The server-transfer went through and may just be the best WoW decision we have ever made. Well, except adopting a wolvar norphan, of course. Also, I’m glad I’ve finally overcome my server-transfer phobia. I don’t know why it felt like such a big deal but I spent an insane amount of time administrating myself so that I came through with the equivalent of three portmanteaus, a dressing-case, two hat boxes, and a large luncheon-basket. It was kind of like when we went to Edinburgh – for some reason, possibly the six hour train journey, we became obsessed with the notion that we would run out of reading material. So we ended up rocking up to Scotland with three socks, two changes of underwear, and about sixteen books between us. Because aren’t there bookshops in Edinburgh? What the hell? This time round it was bag space – I hadn’t realised I’d become psychologically dependent on my tailor. So Tam materialized on his new server bristling with infinite infinite dust and damn near infinite frostweave bags. But, after all that, Azeroth was exactly the same on the other side.
The server-transfer thing turned out to be one of the most positive WoW experiences you could imagine – we checked out numerous servers and met an array of fantastically cool people. I’m pretty sure we would have been happy wherever we ended up. Possibly there’s just something wrong with ED – it has some niceness repulsion field that drives people away from it. Or perhaps we’ve been incredibly unlucky. Truthfully, I do have a slight blogging qualm. What are we going write about, if not endless failpugs?
But, anyway, by way of a welcome the new guild took us to 25-man Ulduar.
Holy.
Fucking.
Fuck.
We were not prepared. We had thought they were joking. So, we didn’t have the requisite downloads, I hadn’t even bothered to check out how that Vent thingy works but there we were, along for the ride. I have to confess I was slightly reluctant – as much as I wanted to see Ulduar I didn’t want to be ‘boosted’ but despite everyone having to go a little more slowly and despite some initial failing … I think … I think I wasn’t too much of a drag factor. Also, blessedly, I got to play with the healing team since DPS is not my strong point – but if some folks are sweeping you joyously to Ulduar you can’t exactly trail along behind them wailing “but I don’t wanna be shadow” like a spoiled brat.
While I trying to get Vent working, everybody jumped in vehicles and sped off … whoops … but somebody came back for me … and I shot at things ineptly … and then we faced off against Flame Leviathan.
Okay. Right. Flame Leviathan. I gotta have words.
When I hear the words ‘Flame Leviathan’ I’m thinking kraken meets phoenix, you know? I’m think tentacular wings dripping fire. I’m thinking awe. I’m thinking terror.
I am most assuredly not thinking GOLF CADDY.
Flame Leviathan:
Something like this!
Golf Caddy.
Not Something Like This
I feel strongly about this, so let me do that again:
Flame Leviathan:
Something like this!
Golf Caddy:
Not Something Like This
SOMEBODY TAKE NOTE!
Or maybe I’m just looking at this the wrong way. I mean, I guess the titans are allowed a hobby just like the rest of us. And that it takes 25 guys in heavy artillery to take down the titans’ golf caddy, well, I dread to think about going up against their stamp collection…
Truthfully the whole experience was a bit of blur. I don’t think I’ve ever been in a 25 man anything so it was all a bit overwhelming, and I managed to get Vent working (at least, in the sense I could hear people but not speak to them) about halfway through, which, again was totally disorientating. It was kind of like suddenly admitting 25 boisterous geeks into your bedroom, even though nothing like 25 of them were talking. Also if a cavalcade of new names to learn is hard enough, imagine the same thing but with voices. One of them sounded so bewilderingly like Spike from Buffy that I remember leaning over to M’Pocket Tank and whispering: “Why is William the Bloody leading this raid?”
But bosses were downed, healing was done, I hope I didn’t fuck up too badly. I woke up this morning feeling like I’d been hit by a train. I mean, concentrating, and trying to learn, and angsting to myself, for an extended period of time really took its toll. I seriously shouldn’t feel this fuxxored outside of a major hangover, or perhaps having been run over by a car golf caddy.
On the other hand, ye Gods, was it a massive pile of fun.
So, uh this just in. Raid healing massively different to 5-man healing. No wai! Honestly, the last thing I did before leaving ED was invest in a Glyph of Prayer of Healing and I was starting to think to myself “well, that was a bit of a waste wasn’t it?” In 5-mans I hardly ever cast PoH unless I have serendipity up or the group is taking a lot of damage in a slow, predicable way – but usually, by the time I’ve cast, everybody is dead anyway. It was turning into the new Queen Susan’s Horn of my arsenal. But, yeah, I was pretty happy to have that glyph in Ulduar, let tell you.
