike was a lesser victory, as the hit rating doesn't do much for me, but the haste is flippin' AMAZING.  Plus, we didn't have any casters in the raid that wanted/needed it, so it ended up in my bags.  I reforged and enchanted that bad boy and it is very nice indeed.

 

Ragnaros, next I'm coming after you for my headpiece!  >:D

Also, Bloodforged's birthday is coming up next Tuesday, and as the War Commander in charge of Activities for the guild, it is my responsibility to throw one HELL of a party.  So, using Karazahn as our backdrop, we shall cavort about.  I have amassed all manner of great gifts for our members, as well as some epic items that will be given away as prizes!  I love playing games with my guild members (who are just as competitive as I am).  ^.^  I really can't wait for that.  Pictures and such to follow from there at some point.

Aaaaand it's 2am and I need sleep.  Must find time to play Portal as well.  *lol*  ...  *passes out, snoring*

Get this bird off my face...

Tier 13 for paladins has been announced, and MMO-Champion has a great visual retrospective for those of us wondering what sets to go after for transmogrification.  First off, I'm not an overly big fan of Tier 13.  While I think that paladins should always have some sort of wings implemented in their armor design, looking like I took a pigeon to the face while flying through Hyjal is not something that I relish.  Plus, if you took away the helmet and shoulders, it looks very similar to Heroic Tier 11.  Plus, is it just me, or is your eye drawn to the crotch area when looking at Tier 13?!?  I want to take this opportunity to thank Blizzard for giving us the opportunity to transmogrify our armor...

The only retro tiers that I am finding myself drawn to are 2, 5, and 6 (MUST have the helm from Tier 6; it is perfect in its simplicity), and I might just end up doing Full Tier 5 with the Tier 6 helm.  Purple Paladin, GO!  xD  Or actually, I honestly really like my Tier 12!  I have fought hard to get it, and the fact that I look like Tyrael from Diablo is awesome in my book.  Throw some ethereal-looking wings on me and BAM: Archangel of Justice.  I just have to wrangle my helm away from Ragnaros...

Dear Blizz, MAKE ME LOOK LIKE THIS!  Hugs & kisses, ~Kita

Dabbling in Prot...

In order to help my guild with getting our weekly guild challenge for raiding done, I was told by our GM that we needed to have a level 70 raid team.  Originally I thought of giving another shot at healing as a Restoration Druid, but after thinking it over and talking with other guildies about it,  I decided I would start yet another Holy Paladin.  In order to level quickly, I figured, "eh, I'll go Protection so that I can faceroll my way to level 70 as a tank, then switch to my beloved holy heals."  Hrrrm.  Not as easy as I thought.  Even if I ignore the idea that most groups I get stuck with when using the LFD system are also facerolling as well and are wanting to run through each dungeon like they were the star of the latest action movie, I still feel like there is a lot to tanking that I am not utilizing properly and therefore not doing as well as I should have.

My first issue is that I haven't looked into it properly and I only know what I have seen other tanks do from the viewpoint of DPS or healer.  This, of course, leaves a LOT to the imagination, and I find myself just pushing random buttons in an effort to maintain aggro.  However, I still manage to do really well in BGs!  xD  I think some more research into Protection is definitely needed before I use the LFG system again.  Also, I think perhaps making myself some twink items would be a good idea as well.

High DPS =/= Skill

So, I was just in a PUG with a few people running Zul'Aman.  Now first, off, I will say that ZA is not my favorite instance.  PUGging ZA makes me edgy, as people tend to go balls to the wall in the hopes of getting the bear mount, and when they don't get it, it tends to fall apart for various reasons.  I've been doing better with that shit, but...

This time around, I had a mage who was decked out in all sorts of high end gear, and he thought that I should be kissing his 42k DPS ass.  After he bit the dust during the Halazzi fight (failing point: not using some of that leet deeps to down the damn lightning totems), he proceeded to ask me if I was having some problems keeping him alive.  I told him that obviously I was, because he was taking a shit-ton of damage and that he should probably try to concentrate on downing the lightning totems to make it easier.  After claiming that it was "the melee's job to take care of totems," he proceeded to nag me about putting up Blessing of Kings instead of Blessing of Might.  I would have been open to suggestions had he not been such a dick about it.  He continued to be a dick for the rest of the run, posting DPS meters after every pull and at the end, he made the statement, "healer, you may have gear, but you don't have skill."  The tank whispered me and said "don't listen to him, you did good."  I told the mage that he may have gear as well, but he was the one who really didn't have skill.  He retorted by posting the DPS meters AGAIN.  *eyetwitch*  I finally had taken enough bullshit.  I told him in no uncertain terms that he had no skill because his awareness SUCKED and he had no concern for his fellow group-mates.  Also told him to suck my cock, and after waiting a few moments for a retort, said "fuck you, buddy" and dropped group.

