The Master Looter

Leveling a tank through dungeon finder is easy. Assuming you know how to tank properly, that is. One click, no waiting in the queue – life is good. As a DPS, it’s a bit tougher. 20 to 30 minute queue times are a pain, and when the tank drops group, waiting for another tank just adds to the frustration. What’s even more upsetting, though, is the drama over DPS that really needs to stop.

Usually I am one of the top 2 DPS in the group – I know how to play my class, and usually don’t stand in bad stuff. What I don’t need is to have the rest of the group constantly scrolling their damage meters in party chat. It’s unnecessary and detracts from the enjoyment of the game. Perhaps if everyone shut off their damage meters and, I don’t know, actually PLAYED THE GAME, we’d all get done faster!

Yesterday there was a DPS Death Knight doing about 500 DPS in regular UK. This is neither an amazing nor horrible amount of DPS. Yet half the time spent in the dungeon was constant bickering about how bad this guy’s DPS was. A shaman that was doing 1,200 DPS intentionally lowered his DPS down to 500 because he didn’t want to “carry the rest of the group”. This is the type of unnecessary drama that I can live without.

Here are three things we could all do to lower the amount of drama in Dungeon Finder:

1. Uninstall your DPS Meter. It isn’t going to make anyone output more DPS, and serves only as an unnecessary distraction. Play your own game, and let everyone else play theirs. IT IS JUST A GAME!

2. Don’t berate new players. We were all noobs once. If you try to be more tolerant, and explain the fights when needed – perhaps you might end up making a new friend instead of turning off someone completely from WoW.

3. No backseat tanking. I will say this every day and twice on Sundays. Do you really want to wait another half hour for a random dungeon? Let the tank do his job. If you know so much more about tanking, and feel the need to correct the tank – perhaps it’s time for you to bring out YOUR tank instead of being a backseat tank!

Let’s forget about who’s doing the most DPS, and have fun playing a computer game! What a refreshing concept.

Dungeons

Since the time I started this blog, a lot has changed in the World of Warcraft. Gone are the days of spending an hour assembling a 5-man dungeon group. Instead, you can just click a button and queue up with people across many realms. This has definitely changed the way we experience 5-man dungeons. The following are a few ways to get the most out of Dungeon Finder, with respect to leveling, obtaining gear upgrades, and your overall game experience.

1. Be Able to Fill Multiple Roles

This rule of thumb hasn’t changed. Even though the dungeon finder queue makes the process simpler and gets you a group faster, it still favors those who can tank or heal. DPS are still a dime a dozen. If you are capable of tanking or healing, you will be rewarded with a faster queue time. Being a tank usually reduces the queue time to close to zero. Healers might wait a minute or two. DPS will need to wait anywhere from 10 to 20 minutes. If you absolutely abhor tanking or healing, go to step 2:

2. Work Around the Queue Timer

If you’re a DPS role, take the time to complete a couple of quests while waiting for your dungeon, but be ready to join the group when your queue is ready. This is far more productive than sitting around Dalaran complaining about the woes of being a DPS. Alternatively, your time waiting in the queue is also good for finishing a couple of quick chores around the house! The main point is that it’s an opportunity to use your time productively.

3. Don’t Anger The Tank (or Healer!)

Some tanks require rage to use their abilities (warriors and druids, I’m looking at you!) You want your tank to generate rage from the mobs they are fighting – not from berating them in party chat! Unless you want to wait another ten minutes for a new tank, it’s a good idea from a political standpoint to be nice to your tank. If they’re going slower than you’d like, ask them nicely if they can move faster, but don’t demand it. If they aren’t waiting for the healer to mana up, point it out nicely rather than being hostile. Of course, if they are a “rockstar tank” and don’t care about any of this, there’s no reason to let them take away your enjoyment of the game. Vote kick away!

4. The Little Green Button

See that little green button on your mini-map? It lets you zone in and out of the instance. If your tank drops group, you can zone out and continue questing while you await a replacement. Similarly, it can also be used as a short cut to return to the front of the instance, by zoning out and zoning in again (if you are not in combat). This teleport feature can come in handy in many situations.

