Noblest of Nobles

So, I'm not quite certain why you get a title of Noble for going around picking up and laying eggs... But I did it anyway, lol.


But something we've found interesting is that some of these holidays bring out the best and worst people. For example, there is the nice person that sticks around for an extra 2 minutes so you can hit them with flowers to finish off the achievement. Even though you're the 3,849,133rd person to do that to them this week. On the other hand, you have the annoying people that camp the egg spawns rather than run around and have some challenge to it. And then they get mad at you when you run in and get it because even though their mouse was hovering over the spawn point, you were still quicker. Lol! Very useful to do that when every single spawn point is being camped... See, if everyone were running around, we'd all have a chance at the eggs. But oh well.

So the other note to share, since I haven't been here to blog in a bit... is that Heigan is annoying. Not hard, by any means - just annoying. In fact, for a 10-man raid, you can actually down him with just a tank and a healer - provided they know how and when to move. It's just a matter of dividing the room up into quarters and moving from 1->2->3->4->3->2->1 for the most part. But it does require minimal lag, and that the tank moves him appropriately.

So why do I say he's so annoying? Pets. You want to use your pet for the extra DPS, however he likes to stand behind the boss. If the tank is running in the direction of the next safe zone, that puts your pet right in the dead zones. Heck, I even tried putting it on passive, but since it was following me, with just a little lag it wound up dead too. So then, how do you actually keep your pet alive during the fight? The tank needs to be completely on top of their game and running to the safe area, turn the boss 90 degrees to pause while safe, run to next safe area, etc. Then, keeping on passive during Phase 2 and essentially doing the same yourself. That way you and your pet (or the tank, boss and pet) are all aligned with the safe zone rather than across it.

Now, of course, that's just a theory (we didn't have time or energy to fully try it - only had 3 of us, tank, healer, me, on the first try and only 5 on the second try) but put it to you this way... Light 2 fires that are 12" tall and 4" wide each, with 2" of safe area between them (so left to right is 4" fire, 2" safe, 4" fire). Then try putting a 1" player, a 2" boss, and a 1" pet in a row. They only fit one way within that safe area. No, those aren't meant to be accurate numbers, just a visualization of what I mean. Now, try to tack on the timing of the whole thing and that's what makes it harder. It's honestly much easier to just forget about the pets and make sure everyone else stays alive.

Nevermind, too confusing. Just look and think which would work better: A or B.



And yes, I realize that one is far easier, and it's not the same as which is better. So anyway, I'm done mourning the deaths of Travelform and will end this post....... now.

Umm, AFK? Yeah, that's it!

Well, yeah. Between work and other life events, I have not had much time for WoW. Sadly, I am not up to my goal of 1 post per weekday. So for the random thought to keep the interest up - wow that wind is loud! - anyway... On Monday we got snow. Dude, April is almost over, we're in mid-mud-season... Can we not be done w/ snow yet? Time to take the bike out! Nice windy roads, blue skies... Ugh. In any event, I'll be traveling tomorrow, and then it's the weekend. So off the side tangent and back to the point! Umm, I had a point? Well, in any event, I should be back Monday. Wait - meetings all day MON. Howabout Tuesday? Yeah, that sounds good. I'll shoot for TUE. CYA then!

Spirit Beasts Galore!

Ok, maybe it’s like when you have a specific car in mind that you see a lot of them…  But I’ve seen a decent number of Spirit Beasts on the Nazgrel server.  Yes, I’m jealous.  It’s pretty clear, lol.  But it really has amazed me at how many I’ve seen (all tamed, of course).  In all my countless hours searching, I’ve only seen King Krush once.  He was even at a spawn point not listed on WoWhead’s map.  So anyway, it’s just frustrating to see so many of them.

But whatever, I can still be happy for the other (VERY) lucky hunters.  But the part that frustrates me is the names…  Or when the hunters refer to Loque as a “cat”.  Yesterday, one was named “Beaver”.  Dude – it’s a Spirit Beast.  It’s a rare pet.  It is not a cat, it is not a beaver.  In fact, it more closely resembles a wolf, but you know what?  It’s a Spirit Beast.  Give it a good name already!!!  Heck, even if the name is “Spirit Beast” or “Loque” would work, considering it has its own name – “Loque’nahak <Mate of Har’koa>”!  Go with that – why rename Loque?