I have seen this several times, and it ruffles my feathers worse than not using crowd control in situations that could benefit greatly from it.  I get so angry because people seem to think that skill is only measured by the DPS meters.  I don't care if you are the #1 mage on your server and are sporting heroic mode Firelands gear, if you are a dick and want everyone to kiss your ass just because you are doing insane DPS, that's not going to work for me.  Go group with other assholes and you all can suck each others' e-peens.  I would rather group with fellow people who are more concerned about going through situations as a group rather than basking in the convoluted glory of one jackass.

Raid Leading!

So, I have never been a raid leader.  There seemed to be a lot that they needed to do, and I had no flippin' clue when it came to little things (like how to place the world markers).  xD  But yesterday, I had finally had enough of looking in trade chat for a Baradin Hold raid for myself and 2 other guildies, so I figured, "fuck it, I'ma try to raid lead.  Can't be that bad..."

Lessons Learned:

1. Do not be so soft-hearted as to allow just anyone in.  Ask if they know the fight, and at the very least, look over the tanks to make sure they aren't geared in greens.  As a person, I like a challenge and I usually have the time to explain everything, but you must keep in mind the raid as a whole may not have the time or energy to deal with people who are not prepared.  If a person is not pulling their weight, explain to them that they need to be better prepared, and that you will be replacing them.
2. Organize your raid beforehand.  Depending on the fight, I am a fan of having one tank and one healer in each group or all my healers in one group.
3. State loot rules at the beginning, and that way if anyone has issues with the rules you have set forth, then they can leave.  Make sure to set your loot to whatever you see fit; a general rule of thumb is that main spec (the spec you are in at present) > off spec.
4. Explain the fight basics for each role.  If people shouldn't stand next to things/people, tell them beforehand.  I neglected to tell people that standing near the tanks was probably not a good idea, and lost a few due to that.  Tell the raid what you expect of them.
5. ALWAYS do a ready check before pulling the boss.  Hell, check twice if more than a few minutes has passed.  I told my one tank to pull when the other tank was AFK.  That was an unnecessary wipe!
6. DON'T get caught up in typing during the fight!  This goes for anytime and anyone, really.  Always be aware of what is happening around you and keep Raid Warnings short and to the point.

Fortunately, we did just fine after a couple rough starts, and defeated both bosses in Baradin Hold.  I do want to raid lead again, as it was pretty fun!

Me on my Hog with the tiny Noggenfogger buff, bringing a normal-sized Tauren guildie to Zul'Farak.  xD

 

Baleroc, You A Bitch.

Last night I was asked to heal a friend's Firelands run.  It went pretty well for the most part!

Trash has become pretty easy for most people, it seems, and we ripped through the trash and headed of to Beth'tilac.  First off, when I did Firelands before, when I did Beth'tilac, it was my first time, and when I was sent topside, I noobed it up so bad, they had an Enhancement Shaman fill that role and I stayed down below.  Quite mortifying, because there was only two people up there and I was having trouble healing them?!?  -.-'  But this time around, when I was sent up, I did pretty well!  I stuck to my rotations and was spot on when it come to going up and down.  I'm super proud of myself on that personal victory.

Shannox was kind of interesting, and despite charging in a bit early before the raid leader had fully explained the strategy, Shannox was fairly easy.  I must name my next dogs "Rageface" and "Riplimb."

BALEROC.  That sonofabish.  Now, having only done the previously mentioned bosses once, Baleroc is a new one for me.  I had read up on the fight and watched a couple videos, but I still struggled with switching between the tanks and the person who had the shard debuff.  Kind of maddening.  This was most likely due to the lack of communication on vent between the healers.  There were three of us (Priest, Druid, Paladin), and the Priest didn't say a daaaaaamn thing at all.  The Druid seemed to have his mute button on, so we didn't hear anything from him until after we wiped three times.  *sigh*  Plus, I need to get over the fact that this fight will have me on the lower end of mana and I just have to deal with it.  I am far better at not panicking when it comes to moments like that, but I still get tense when my mana alerts are going off constantly.  I need to definitely look for more pointers on how to heal this encounter.

