Category Archives: Raiding
Screenshot: Poking Fun at Gluth
June 11, 2009
My first night in Naxxramas as a Retribution Paladin came to an end with Gluth. I’m certain my glowing Whale-Stick Harpoon had something to do with it.
Going Retribution. For the First Time. Ever.
In last night’s Naxxramas 25-man raid I changed specs to Retribution. This was the very first time I had gone Retribution on my main. My second spec had been Holy since the dual spec feature was introduced to the game. I had healed Naxx 25 once and ran a handful of heroics, but never made the most of having the Holy spec.
Now, while I’ve never gone Retribution on Molsan, my other Paladin has always been Retribution. Yes, I have two Paladins. Yes, they are both Horde and both on Earthen Ring.
DPS is DPS
So I was at least familiar with the abilities of the spec, the DPS rotation, etc. What I didn’t realize is I had none of the gear! I could have sworn that I had picked up several pieces of DPS plate prior to them being disenchanted, but I was wrong. So, I equipped my tanking gear, a couple of rare rings, and a polearm from the Kalu’ak; I was off and running.
Thankfully, the group I play with out-gears the instance now, so my bottom-of-Recount DPS (1721) went unnoticed. We one-shotted most of the bosses except for Razuvious (we lost him at less than 1%!) and Patchwerk. No loot for me, but I did add a few Emblems of Valor to my collection. I have over 50 Emblems of Heroism collecting dust, so the Mirror of Truth might be a good pickup if I want to get serious about my Ret set.
Going with a different spec gave me a new perspective on the raid. I believe this will help me be a better tank in the long run. I was also more motivated and excited to raid a dungeon that we’ve been working on for a couple months now. Old is now new again… at least for one night.
Raid Organizers are Just as Important as Raid Leaders
There are more roles to a raid than just tank, healer, and DPS. Two critical roles are “raid organizer” and “raid leader.” These roles sound very similar and many raid groups probably consider them to be the same. They are quite different, though, and having a top notch raid organizer can make or break your raid group.
The Difference Between Leader and Organizer
A raid leader knows all the encounters and can coordinate just about every aspect of the fight with all the members of the raid. A raid organizer keeps the raid schedule together. He or she knows who will be attending the raid and who’s on backup. The raid organizer has their finger directly on the pulse of the raid, and provides the positive voice keeping momentum and morale high while the raid group progresses.
This role is often overlooked and shared by one or two other raid members. Typically, one of the raid leaders will take on the role of organizer, but is swamped with trying to keep track of every boss fight and what players are performing what role. It’s unfair to rely on the raid leader to explain all the fights to you and deal with you telling them that you won’t be able to make the raid the next night.
Can You Have One Without the Other?
I would argue that you can, but your raid will suffer one way or the other. Without a knowledgeable and patient raid leader, your progression will stall as you “learn on the job.” Often times, other raid members will step up and offer advice on encounters, but you end up with a lot of cooks in a very hot kitchen. Without an attentive raid organizer, you will progress, but players will drop in and out of raids and morale will suffer over time without that consistent leadership presence.
When establishing your raid team, definitely fill out your roster with the appropriate number of tanks, healers, and DPS. Take on or assign a single person the role of “raid organizer” and remove the burden of scheduling, sending out invites, and keeping the group on track from your raid leaders.
Can Raid Progression and Fun Coexist?
I want to have fun while I raid! What does that even mean, though? Do you enjoy the company of your fellow raiders, or are they a means to an end? Is a raid enjoyable when you have to listen/read a person comment on every piece of loot and moan and groan if they roll too low on sidegrades?
I don’t think you can “have fun” with a raid group if your only goal is serious progression. You can certainly offset the job that is raiding by listening to music, chatting with co-workers… err, guildmates, and gossiping about the boss… bah, I did it again… I meant raid leader. However, at some point, you end up finding enjoyment in the game through other venues such as running heroics and group quests with your friends, or, heaven-forbid, soloing some dailies.
Signs You’re Not Going to Enjoy Your Evening Raiding
Here are some tell-tale signs that you’re not going to enjoy your evening raiding:
- One of the mains that’s completely geared out wants to know if he/she can swap in his/her alts for certain boss fights.
- The raid leader feels like they need to supplement your raid group with a character that out-gears your current raid dungeon. Oh, and they’ll be taking your role for the evening, but it’s okay if you want to stay.
- The raid starts an hour late, but the objectives of the three-hour raid still need to be met.
- Army of the Dead.
- Guildmates are shouting in Ventrilo in hopes that they’ll wake up the DPS that said they were getting sleepy an hour ago.
- You are constantly referred to by your class name and not your actual character name.
- After several wipes, everyone becomes and expert and chimes in with TIHMOGDI* strategies.
- You go to grab a snack and realize that you’re out of Triscuits.
- The DPS has been running with broken equipment because they don’t have enough gold for repairs.
- The main tank goes AFK several times for lengthy “bio breaks.”
This list is obviously incomplete, so feel free to comment here if you have other examples.
* This is how my old guild did it.