Ugh.  Ok, done ranting.  For the positive, a nice Ogre saw him once and was contemplating how to call me at work so I could log in and tame him, but another char swooped in and slay him before Ogre could do anything.  So Kudos to him!  I’ll get lucky eventually, right?

Darwin

Survival of the fittest – I survived this past weekend!

Actually, the way I plan my events is that everything is done prior to the event.  That way during the event I can, for the most part, sit back and just enjoy it.  Especially true of this one since I didn’t even have a speaking part – everyone else took care of that!  Granted I was running around like crazy the day of the event because 1 person decided to be a pain in the neck – nevermind I was coordinating an event for 249 other people and he was annoyed he wasn’t eligible to fully join…  Nevermind the extra hours wasted because of him…

But anyway, that’s also somewhat how I like to do instances/raids.  Coordinate beforehand, read up on the bosses & trash, etc.  Then when you’re running it, you can just enjoy and have a great time.  No need (most of the time) to worry about finding a PuG, no need for lengthy explanations, just jump in, buff up and off you go!

So since I was on this topic anyway, I figure I can also put out a plug for anyone on the Nazgrel server that wants to raid with friendly people and have fun runs…  http://www.raidnazgrel.com.  It’s basically a PuG but w/o the PuG.  You can stay in your current guild, and just sign up for a raid if/when you can make it.  Only real requirement is that you’re not annoying, lol.

Awwe

Poor Ogre.  He’s got the patch blues.  And he’s sad that Naxx may not happen this weekend.  Actually, I think it’s b/c I won’t be there and RN isn’t big enough yet to not need to PuG so he’ll need to PuG w/o me.  At least, that’s a guess since he always makes fun of me for PuG’n.  Lol.  In any event – I got your back for OBS dude!  Provided I survive *this weekend…

 

*This is the biggest weekend on campus other than Graduation and Xanther oversees the biggest part of the weekend.  He is holding onto sanity and hopes to be back to blog again on Monday.

To the Lists!

So much has come out with 3.1!  Dual Spec’s, Class changes, Ulduar, and of course – the Argent Tournament!  And of course, with all those changes means that many players return to the world of warcraft.  So what does that mean?  Well, TUE we didn’t really bother logging on.  Tried doing it but after getting insta-boot every time, we gave up.  So yesterday we were actually able to get in!

First things first, we had to fix our UI’s.  Then respect, since all talents were wiped.  And then?  Off to the Argent Tournament!  There was the initial ‘talk to this person’, then ‘talk to that person’, but the highlight?  You get a lance and a horse and can joust.  Well, kinda.  Day one is training and teaching you how to fight w/ a lance.  But it was still cool!  Just 2 more days of training and perhaps we can do some real jousting.

There were some additional dailies, but what I thought unique about these were that they take you to more than just one area in Northrend.  You wind up in Icecrown, Storm Peaks, and all the way down to Howling Fjord.  Btw – it’s Fjord.  Not Fajord…  It’s a “j” that sounds like a “y”.  In fact, Feeyord is closer than Fajord.  Kinda like how Lichen is not pronounced like the Lich King…  It’s liken to liken.  Anyway, sorry about the side track.  So I thought it was interesting how Bliz won’t make any mounts faster than already exist because they want us to see the countryside.  So this was an interesting way to make people head to zones they may not have hit in a few months.  My personal opinion though?  If I can fly faster, I’ll be able to get to areas faster, do more quests, and so on.  I won’t have time to explore every nuance in the game before the next expansion, so why not let me fly faster!

Ok, so that was totally a side track.  But anyway, the point is that the Argent Tournament is pretty cool and you should stop by to check it out.  Don’t forget to get tilted while up there!

Getting Hit

Yes, did OBS as OT w/ Datouv this past weekend.  I must say the weirdest thing was getting hit in a raid.  Very hard for a hunter to go from only getting hit on a rare occasion (such as all tanks are dead) to being an OT and it’s his job to be hit.

We certainly got through just fine.  All I’m sayin is it’s weird to be doing everything I can to get him to hit me instead of everything not to get hit, lol.

Every once in a while I come across one of these videos that makes you go "really?". It just puts things into perspective and makes you think about how we use technology. It's not about WoW, but it's fun to watch, lol.

Ups & Downs

What else could “Ups & Downs” be referring to other than PuG’s?  Ok, fine, probably quite a bit, but stick with me here…  And ignore the Ogre…

So last night we started to focus on doing a couple heroics.  Main point is to pick up some Emblems to get some shoulders for some alts.  Since it was a weekday, we didn’t have enough 80 guildies to run them, but we were able to PuG out 2 spots to fill the group.  The first 2 instances were fine and our guildie picked up a couple upgrades.  We then tried the 3^rd instance (HoL – daily Heroic) and had a diff group for it.