I think the way I’d articulate the difference between 5-mans and raiding is that individual contribution becomes much less meaningful and measured. I don’t mean you can slack at the back or anything but, from what little I’ve seen, you role is likely to be a relatively narrow one. “Keep the raid alive” – there’s very little room for imaginative healing. Or maybe there is, but it’s liable to much less effective than spamming AoE-healing. So in that respect it’s much less interesting than a tight and tricky 5-man. But, in other ways, it’s much more interesting. The investment in team success – both within the raid as a whole and, in a smaller way, as part of a healing team – and the first time you see them (and, who knows, maybe on subsequent occasions) the bosses are glorious set pieces, even the flaming golf caddy. Well, actually, no. Not the golf caddy. Nothing was saving that. I’d read up on the tacs, of course, but my internal response to pretty much everything explanation was something along the lines of: “We have to do WHAT? And WHAT? And HEAL?” But somehow people were healed, the DPS did whatever insanely complicated thing they were doing, and the tanks took it in the face for the rest of us (also complicatedly).
Kologarn did for us in the end but it was pretty late by then anyway.
The other thing that’s struck me is the need for a psychological shift. I think I was already halfway there without realising it but making things explicit to yourself is important. One starts WoW as a wide-eyed noob, and, under those circumstances, I was adopted by a passing Cow and gently inculcated into the mysterious mysteries of the game. But then Cow moved on and I flew the nest and, essentially, grew up into a WoW player in my own right, putting aside noobish things and all that (yeah, like I ever). And by the time you hit 80, you know your favoured class(es) very well, you’re, on average, generally better that at least 50% of the randoms you PUG with and, without you ever noticing it, the internal identification as a noob has gone.
Learning, like anything else, is a habit – a habit we lose, to an extent, when we leave formal education. That’s not to say we don’t continue to learn things but the natural identification with the role of student has faded and, whenever we do find ourselves forced into the position again, there’s reluctance, resistance, a stubbornness that must be overcome. Some people never do. How depressing is it, to be sitting in a room, on some training course, when those around you are pointedly refusing to learn, and acting out like 31 year old 14 year olds to the person who is trying to teach you.
Equally, I think it’s like this in WoW – for me, at least. I’m not conscious of actual resistance to learning but it’s disorientating to be a student – a noob – again. WoW is not, for the most part (as my previous post should indicate) a pleasant learning environment – I’ve been lucky in always having had people around me who have been willing to teach, and not to condemn. As I blundered my way through Ulduar, trying not to fuck up, I had to accept: it’s back to noob school for me. There really is a lot to learn here, not just the basic things like the tacs, but how to fit the team, the way the group functions, how to heal better as part of a raid (how the hell to actually talk into Vent), for example – so I’m hereby committing myself to being the best damn level 80 noob I can be.
I think the problem is I’m so used to everything around me in WoW being hostile and impatient and critical – who wants to be the person who asks the stupid question or who gets lost and holds the whole group up. But, ultimately, until I know better I am going to be that person. I’m probably even going to be the person who drags Kologarn’s eyebeams through the raid (although only once, only once). But I will learn, and I will learn graciously and gratefully, and hopefully moderately quickly. And, equally, I have to trust that those around me have the same degree of awareness – I mean, you don’t take two inexperienced raiders along with you unless you also expect them to mess it up a bit, right?
I also realised just how much the string of not entirely good experiences have completely warped my perception of things. Everybody was so unbelievably fucking nice to me, that I actually caught myself eyeing the monitor suspiciously and thinking: “why are these people being so nice … what’s wrong with them?” I was basically a pile of wibble on the floor for most of the raid but various people petted me as they went by and more than a couple whispered encouraging things. And after my eyebeam fuck up (didn’t go far enough forward), somebody took the time to whisper some good advice which, again, was really thoughtful. And also about a gazillion times more sensitive than doing it in a raid warning. Oh, and somebody else gave me a white tickbird hatchling – it was in the middle of the raid so I was too busy wibbling to do anything except stick it in my pocket but I thanked him later. It is super cute and it flies.
So, yes, I went to bed dazed on Ulduar and kindness.
I guess this is how it should be, huh?
But…shhhh, don’t say anything. I don’t want to jinx it. Also, apologies, this post is totally incoherent. It has about 85 competing ideas in it.
But if you’re going to take anything away from it, take this:
Flame Leviathan:
Something like this!
Golf Caddy:
Not Something Like This
The Flame Lev was *ruined* anyway =P Seriously. I mean, I know the courtyard section *feels* like a seige, which is nice, but … yeah … watching the Flame Leviathan trundle towards us through the carnage was, err, not exactly soul-shivering.
Wonderful and witty post as usual… but you’ve ruined Flame Lev for me now, Tam you creative bastard.
Aussies sound smart and sexy? Pffft
MOOSE EARS?!!! ZOMG, I must roll up a leather wearing class, get them to 80, find a raiding guild, gear up through Naxx, Ulduar and CC … and get myself some moose ears!!!