This weekend, I'm off to Black Temple for old-school tier gear!  Also hopefully going to spend some time with Wildmoon and level my little Shadow Priest.  Drinking and leveling alts, that's part of an awesome weekend.

Busy Busy!

More recruitment has been happening, and we have added at least one more member to our ranks.  We welcome applicant Kayvaan, and hope that he does well with us!  Kitain has finally actually applied to the guild, and she is chomping at the bit to get some RAP (Raid Attendance Points) accrued.  ^.^

Next week will see Bloodforged in our first guild activity!  Recently we have a had a lot of stuff going on in everyone's lives, so guild stuff seemed to take a back seat for some.  Hopefully we all get a chance to unwind and relax soon!

Other than that, I have been reading over strategies for healing various raids.  My only shortcoming right now is that I don't know the fights inside and out like I should, but that is something that will come with time and EFFORT!  Speaking of effort, if any of my guildies are reading this and still need gear in various places, GET ON IT!  I'll heal for ya if you are after something specific.

Also, (and this is more of a personal reminder) I need to add another power aura or perhaps some visual reminder for when my Judgements of the Pure is not up.  I heart my 9% haste buff.

Hope everyone has a great weekend!

To Those Wishing To Apply To Bloodforged:

Bloodforged is the guild that I am a member of.  We are a very tight-knit group with a definite view of what we are after.  Yes, we intend on raiding once we get our core group set.  However, this is not an easy task, as we are going about it in a way that will eliminate most of the usual shenanigans that you get from other raiding groups.  We don't go the easy route, therefore, this can be a hard guild to get into.

Really what it comes down to is: Be yourself!  This above everything helps both the applicant and the guild figure out if they are going to be a good fit.  If you represent yourself as someone you're not, that's no good.  Generally we are pretty good at figuring out when people are bullshitting, and who wants to hang around someone who lies to make themselves look good?  You are good on your own merits, don't feel like you need to impress anyone.  :)  We like to know basically where you are coming from, but that can be done without having to drop the fact that you downed heroic mode Ragnaros with Paragon every 5 minutes.

Welcome Home!

What an awesome day!  First off, our roguey troll, Kitain, has finally transferred servers and we welcomed her to the realm today.  She suprised me by showing up while I was doing my dailies and I was all like, "OMGWTBBQ!!"  Very nice to finally have her around.  We just have to fix her vent issue, and it's all good.  Secondly, another new applicant, Wildmoon, transferred servers today as well, along with a couple of her alts.  She's pretty spiffy, and I am anxious to get into some dungeons with her and see how she does.  And finally, I downed Beth'tilac and Shannox today and received my first two pieces of dropped Firelands gear!  :D  So exciting!  Oh, and our guild has earned another level!  I am very happy about all this.  ^.^

Longer post of substance later!  Must go frolic.

Firelands Trash & Guild Stuffs!

Now that I have secured a spot on the guild raid roster and I am feeling confident about my abilities, I am feeling like I'm in a good place with my character.  On my own I have gotten into Firelands trash runs and been pretty successful at being in that environment.  Unfortunately, I have maxed the reputation that I can get from trash mobs in there, so now I need to be looking to kill Shannox and Beth'tilac.

In my perusal of the interwebs for information about these fights, I have come to the conclusion that I need to start using Aura Mastery more.  I wasn't keen on using it much because I had trouble making use of the silence and interrupt immunity ability, but I underestimated the other part of Aura Mastery, which is that they improve your auras by 100%.  In Firelands, that's a LOT of fire resistance, and can definitely be put to good use.  Another thing that I need to understand better is my use of Hand of Protection.  It has its benefits, but I feel like I am not using this to its full potential.

Other things are going quite well, and I'm excited that the guild has started to recruit more people.  Last night we did a run through Zul'Aman with Ironbull, and it looks like he will definitely need some help with his UI and basics if he's going to be continuing to run with us.  However, I have high hopes for him, and he's a fun guy to play with!  We will help him out and I'm sure he will be quite the good addition to Bloodforged if he makes it through his applicant period.  ^.^  Also, it looks like our resident hunter, Sylvanist, is getting close to the point where he will be taking the Crucible!  This is super-exciting, because I know how hard our guild tests to become part of the raid team are, and I know that he will do awesome.  And finally, Moontree, get yo ass to Thrall, seriously.  :P

Here's to a relaxing weekend of fun!

Fallenjack & I riding our Raven Lords!