5. Solving the DPS Dilemma

Yes, it’s still true – DPS are still a dime a dozen. Most people simply don’t want to tank or heal. Of course, “good” DPS are not a dime a dozen. For most dungeons, average DPS will do, though. If you prefer the damage dealing aspect of the game, you can insta-queue for another dungeon by staying in party with your tank. Always ask your tank if he’s interested in running another dungeon afterward, before dropping party. They won’t always say yes, but if they do, you just saved a bunch of time waiting for your next queue.

Dungeons

Bad raiders lament, “If only I had better gear then I could do more DPS”.

Good raiders know that no amount of gear will help your DPS if you only spam one button for the entire boss fight.

Bad raiders assume their lack of gear stops them from doing ample DPS, and that they don’t get invited to raids because they aren’t well geared.

Good raiders gear themselves up with ease doing 5-mans, and learn how to play their class properly (hint: reading what your spells do helps immensely). They are invited to raids often because they come prepared, don’t hold up the raid, and carry their weight.

Bad raiders depend on their guild to provide them with every piece of gear and every dungeon run they wish to participate in.

Good raiders use the built-in LFG system, along with any server-specific group forming channels to find groups on their own, and build their social network.

Bad raiders complain that PUGs are full of idiots who are impossible to complete a dungeon with.

Good raiders know that the bad raiders themselves are those idiots.

Bad raiders don’t move out of fire or void zones.

Good raiders know that no matter how easy Blizzard makes it to get the highest tier gear available, the bad raiders will still die to standing in bad stuff.

Dungeons, Raiding

It’s frustrating going into a raid where the tanks can’t hold aggro, the healers don’t know how to heal, the DPS stand in fire or just don’t bring down the boss fast enough to beat an enrage timer. Usually there’s one common factor though – lack of experience. Here’s a few simple ways to overcome this obstacle if you find yourself in one of those situations.

Learn as you level. It’s incredibly easy to solo your way up to level 80. You could get all the way there without grouping up with anyone, in theory. Many people actually do this. The problem with doing this is that level 80 dungeons are a lot tricker than their lower level counterparts. The skills you hone from doing 5-man instances while leveling will prove invaluable when you hit 80 and join your first raid or heroic. If you’re a tank, there’s a lot more room for error if you’re in the Deadmines than in the Halls of Lightning. If you lose aggro on a few mobs in the Deadmines, it may not cause a wipe. But in the Halls, those mobs are going to hit a lot harder and it’s going to be a lot more frustrating for the entire group. Practicing holding threat as you level through 5-mans will pay off when you’re tanking heroics at 80. The same goes for healing, or watching your threat as DPS. If you’re still leveling in Azeroth, you probably don’t need to worry about being specced as a tank or healer to fulfill that role in a dungeon. At level 40, you have the option of dual speccing, which may help out substantially as you reach the higher levels. 1,000 gold isn’t nearly as hard to come by as it used to be, so gold should not an issue.

Use a DPS meter. Recount is one of the most widely used DPS meters, and I can’t recommend it enough. If you’re a DPS class, it’s important to be able to gauge your DPS. While DPS is not the only important factor in a raid, it’s still necessary to monitor. If you’re only doing 1,000 DPS at level 80, that’s a big cause for concern. It’s far less embarassing to find out on your own that you need to pick up your DPS, instead of heading into a raid and finding out the hard way from the rest of the raid! Even if you’re not in a DPS role, it’s a good idea to make sure the rest of the group is performing well. If you are wiping to an enrage timer because of a couple of low DPS, it will help to find out who needs some coaching, and get them some assistance.

Seek out a mentor. If you’re new to healing, find a dedicated healer from your guild and learn from them. Find out which spells you should be using in which situations if you’re not sure. If you can’t find a good mentor in your guild, you can always look outside your guild. Perhaps there was a really good healer in your last PUG that might be able to help answer a few of your questions? The same goes for any class/role.