*goes out to become hardcore raider*
I don't think I broke in so much as fell in helplessly flailing =P
But thank you for the woots
Yeah, I feel totally mad for not being on an RP server all this time. I've met a couple of interesting nutjobs and a few semi-incompetants but *nothing* like the sheer asshattery I found on ED. Also it's just really nice to PUG a group and have everybody in it called something vaguely fantasy-esque rather that ARTHZLOLZ or IPWNEDU.
Yeah, I'm sure I'll sort out the vent thing. I'm pretty much a luddite, in case you hadn't noticed… also I think there's something kind of microphone facility on my computer because when I skype my friend in California I kind of just yell at the monitor and that seems to reach him…
I don't mean to be all zeal of the converty at you but having a guild is an absolutely transfiguring experience, and it's something I'd priortise. Of course, again, it's something that gets easier at 80 because it means you'll know what everyone is talking about. When I was not at 80 and in a supposedly casual levelling guild, I found myself a a bit adrift becasue everyone was talking vh-hc and badges and wtf? I'm sure you'll find a guild (hell, if I can find someone to take me in, that's evidence that miracles do happen
) and maybe you'll get lucky and hit it off with the first one you encounter … or maybe you'll be like us and go through hellfire and damnation first, but, hey, it'll be worth it in the end 
/cheer
Actually I have run a couple of pugs on this server – and they've all been broadly positive. How shocking is that? M'Pocket Tank and I did a 3-DK DPS run yesterday in about 20 minutes and it was *fine*.
*packs up blog into red-spotted handkerchief…walks sadly into the horizon*
Naw, I'll reckon there'll always be blog stories.
Zomg! You deserted Sithicus! And all he has to remember you by is collection of fabulous shirts! He will wear the pink one evermore in tribute to your amazing hair.
How dare you! I did not! I left the Prettiest Elf on ED – he is always available to stand behind you, while you get hit in the face
found the link again:
http://community.livejournal.com/wow_ladies/11507...
What do you get the golf fan who has everything? A caddy with orbital bombardment!
I was a bit too busy wargling to to really appreciate Ulduar the first time round (although I'm pretty sure I enjoyed it
). I have a really blurred impression of it – I remember it as being big, like *really* big. It does have that a wonderfully epic feel – although I do believe the trundling golf caddy intereferes with it slight, hehe!
Thankfully the vent thing isn't a priority since I don't think I've got much to say that I can't type at the moment, although being able to listen in to other people is really handy, especially when it's things like get out of the goddamn eye beams Tam =P
I've spent most of this morning – in between doing some work, of course – buffing up like the swotty kid. I don't know how much it'll help, since the only way to learn a fight is really to do it, but at least I've got a better overview of what I *should* be doing.
As I think I said above, the thing about asking questions – which I usually do if they occur – is that I only realise the questions I *should* have asked, when I'm in the middle of the fight… because although things seem perfectly understandable when you're first told, it's only when you're running away with a gravity bomb on you that you think "wait, how *far* do I run?"
10-man tonight, all going well … so hopefully I'll be able to appreciate more, instead of just wibbling and stressing
I'm excited 
Also it's *totally* a golf caddy =P
HAHA! That's brilliant
Zomg! You deserted Sithicus! And all he has to remember you by is collection of fabulous shirts! He will wear the pink one evermore in tribute to your amazing hair.
How dare you! I did not! I left the Prettiest Elf on ED – he is always available to stand behind you, while you get hit in the face
The only way to break-in to content is to do the content ^.^ My "noobs" we really pleased that I always kept Naxx on the calendar, even when running Ulduar, because it gave them some much needed practice running raids.
Getting in the door is the hard part — the rest is just hanging in and improving what you don't know yet.
I just had to share this with you two, no idea if you’ll like it – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zSgiXGELjbc
I got it on repeat, and it’s completely stuck.
That … is … weirdly … addictive …
I just had to share this with you two, no idea if you'll like it – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zSgiXGELjbc
I got it on repeat, and it's completely stuck.
Oh, raiding. Can’t give advice in Ulduar, since I only did it back in BC, but is good to hear that you and Chas are doing fine in your new server.
About raiding in general, there’s the obvious stuff, install raid frames, Omen, Deadly Boss Mods (the duh stuff that you should already have covered), get a push-to-talk button (trust me, avoids really awkward moments, like That Kid crying on Vent or That Wife/GF That is Nagging Her Husband for Getting Him off the Computer or That Mom Nagging That Kid) and coordinate with others things like cooldowns (helpful for all those one-shot abilities that Blizz LOVE putting in bosses).
Besides that, do your thing, trust other in doing their things and kill some bosses.
PS: In other subject, you know that you are an old-timer when nobody else understands “You are not prepared” jokes after a wipe.
