Deadmines From Hell

Who needs to wait for them to make it a Heroic? The run I had tonight qualified a few times over. The group makeup was me on a level 22 night elf hunter with a ghost saber pet. Another night elf hunter at 24 with a white spotted leopard, a 20 druid for healer, a 21 warrior and a 14 druid.

We get into the instance and the warrior is moving fast. It becomes pretty apparent that the hunter has never really played her class before... pet is on either defensive or aggressive... I really couldn't tell very well, going off in all directions, she is meleeing things to death... and can't figure out how to turn off growl or how to heal her pet. I explained how to do both repeatedly. I'm compensating as much as I can, because I really, really want to get this instance DONE, and get the Tunic of Westfall.

We get to the goblin forge area (the workshop I think?) and the 20 druid suddenly bails on us. The 14 steps in to heal, and I fall into keep everything off the healer mode. Other hunter's pet pulls half the room, she panics, I just drop a trap between me and the healer and then start focus fire on the tank's target. I ended up twisting the pet around to pick up stray mobs and throw a heal at him on occasion. We down the boss, blue leather + Stam pants drop. I pass, since I'm wearing a green of the monkey at level 19.

Warrior charges ahead, while druid is drinking. I stay with the druid. Hunter's pet goes tearing off after something. Pull three things on top of what the warrior picked up. We deal, healer starts getting snippy, snappy with the hunter about everything from how she can't control her pet and to bleeping heal your own bleeping pet. I tell him to just ignore the healing on mine, I can keep my pet up. He retorts that I'm not the one he has to worry about. I tell him to chill a bit (we aren't to VC yet).

We get to the boat, fly through Smite. My pet gets glitched right at the point where the dock meets the land before the boat, so I click stay on and move forward. I would have dismissed and resummoned, but didn't because the warrior is already half way up the ramp and engaged. Hunter's pet goes in the opposite direction of what it was suposed to. Three things land on the hunter, healer uses Shadowmeld, I watch her die, realizing I can't do anything with that kind of numbers, warrior dies, healer dies, I smack Shadowmeld and everything goes away.

Hunter, I believe was getting tired of being told how to play her class, even though I was being as nice to her about it as is possible - we've all been there at some point. If a person doesn't know what the heck they are doing, gentle correction and explanation is needed. The other two were swearing and screaming... not a good environment. She hearths out at the beginning of the instance after rezzing.

The three of us decide to press on - we've all seen we can handle our roles. 15 Druid by this point rezzes and walks into an elite patrol, dies. I start heading in the opposite direction, towards the entrance, knowing we might have to handle a patrol or two. I run into a group of 3. Kills my pet, run into the other two making their way to me, we kill the three, I rez pet, druid drinks.

We move back to the boat, kill our way through the scaffolding ramp, then suddenly the warrior has two + the Captain + his adds. We all die. Run back... I get lost in Deadmines as usual, healer laughs at me, and resurrects me inside the instance. We kill the two then pull the Captain down, kill him no problem. Then we kill Van Cleef... again very little problem. Druid stops to drink... he blew his mana keeping the pet and the warrior alive. Warrior goes jumping down after Cookie. I just sigh, pop eyes of the beast after checking the druid... jump cat down, follow.

Druid runs away from Cookie... right out of the instance... he grabbed Heal Aggro by healing a bit too early. Warrior grabs it as Cookie comes back at him, and then dies to Cookie + adds. He's swearing, I'm left with 1 Add + Cookie. I drop my trap and flick on Growl, throw the cat at Cookie.

My level 21 ghost saber tanked Cookie, I danced around with the add, used a health potion,and grinned as he died. Then the cat and I drop the add and I look at my chat log to see that the warrior left the group as did the druid....

I tanked Cookie and an Add on my own, at level 22 with a 21 pet. I got Cookie's loot, which was the wand and the Siamese cat that was waiting for me.

I do not ever want to do that again, but it was definitely an interesting time. Ugh, Pugs.

Sorry Guys

I just want to start out by saying I'm sorry for posting even less than I usually do. But the last few weeks here in the real world have been a bit of an upheaval. I've been working either every single day or not at all, juggling three college classes all demanding various things of me (two of which are just paper after paper after paper). Some days the only thing I end up doing is getting up in the morning write half a paper, go to school, come home, continue writing, eat, save what I've written and then fall into bed. Other days its add work for the evening into there. Basically, school and work have been making so many demands on me of late that i have not had time to play Wow, or when I do, I just do it to try and destress between Math tests and papers coming up due.

On the math testing though, I'm highly pleased to report a B on the last test. Now I just have one more section of this class to get through and then I shouldn't have to deal with Algebra again for a little bit of time!

For Thanksgiving I will again be going to my parents house. Now here's to hoping I can just survive this semester and the next one isn't as scary... of course, if I can manage to pass this math course and the next one lined up, that will clear the last gen ed hanging over my head.

Raiding Elsewhere

Note: This is a Spark Post from World of Matticus.

As an officer in a very casual guild, we see a higher turn over rate than a lot of guilds out there, but we also raid on occasion when we can fit in enough people (and this is at the 10 man level -- I know, I know) but we do it because we like to have fun.

Occasionally we will have people leave us for "harder" raiding guilds. Almost everyone that has left us has done the "Wait til the end of the week, talk to the officers and GM about their decision" route.

Those people for our guild? Always have the option of poking one of the officers or GM and getting an invite back to us. We leave the door open, because we understand that a harder raider oriented guild might just not be what they want. Or one of the officers might end up being the one that the new guild contacts to see just what kind of a person the ex-member was.

I've answered questions in the past ranging from (but not limited to):
1. Can they take instructions?
2. Are they prompt at raid times?
3. Do they come prepared to raid? Do they research the fights?
4. Do they die in circles on the floor -- repeatedly?
5. Do they adjust to rapid changes in pace well?
6. Do they know what proper raid attire is on Tuesdays? (The answer is always a pink tutu, but only in September)*.

Basically our members and many ex-members that are now happy raiders in other guilds are polite to everyone, which goes a very long way in my guild. If something comes up, we are told as soon as possible about it, especially if it will affect plans that the guild has made (such as some one not being able to make it to a raid). We rarely have discipline problems in Bloodriver, which says a lot to how we recruit and treat our people. We have a high expectation of respect given and it shows in everything we do.

We miss guildies that have gone on to other guilds, but they always know they have the option of dropping in and saying hi with an Alt, or dragging one of us along on a run of theirs or vice versa if they or we need people.

To all the guild mates that have come before, I salute you.

* this was a question on an old raiding guild application, to which the answer was buried in the guild's charter. It was a definite "did you read the charter" follow up question.