Now normally I’m cool with moving fast through an instance and chain-pulling so long as everyone is ready and good to go.  In fact, by the end we picked up a few achievements.  So that certainly proves the group was capable of going that fast.  But you know what annoyed me about the run?  The tank and PuG DPS didn’t bother to check if people were ready.  So even when the healer was sitting down drinking, the tank would go “r?” and immediately run down the steps, around a corner, and start hitting things.

I must say that I did laugh when 2 of the DPS wound up dead from doing that, but it immediately frustrated me when 5 seconds after being rezzed (not even with full health yet), they ran in to do it again.  Maybe I don’t understand how the mechanics work, but if someone rezzes you… they need to get mana back before moving on?  Especially if they had to rez multiple people…

But whatever, I can get over that.  I mean, it’s a PuG.  People are annoying and stupid because they don’t have any courtesy or respect online and you may never see them again so who cares.  However, on the final boss fight, the healer and I both die literally 5 seconds before the end of the fight.  The other 3 loot, and run off towards Dalaran.  Now, I can kinda understand the two Warriors just being annoying and not waiting to loot since they can’t rez anyone.  But the Shammy just running off?  Howabout a damn rez you piece of [insert expletive].   We were the ones who organized the run, the healer has already rezzed you multiple times, and you just run off after the final boss fight?  So after I recover from my shock at the audacity, I say “rez please?” and he does run back to rez us.  Kudos for at least fixing your mistake.

Maybe it’s because hunters need to have great situational awareness (need to know and handle melee and ranged mechanics at the same time, and be on the lookout for additional situations that might require them to save the day), but did they not realize that the healer and a DPS were dead?  Did the Shammy not know he could rez people?  Or do they just not care?  Oh well, let me pass along some guidelines so you do not wind up like those guys:

 1 – Don’t start fighting unless everyone is actually ready
 2 – Don’t line of sight your healer unless by pure accident, or necessary (such as pulling over a trap)
 3 – Rez people before moving on – even if moving on means hearthing because the instance is done
 4 – Don’t loot until everyone is rezzed
 5 – If you’re a DPS and you run around a corner, LoS your healer, and die – it’s your fault.  Don’t make the same mistake twice in a row
 6 – Say “thx” or something to that effect when rezzed.  After all, they could have made you run back.
 7 – Play nice!  Just because it’s a PuG doesn’t mean you should interact any differently than you would in person
 8 – Just because you can go that fast, doesn’t mean everyone wants to
 9 – Don’t tell people how to play their class if it is different from yours – chances are they’re better at it than you (yes, the warrior tried telling the druid how to heal) – especially when you’re giving bad advice
 10 – Live, learn, get over it.  It was just a PuG and you got what you wanted out of it… Emblems.

/steps off his soapbox…

The Hunter Dance - Part IV (How to Pull)

Previous Editions
The Hunter Dance – Part I (Misdirect)
The Hunter Dance – Part II (Shot CD)
The Hunter Dance - Part III (Trap Usage)

Upcoming Editions
Pet Control
Survival – Feign Death
Trap Dancing / CC
Line of Sight
Where to Stand?
Macros

Abilities

First, the obvious – a Ranged Weapon. Point and click. Sure, when questing, this is the easiest, saves mana, but rather pointless in a group or an instance. You’d do much better to use something more like Steady Shot. Why not Arcane Shot or Concussive Shot? Because SS has a cast timer, the others are instant. So SS, CS, AS, SS is much more effective than CS, AS, SS… If you have a question on that, let me know and I’m happy to explain further. But anyway, in a group/instance/raid? Not really much point to these. At least not just one of them by themselves. Which leads me to…

The Choices
Next, unique to Hunters we have 2 choices – Misdirect & Freezing Arrow. I’ve already discussed Misdirect a little in an earlier edition, but that is generally the most common way to pull. Even when CC’ing… A good hunter can drop a Freezing Trap, move, Misdirect, SS, AS, Aimed Shot (or similar rotation), change target to CC mob, Distracting Shot, change target to skull, move, drop a Freezing Trap, move, DPS skull, etc. This is certainly the most effective, and it’s one main reason why people invite hunters to instances. Even a poor hunter can pull this one off. Though I am reminded of this one huntard…

So then onto FA… Don’t do it. I mean, I can see the extremely rare case that there’s a 4-pull and one of them is far off on the edge where an Avenger’s Shield won’t hit it… However, you could easily instead drop your Freezing Trap, get back to full mana, DPS the main 3 targets, DS the 4^th to you, and then chain CC if necessary. Much more DPS and an ability for chain CC just makes sense. Thus no, FA is not for pulling – it’s for saving the healer, another DPS, emergency CC, etc.