I couldn’t tell much about Ulduar myself – despite having been there. It’s all a blur, but oh such a pretty blur. Blizzard kind of excelled themselves.
Yep, we are modded up and ready to go. I wouldn’t dare go out of the house without DBM
Vent is still touch and go, in that I’m getting better at using the thing but a lot of the time I’m so used to typing everything, I actually have much to say on it.
Thanks for the tips – I’d be depressed if people didn’t get the not-prepared jokes
Oh, raiding. Can't give advice in Ulduar, since I only did it back in BC, but is good to hear that you and Chas are doing fine in your new server.
About raiding in general, there's the obvious stuff, install raid frames, Omen, Deadly Boss Mods (the duh stuff that you should already have covered), get a push-to-talk button (trust me, avoids really awkward moments, like That Kid crying on Vent or That Wife/GF That is Nagging Her Husband for Getting Him off the Computer or That Mom Nagging That Kid) and coordinate with others things like cooldowns (helpful for all those one-shot abilities that Blizz LOVE putting in bosses).
Besides that, do your thing, trust other in doing their things and kill some bosses.
PS: In other subject, you know that you are an old-timer when nobody else understands "You are not prepared" jokes after a wipe.
I’m very glad you liked it (that’s how it sounds anyway), and all the reasons you describe is why it is so enjoyable for all the rest in the guild to bring “n00bs” along. We honestly don’t mind wiping, even several times from the same mistake from you guys, and that eye-opening experience is always rewarding to witness.
The kindness is there to compensate for the very mean thing of bringing someone fresh from kiddiesoccer into the UEFA Champions league (“Just stay on this side of the field, and when you get a ball, punt it between the white poles”).
And now I am nervous that I sound like William the Bloody.
I’m sorry I said you sounded like Spike – only a little bit, on certain words. And actually if you’ll scroll up you’ll see it’s considered a definite advantage by a several members of the blogsphere, who consider themselves impoverished because their RL *doesn’t* sound like William the Bloody.
Yeah, we had a great time (in both raids), even though it was pretty hair-raising. A lot of the things that Blizzard does in an attempt to be “epic” leave me completely cold (walk behind Thrall as he lays the smackdown on Arthas, thanks for that Blizzard) but Ulduar is epic in all the right ways. It’s huge and exciting and, best of you all, you get to participate. Also I really like the way Hos and HoL look so that kind of Indiana-Jones-meets-steampunk-meets-whatever-the-hell-we-fancied vibe works really well for me
I guess the raiding thing is something you can only learn by doing, hence the learn to swim in this shark-infested water technique, but it’s still a little awkward to be the one causing the wipes.
I'm very glad you liked it (that's how it sounds anyway), and all the reasons you describe is why it is so enjoyable for all the rest in the guild to bring "n00bs" along. We honestly don't mind wiping, even several times from the same mistake from you guys, and that eye-opening experience is always rewarding to witness.
The kindness is there to compensate for the very mean thing of bringing someone fresh from kiddiesoccer into the UEFA Champions league ("Just stay on this side of the field, and when you get a ball, punt it between the white poles").
And now I am nervous that I sound like William the Bloody.
Hooray! I’m delighted to hear that your server transfer was such a positive experience. I did this myself fairly recently and was chock full of trepidation, only to find that I, too, was quite happy with my decision in the end. Welcome to the ranks of the raiding healer! If you have any questions, feel free to chat me up. I’d love to be a support to you, so long as you know well in advance not to be asking me to carry all that ridiculous luggage!
Grats! =)
Also… thanks for the flame leviathan vs. golf caddy visual feast of hilarity!
Thank you – as for the server transferring, I don’t know how I managed to build it up into this terrifying ordeal. I fully expected Tam to be out of commission for days and weeks of angst and agonising – but it took an hour and was perfectly fine. The major stress was me trying to make sure I went to a new server sufficiently supplied with, err, hatboxes and cucumber sarnies
Glad to hear your own server transfer was a success as well – I don’t really consider myself a raiding healer… I’m not sure I ever will really. But likely there will be questions. And I’ll buy a kodo for the luggage
Hooray! I'm delighted to hear that your server transfer was such a positive experience. I did this myself fairly recently and was chock full of trepidation, only to find that I, too, was quite happy with my decision in the end. Welcome to the ranks of the raiding healer! If you have any questions, feel free to chat me up. I'd love to be a support to you, so long as you know well in advance not to be asking me to carry all that ridiculous luggage!
Grats! =)
Also… thanks for the flame leviathan vs. golf caddy visual feast of hilarity!