Stay informed. Whatever your class or role, there are many blogs that can keep you up to speed with all kinds of useful information. Taking the time to read what others have to say about your role, or a specific boss encounter, will better prepare you for your raid. Taking a few minutes a day to read blogs is a great idea for raiders of all skill levels.

Watch the boss fights. You can look up any boss fight on YouTube and watch the video. This is incredibly simple to do and does not need much of an explanation!

Dungeons, Newbie Guides, Raiding

DPS is Damage Per Second. It’s the most common unit for measuring how much damage you output. While other factors are often just as important, such as situational awareness and threat management, there are a few simple things you can do to make sure those mobs are going down as fast as they should be!

Get a DPS Meter: Using a DPS meter such as Recount is how you’ll be able to gauge your performance. If you don’t know how much DPS you are doing how will you know if you’re improving?

Find a Talent Spec: Some talent specializations are better for leveling or soloing, some are for PVP, and some are built for raids. If you are going to be running heroics or raids, you can benefit greatly from having a talent build that will support maximizing your DPS in those situations.

Get Hit Capped: If you’re going to raid, know what your hit cap is and get as close as you can to it. Hit rating is the single best stat you can have until you reach the cap. It doesn’t matter how much spell power or attack power you’ve got when the boss you are fighting dodges your attack!

Learn Your Rotations: Once you find a good spec, spend some time learning what all of your talents do, so you can see which abilities work together the best. The order in which you use your abilities will make a great difference in your DPS output. For instance, if you are a balance druid, a good rotation might be Moonfire, Insect Swarm, Faerie Fire, then a few Starfalls.

Enchants and Glyphs: Get the best glyphs for your class/spec. If you’re not sure which ones they are, do a little research and find out what your options are. Make sure all of your gear has appropriate enchants, leg armor, belt buckle, and gems. Even cheap ones are much better than none, and will help your DPS out significantly.

Get Buffed Up: Elixirs, food buffs, and scrolls can add some extra oomph to your damage output. You don’t need the most expensive ones, anything is better than nothing.

Practice, Practice, Practice: Practicing on a test dummy in a capital city is a great way to tweak your DPS rotation until it’s at peak performance. Once you’ve got your moves down, you’ll be on your way to getting some epic gear!

The most important think you should take away from this article is that it’s a good idea to take some time outside WoW to improve your gameplay if you’re going to raid. The internet is home to an incredible amount of useful information. Searching on Google is still the tried and true method to find out anything you need to know!

Dungeons, Newbie Guides, Raiding

One of the best ways to earn the respect of your guildmates is to be self-sufficient. World of Warcraft is a dynamic game that allows you to participate in all kinds of activities: questing, dungeons, raids, professions, and PVP to name a few. Your goals might include leveling to 80, improving your gear, and maxing out a profession. If you’re in a guild, you’re part of a group of people who also have their own goals. We all have only a limited amount of time to work with, and while it’s nice to help others out when able, it simply isn’t feasible to do every single time.

If you are in a leveling guild, or any guild with alts, you know what I’m talking about. Yes, it’s hard to get a group together for Gnomeregan or Sunken Temple, but that does not give you an excuse to beg in guild chat asking for run-throughs. Is there only one tank online in your guild? That does not automatically mean they want to tank the daily heroic for you, or any other instance.

Mount training is expensive, but asking for a handout is not the way to get there. Need 1,000 gold for your flying training? Go out and earn it. It’s a lot more rewarding that way! Grab a mining pick, skinning knife, or whatever implement you need and get to work. They aren’t called professions for nothing!

Being self-sufficient means meeting your goals while helping other people meet their goals. It’s not hard to get to level 80 without taking your guildies away from what they want to be doing. Instead of asking for someone to run you through the Deadmines, it’s a better idea to use the Looking For Group system, or ask if anyone in your guild has an alt that would like to run with you. If you are lucky, someone might offer to run you through anyway. When I see someone constantly asking to be run through dungeons, I am very unlikely to help them.