Then, of course, there’s the Warrior method – charge in and hit everything. Yeah, pretty much suicide, but you might just get off an Explosive Trap followed by a Volley, However, it’s a sure way to get yourself killed, be called Leeroy Jenkins, and never be invited back.

Warning
The biggest mistake hunters (and warlocks!) make, is poor pet control. As you can see at the top, that will be an entire section itself, but the short and dirty here is to make sure your pet goes after the right target, not a CC one. If you’re just learning, or unsure of your ability, put your pet on passive until you are ready to send them in to DPS the right target. Your group members would much rather you have slightly lower DPS at the start of the fight and pull correctly, than to break CC’s and wipe the group. Similarly, placement can mean a whole lot of difference. Don’t put your CC mob in range of the Tank’s AoE. Now if they pull the mobs into range of your CC and they AoE, that’s a different story. Just don’t blame them for breaking CC when it was your placement that is at fault.

Reminder
Each fight is different. I have explained the mechanics, but only practice will solidify it and make it second nature. Practice will help teach you where to place your traps, how far you need to move, where to stand, which ones to hit first, second, etc. Of course, you can also tune in to the next addition too for more advice (which you can feel free to take or throw out the window – your choice, lol).

Ding!

Haha! My first alt to reach the level cap! Back in BC I got Galoriar to 70 first, got him all the way to raiding, then started leveling alts and got the second account to dualbox them all up. But between in-game holidays, speed leveling as many as possible, and raiding... Didn't have time to get any other char to 70 before WotLK. And now I can shows u!


Ironically enough, our guildies were conspiring against us... We were racing our alts against a guildie's main. So SUN night, they helped him stay up late and get all the way down to one quest turn-in. Knowing I was going to be at work until late yesterday, he waited to log in to turn it in and beat Lady X and I. Little did he know I had time to come home for dinner. So while Lady X kindly made dinner, I finished off grinding. I ding'd 80, logged off (had to run back to work!) and almost instantly he logs in. Saw that Lady X was on, said "wanna race to 80?"... Ding! And less than 10 min later Lady X ding's. So now I feel bad because even though they were conspiring against us we still could have won!!! If only we didn't need to eat! But I guess it's not so bad, I'd consider it a tie since we hit 80 before and after him. Regardless, that's one more guildie for heroics!

5 Min

So in my haste on Friday amidst my all-day nightmare meeting, this post seems to have been deleted rather than submitted.  I apologize, I left you hanging all weekend with no new material!

So anyway, the power of 5 minutes…

In RL, I plan many events and work with multiple departments and constituencies.  Something I’ve always believed in, is spending a few minutes with the people that are helping setup the event.  Yes, I’m paying them, and no, I don’t have to say a thing to them.  But I do it anyway to be nice and to build a relationship.  Something I’ve found from that is they will bend over backwards to make something happen for me now.  For example, they were able to handle the event fine a while back when we were expecting 75 people and were overly successful – over 150 people came…  They also have a beer waiting for me when I find 2 seconds to stop over and pick it up since I’m busy running the event.

So how does this apply to WoW?  Very simple – 5 minutes can be important.  Whether with guildies or friends, taking a few minutes to help them is usually a good idea.  The “hey, can you help me on this quest real quick?” or the “can anyone run me through X instance?” are a chance to spend some time with a friend, and help get them to 80 (or geared) faster.  Not to mention, they are inclined to do the same for you later.  Our guild has so many favors owed both ways, that no one really cares about collecting on them.  We know that any of us can ask for help and the favor will be returned at some point in the future.  It’s quite nice to be in a guild like that!

So since I was posting something along this thread anyway, it was deleted, and now I’ve rewritten it, I get the chance to also add in a shout out.  Thanks go to Ogre, Testy & Efess for the Gundrak run through.  Lady X & my alts are now almost to 80!

Y 4 No Jokes?

April Fools Day…  Yeah, didn’t have the time to come up with something clever, so I figured it’d be wiser to post about it the next day…