Oh and this just in (I find myself returning to this blog because the writing is fantastic and nuanced):
“And after my eyebeam fuck up (didn’t go far enough forward)”
is in fact a very valuable statement for me as a raidleader. I imagine myself going “aargh, why do we have eyebeams in the raid >:@”, quite possibly even on Vent, and that’s where I need to take a step back and realize that there are two (or more) people who are currently shitting themselves because they think we will hate them if they fuck up (Hint: We won’t, unless it’s the, like, fifteenth time. Then it’s become a running joke and we still won’t hate you, cause hey, running jokes are funny).
You were not aware how far forward you were supposed to run before taking off to the sides. Hell, I even distinctly remembering NOT telling people that the eye beams in fact do AoE damage to people around them and that people generally should stay the fuck out of the fire (fire = everything in a raid situation that is bad). Who’s mistake is this? Mine just as much as yours. I tend to go the vague route to help people relax and not fret, but sometimes (like, XT) you have to be really specific since the bombs have different danger radiuses and you can’t run too far, else the healers won’t reach you.
Maybe I should stop writing long winded comments in the middle of the night (more like morning) and write in my own damn blawg.
Just wait til you get to see Mimiron! >:D
Just when you think you’re out, we pull you back in
Looking back on it all, it’s quite comforting to realise that as long as I don’t auto-shoot the boss while the raid is nomming fish, I could be probably be doing worse
As I think I’ve said a few times above, I think it’s just the nature of the business, that you don’t realise what you should have said, and what you should have asked, only in the context of the battle itself. I mean, you always asked “any questions” before we threw ourselves into combat, and we all very dutifully answering “no,” but it was only after the eyebeams suddenly trained themselves on me the first time that I realised I should have asked “how far forward do I run” and only as I careened madly between the melee and the raid that I realised I should have asked “and how far to do I run” and only as I collided nose first with the wall that I realised I should have asked “and what happens when I run out of platform.” Hehe.
But also if you get too much information before the you take the boss (you need to move forward precisely 1.3 centimeters, stand on one leg and then break into dance or the raid will wipe), again, due to lack of context, it’s just becomes too much to hold onto and then you glaze out again.
I think it’s easy enough to remember that learning is hard, but teaching is hard too – although I reckion you’re already well aware of this
Also there’s this frustrating interim stage between having a clue what you’re supposed to be doing and actually executing it. Take Oh Dear’s bloody snowballs.
Don’t stand under the snowballs, Tam, don’t stand under the snowballs TAM GET OUT OF THE SNOWBALLS *smash* Doh.
And, yes, you should update your blog, since it is good reading, but your comments here – at whatever length they naturally occur – are very welcome here
Just wait til you get to see Mimiron! >:D
Oh and this just in (I find myself returning to this blog because the writing is fantastic and nuanced):
"And after my eyebeam fuck up (didn’t go far enough forward)"
is in fact a very valuable statement for me as a raidleader. I imagine myself going "aargh, why do we have eyebeams in the raid >:@", quite possibly even on Vent, and that's where I need to take a step back and realize that there are two (or more) people who are currently shitting themselves because they think we will hate them if they fuck up (Hint: We won't, unless it's the, like, fifteenth time. Then it's become a running joke and we still won't hate you, cause hey, running jokes are funny).
You were not aware how far forward you were supposed to run before taking off to the sides. Hell, I even distinctly remembering NOT telling people that the eye beams in fact do AoE damage to people around them and that people generally should stay the fuck out of the fire (fire = everything in a raid situation that is bad). Who's mistake is this? Mine just as much as yours. I tend to go the vague route to help people relax and not fret, but sometimes (like, XT) you have to be really specific since the bombs have different danger radiuses and you can't run too far, else the healers won't reach you.
Maybe I should stop writing long winded comments in the middle of the night (more like morning) and write in my own damn blawg.
Just wait til you get to see Mimiron! >:D
Yeah, we're only semi-serious about the forsoothing. I do occasional skulk around wondering how one gets any RP on a RP server – not that I'm really sure I want any but, y'know, just for curiosity's sake. Also, RP-speak is now a running joke with M'Pocket Tank and I: "thou noob, I shall pwn you!"
Yeah, I know it's supposed to a tank but … it *trundles*. Tanks don't, or shouldn't, *trundle*.
Ahaha, I think if I'm in the big leagues, I'm the mascot … running Ulduar in a chicken costume….
Thank you
I haven't the faintest idea what it's actually a picture *of* – I just googled for a cool, flamey thing that would represent what I thought a flame leviathan should be.
Ohmygod *wants*
Thank you and, yes, we are much happier. Server transfer = best decision ever. I think we'd have been better off wherever we'd have gone, to be honest.
25-man stuff is … overwhelming and exciting, just for the impact of it, I think – 10-man is probably more "interesting" in the sense that your involvement counts for more and you can be be slightly more thoughtful about your healing rather than "spam PoH, spam, spam, spam!!"
But, yeah, I'm glad I didn't have to do much except blow shit up becuase when the Flame Leviathan trundle out, M'Pocket Tank and I were giggling with helpless anti-climax.