Another benefit of being self-sufficient is learning how to play your class. When you ask someone run you through a dungeon, not only are you asking them to take time away from what they were doing, but you’re looking to get XP and loot without any effort. This does not give you a chance to improve your gameplay. Yes, it will take longer to complete a dungeon with people your own level, but the experience you will gain playing your class will pay off later on. It’s not hard to tell who has never done a dungeon the “regular way” when you are in a raid like Naxxramas. It’s the DPS who is constantly pulling aggro, the healer who doesn’t dispel, or the tank who can’t find the taunt button. Take the time to learn how to play your class without begging for help, and you will become an experienced player who has earned the respect of your guildies.

Dungeons, Newbie Guides

My favorite part of leveling is doing dungeon runs, hands down. You get XP, some shiny blue items, and best of all – you get to develop your class/role expertise as part of a group. Whether you are a tank, healer, or DPS, dungeons are the best way to hone your skills; especially if you want to raid when you get to level 80! Here are a few tips to help you on your first dungeon run.

Pick a dungeon that’s suitable for your level. A quick way to find out which dungeons are available at your level is to use the Looking For Group tool. In the drop down box you will be able to see which dungeons are well suited to your level range.

Preparations. Repair. Clear out your bags. Stock up on food, water, potions, and elixirs if needed. Get any or all of the available quests for the dungeon where you are headed.

Bring a tank. The tank’s job is to keep all the mobs from going after everyone else. Protection-specced warriors and paladins, feral druids, or tanking-spec death knights are your friends here.

Bring a healer. Someone has to keep everyone alive, and that’s where the healer comes in. Restoration druids and shamans; holy paladins and priests.

Try to have a good variety of classes. Each class offers its own way to buff the group. Druids can buff Mark of the Wild, paladins have Blessings, mages have Arcane Intellect, priests have Prayer of Fortitude, shamans have Heroism, warlocks can Soulstone, death knights have Horn of Winter, and so on.

Don’t pull aggro off the tank. If you are a damage dealing class, give the tank some time to get aggro on the mobs before you pew pew. If you have any abilities which reduce your threat, such as Feign Death or Feint, use them regularly.

Ask before rolling on gear. A good way to prevent loot arguments is to ask before rolling on an item drop. If nothing else, it shows the rest of the group that you have good manners!

Ask lots of questions. If you are just starting out, dungeons are a great way to learn more about your class from other seasoned players. Ask and ye shall find!

Give constructive advice. If someone else in the party is doing something incorrectly, be tactful and let them know nicely.

Learn from mistakes. We all make them, the best you can do is learn from them!

Have fun!

Dungeons, Newbie Guides

We’ve all had our share of pick up groups gone bad. Still, PUGs are an invaluable tool in WoW. Guildies aren’t always available to help every time, and PUGs are a great way to find people with common goals to work with. With the help of the Looking For Group feature and respective chat channel, you can be on your way to finding a PUG to help get you where you want to go. Here are some tips for having a happy PUG:

Ask in LFG but don’t spam

After joining the Looking For Group system, announce in the LFG channel what you are looking for. Be as specific as possible, with what instance and roles you are seeking out. Don’t spam the channel; a reminder every few minutes should be sufficient. Using all caps is also a bad idea.

LF Healer and Tank

If you’re a tank or healer, this will often help in finding a PUG. Healers usually seem to be in short supply in LFG, and tanks too. If you’re a DPS, having a healer or tank already in tow can help you get a group faster.

Decide the looting rules before you start

Are there several skinners in the party? Is there an enchanter who is going to DE? How will you handle rolling for off spec? It’s a good idea to get these questions out of the way before setting foot in a dungeon.

The fortune’s in the follow-up

If you think someone did a good job, after you are done you can whisper them and ask them if it’s okay to contact them in the future about doing an instance. Usually you will get a resounding YES! Once you establish a large list of PUG friends this way, you won’t even need to go into LFG sometimes. It’s all about who you know, and working with PUGs is a great way to get to know more people. (On the flipside, if there was someone who did a lousy job, you now know to avoid them!)

Dungeons