I have to say Kologarn looks a wee bit comical to me as well – and, oh dear, the less said about his habit of fisting players the better!!
Thank you – as for the server transferring, I don't know how I managed to build it up into this terrifying ordeal. I fully expected Tam to be out of commission for days and weeks of angst and agonising – but it took an hour and was perfectly fine. The major stress was me trying to make sure I went to a new server sufficiently supplied with, err, hatboxes and cucumber sarnies
Glad to hear your own server transfer was a success as well – I don't really consider myself a raiding healer… I'm not sure I ever will really. But likely there will be questions. And I'll buy a kodo for the luggage
I'm sorry I said you sounded like Spike – only a little bit, on certain words. And actually if you'll scroll up you'll see it's considered a definite advantage by a several members of the blogsphere, who consider themselves impoverished because their RL *doesn't* sound like William the Bloody.
Yeah, we had a great time (in both raids), even though it was pretty hair-raising. A lot of the things that Blizzard does in an attempt to be "epic" leave me completely cold (walk behind Thrall as he lays the smackdown on Arthas, thanks for that Blizzard) but Ulduar is epic in all the right ways. It's huge and exciting and, best of you all, you get to participate. Also I really like the way Hos and HoL look so that kind of Indiana-Jones-meets-steampunk-meets-whatever-the-hell-we-fancied vibe works really well for me
I guess the raiding thing is something you can only learn by doing, hence the learn to swim in this shark-infested water technique, but it's still a little awkward to be the one causing the wipes.
I couldn't tell much about Ulduar myself – despite having been there. It's all a blur, but oh such a pretty blur. Blizzard kind of excelled themselves.
Yep, we are modded up and ready to go. I wouldn't dare go out of the house without DBM
Vent is still touch and go, in that I'm getting better at using the thing but a lot of the time I'm so used to typing everything, I actually have much to say on it.
Thanks for the tips – I'd be depressed if people didn't get the not-prepared jokes
That … is … weirdly … addictive …
I left love on your Vuhdo post
I've previously used Grid but I totally adore Vuhdo. Makes me a very happy healer.
I know, I know … I think it's testament to the guild, really, that I didn't die of shock at any point in the evening. I think I might have done, had everyone not be really understanding.
The Flame Leviathan definitely gets my vote for silliest boss ever … even including XT002 and his petulent, squealing voice. We did Ignis and we did Razorscale as well. Razorscale struck me as Onyxia-lite (it kept saying 'Razorscale takes a deep breath…' and I'd freak out, except, bah, meant nothing =P). Ignis struck me as quite a cool fight though – crotch pocket, eewwww!
I bloody well hope my skill as a healer improves – otherwise I'd better hang up my circlet of sanctifaction =P
Chas was on DPS, since making her tank her first 25 man, five minutes after joining the guild would have been actually crazy. But fun was had by all
Thank you – we decided to go for a big, vibrant, stable guild in the end – it was genuinely a bit shocking (a bit!) to go from struggling through Naxx to Ulduar 25 man but, hey, it was also *awesome*. It's great to have these opportunities – even though I never dreamed I'd have them =P
Vent is now working – check!
The only mods required by the guild we didn't have installed by default anyway is EGthingamie, which I'll install before I go raiding them again. I do have Omen but I tend not to have it on when I'm healing as it stresses me out too much if I see my threat creeping up. I mean, it's not like you can stop healing =P But, yeah, I have DBM (wouldn't go out without it
) and I'm a complete Vuhdo tart. I love that thing. I used to use Grid but, in a way, I found the customisability of it got in the way. I like Vuhdo because it does vaugely what I want straight out of the box, with only a few tweaks.
Vuhdo *MWAH!*
Sorry, I haven't updated it yet – we're on Argent Dawn. It's not a deep, dark secret or anything
And apologies for the wall o'text. I do seem to keep doing that
I'm finding the server generally pretty decent in terms of the people I've encountered actually – even the folks we have pugged with so far have been not too stupid and pretty courteous. Shock =P
The guild is great – it's pretty big so I only know a few folks in it, but hopefully that'll grow over time
Thank you – it was a very positive introduction to the brave new world of 25 man raiding! Eeeee!
Just when you think you're out, we pull you back in
Looking back on it all, it's quite comforting to realise that as long as I don't auto-shoot the boss while the raid is nomming fish, I could be probably be doing worse
As I think I've said a few times above, I think it's just the nature of the business, that you don't realise what you should have said, and what you should have asked, only in the context of the battle itself. I mean, you always asked "any questions" before we threw ourselves into combat, and we all very dutifully answering "no," but it was only after the eyebeams suddenly trained themselves on me the first time that I realised I should have asked "how far forward do I run" and only as I careened madly between the melee and the raid that I realised I should have asked "and how far to do I run" and only as I collided nose first with the wall that I realised I should have asked "and what happens when I run out of platform." Hehe.
But also if you get too much information before the you take the boss (you need to move forward precisely 1.3 centimeters, stand on one leg and then break into dance or the raid will wipe), again, due to lack of context, it's just becomes too much to hold onto and then you glaze out again.
I think it's easy enough to remember that learning is hard, but teaching is hard too – although I reckion you're already well aware of this
Also there's this frustrating interim stage between having a clue what you're supposed to be doing and actually executing it. Take Oh Dear's bloody snowballs.
Don't stand under the snowballs, Tam, don't stand under the snowballs TAM GET OUT OF THE SNOWBALLS *smash* Doh.
And, yes, you should update your blog, since it is good reading, but your comments here – at whatever length they naturally occur – are very welcome here
Just wait til you get to see Mimiron! >:D
Just when you think you're out, we pull you back in
Looking back on it all, it's quite comforting to realise that as long as I don't auto-shoot the boss while the raid is nomming fish, I could be probably be doing worse
As I think I've said a few times above, I think it's just the nature of the business, that you don't realise what you should have said, and what you should have asked, only in the context of the battle itself. I mean, you always asked "any questions" before we threw ourselves into combat, and we all very dutifully answering "no," but it was only after the eyebeams suddenly trained themselves on me the first time that I realised I should have asked "how far forward do I run" and only as I careened madly between the melee and the raid that I realised I should have asked "and how far to do I run" and only as I collided nose first with the wall that I realised I should have asked "and what happens when I run out of platform." Hehe.
But also if you get too much information before the you take the boss (you need to move forward precisely 1.3 centimeters, stand on one leg and then break into dance or the raid will wipe), again, due to lack of context, it's just becomes too much to hold onto and then you glaze out again.
I think it's easy enough to remember that learning is hard, but teaching is hard too – although I reckion you're already well aware of this
Also there's this frustrating interim stage between having a clue what you're supposed to be doing and actually executing it. Take Oh Dear's bloody snowballs.
Don't stand under the snowballs, Tam, don't stand under the snowballs TAM GET OUT OF THE SNOWBALLS *smash* Doh.
And, yes, you should update your blog, since it is good reading, but your comments here – at whatever length they naturally occur – are very welcome here
Just wait til you get to see Mimiron! >:D
Just when you think you're out, we pull you back in
Looking back on it all, it's quite comforting to realise that as long as I don't auto-shoot the boss while the raid is nomming fish, I could be probably be doing worse
As I think I've said a few times above, I think it's just the nature of the business, that you don't realise what you should have said, and what you should have asked, only in the context of the battle itself. I mean, you always asked "any questions" before we threw ourselves into combat, and we all very dutifully answering "no," but it was only after the eyebeams suddenly trained themselves on me the first time that I realised I should have asked "how far forward do I run" and only as I careened madly between the melee and the raid that I realised I should have asked "and how far to do I run" and only as I collided nose first with the wall that I realised I should have asked "and what happens when I run out of platform." Hehe.
But also if you get too much information before the you take the boss (you need to move forward precisely 1.3 centimeters, stand on one leg and then break into dance or the raid will wipe), again, due to lack of context, it's just becomes too much to hold onto and then you glaze out again.
I think it's easy enough to remember that learning is hard, but teaching is hard too – although I reckion you're already well aware of this
Also there's this frustrating interim stage between having a clue what you're supposed to be doing and actually executing it. Take Oh Dear's bloody snowballs.
Don't stand under the snowballs, Tam, don't stand under the snowballs TAM GET OUT OF THE SNOWBALLS *smash* Doh.
And, yes, you should update your blog, since it is good reading, but your comments here – at whatever length they naturally occur – are very welcome here
Just wait til you get to see Mimiron! >:D
Just when you think you're out, we pull you back in
Looking back on it all, it's quite comforting to realise that as long as I don't auto-shoot the boss while the raid is nomming fish, I could be probably be doing worse
As I think I've said a few times above, I think it's just the nature of the business, that you don't realise what you should have said, and what you should have asked, only in the context of the battle itself. I mean, you always asked "any questions" before we threw ourselves into combat, and we all very dutifully answering "no," but it was only after the eyebeams suddenly trained themselves on me the first time that I realised I should have asked "how far forward do I run" and only as I careened madly between the melee and the raid that I realised I should have asked "and how far to do I run" and only as I collided nose first with the wall that I realised I should have asked "and what happens when I run out of platform." Hehe.
But also if you get too much information before the you take the boss (you need to move forward precisely 1.3 centimeters, stand on one leg and then break into dance or the raid will wipe), again, due to lack of context, it's just becomes too much to hold onto and then you glaze out again.
I think it's easy enough to remember that learning is hard, but teaching is hard too – although I reckion you're already well aware of this
Also there's this frustrating interim stage between having a clue what you're supposed to be doing and actually executing it. Take Oh Dear's bloody snowballs.
Don't stand under the snowballs, Tam, don't stand under the snowballs TAM GET OUT OF THE SNOWBALLS *smash* Doh.
And, yes, you should update your blog, since it is good reading, but your comments here – at whatever length they naturally occur – are very welcome here
Just wait til you get to see Mimiron! >:D
Thank you
The Flame Leviathan was definitely one of those WoW moments. Build up … build up … build up … wow … Ulduar … golf caddy?! It doesn't help that it *trundles*. Tanks should not trundle.
Gah, reading this comment in the context of your last post is really depressing – it sounded like you'd found an amazing guild and I was about to go "weeeee!" and "wooooo!" (or wooteth, as we go on RP servers). I hope we didn't jinx it
A guild in which you can feel comfortable makes WoW about 100% better. I'm so glad we transferred to Argent Dawn. I mean, I can usually find something fun to do in WoW but this makes it way easier.
Yes, hopefully all is happiness and rainbows – and we've finally a found a guild fit. Also the guild is big enough that we really only have to find a fit in a very small corner of it
And don't talk to me about Hodir … since posting this we did some Ulduar-10 and, yeah, I got hit on the head by snowy mountains more times that I comfortably care to admit.
/fail
/shame
Any time – I'm glad my feelings are the GOLF CADDY are shared. I was so disappointed
And, yes, the picture lived up to expectations – it was, indeed, super awesome
I'm making efforts to control incipient raiding-addiction. After raiding 3 nights in a row (Ulduar-25, Naxx 10, Ulduar 10) last week I suddenly realised I going quietly mad. So I'm on a brief raiding holiday and trying to get cows to like Tam (not succeeding massively well).
Thank you kindly
And for the comparison the baby tickbird … great … yeah … thanks for that too =P
Actually this baby tickbird is feel like he's left the nest a bit prematurely and is doing to nose-dive straight onto the concrete floor below…
Truthfully, I don't think I have the time, commitment, or lack of frivolity to become a serious uber raider or anything like that.
I'll settle for competence, and think myself a King among men
I think Ulduar is worth the seeing. I don't have, well, anything to compare it to but it looks pretty damn awesome, I have to say. It's very flavourful as well – it's not just all the same old same old.
And, yeah, I'm totally with on the flame leviathan. There are no flames. It is not a leviathan. FAIL, Blizzard, FAIL. I mean, if they'd called it a juggernaut or something. Or, hell, a tank. But not a leviathan. There is no excuse for that.
I have no idea what the pic is – I googled for cooling flaming thing and found that
And, yes, it would be fantastic warlock gear (much better than the infamous faberge egg).
I’m a server-transfer, too. My guild on my original server fell apart and the only guild farther progressed than us was full of not-so-great people so I decided server-transferring was the best idea. I do not regret the decision one bit.
It’s great that you found a guild with super-nice people! My guildies are nice, too, but have odd ways of showing it. (Like if you died, they’d be sitting on top o’ your face in a… loving way?) In fact one of the druid’s rez spells is macroed to /say “, you’ve officially been treebagged!” I, uh, like their sense of humor. ><;
I'm a server-transfer, too. My guild on my original server fell apart and the only guild farther progressed than us was full of not-so-great people so I decided server-transferring was the best idea. I do not regret the decision one bit.
It's great that you found a guild with super-nice people! My guildies are nice, too, but have odd ways of showing it. (Like if you died, they'd be sitting on top o' your face in a… loving way?) In fact one of the druid's rez spells is macroed to /say ", you've officially been treebagged!" I, uh, like their sense of humor. ><;
[...] 4, 2009 by Euripedes I’d like to direct you to a post over at Righteous Orbs, though really the only relevant part to my own post is this part: When I hear the words ‘Flame [...]
[...] time in the place except for a fail FL only run that never made it to FL. I had no idea that he looked more like a golf caddy than a dragon but I adapted quickly. Being a gunner for Arioch was a blast, I gotta say. I had started to shoot [...]
[...] to say Righteous Orbs. Tam and Chas are just so… smart. Their posts make me laugh every time. Flame Leviathan imagined vs Flame Leviathan in polygons: [...]
[...] enough to kill him. Facerolled by PuGs every week since the day Ulduar was released. I think this boss/golf caddy deserves to be considered easier than Instructor Raz (a raid weekly that PuGs sometimes [...]
[...] HATE vehicle fights. I hate drake riding, I hate riding Gymer, hate. But I LOVE that golf caddy. You should be in our vent when we go to kill Flame Leviathan. I race people for the siege engines [...]