“Run instances with others”
This was part of my resolutions… (WoW group balance deities please don’t let me regret this decision.)
Shadow Labs…
First key fragment…
Have to clear to Murmur…
Group … not MY Tank, My Healer, My Rogue, or My Mage (who is AFK till she gets her computer back and I miss her).
About two months ago our GM partnered with two other small guilds. We all DON’T want to merge. Each has its own personality and one thing we all agreed too is NOT to rock the boat.
All three guilds have trouble making 5 man parties. And then when substitutions need to be made it signaled the end of the run.
… So far so good. *crosses fingers*
But I was a name on the chat channel. Other then those that ran with my core group as our fifth, I never ran an instance with any of them.
A wonderful add-on tool that we are using now is Guild Event Manager. This is perfect for our three guilds to use. It lets us sign up with no guild limitations. Members of all three guilds are using it. Not a lot, but a handful. And so far we have had one scheduled run a week. Which is totally been faboo!
When I was checking GEM there was a sign up for the first Kara key fragment run. It was planned by a rogue with two sign-ups, which were a Ret-pallie and our 2nd tank.
/frown
I cannot do anything about the missing healer…
…But if this run is going to be successful they will need more DPS and CC up the ying yang.
Both I can bring to the party.
So I very carefully signed up. (At this point I felt obliged to go to My Rogue, My Healer, and My Tank to reassure them I was not abandoning them. I was looked at like I was crazy and sent on my way. I think they are broken inside…FYI.)
After a rough start … we found a last minute Priest from the 3rd guild, our tank being AFK 30 minutes at start of the run, and then the first pull the Rogue pulled two groups... I WAS SCARD.
/reduce the expectation on party success
/hunker down for a long night
It got better…
But then at “Time for fun”, other then the healer NO one had gone further in Shadow Labs. (Oh and of course Hellmaw didn’t drop the shield for the tank. I think it must be me.)
…
…
I had to take over the talking … I was trying not too… the Rogue was doing well enough. I saw no reason too take over…till now.
Shadow Labs is about the only instance I could have done blindfolded. I think I would need a refresher read on Hellfire Ramparts… actually I know I would.
We plow ahead.
We get to Vorpil …
After a wipe or two… I call DPS.
The Ret-pallie is just not working… I watched him on the charts… the Rogue was at 280, I was at 220 (I am CC people! I don’t shine on mob fights anyway.), and the Ret-Pallie was at 150.
I carefully negotiate with the group if they want to do this… I … am … not … a … subtle … person.
But not only were we low on DPS but our tank was not using Taunt. *grumbles about prior discussions* (We will have to work with him more. Please? /cry)
So I make My Rogue /AFK out of Alterac Valley and come kill Vorpil with us.
Yea Vorpil goes down like butter.
And what should he drop for my little Gnomish self? Jewel of Charismatic Mystique … this will be fantastic as a tank training tool… and evidently we need more second tank training.
We bring back the Ret-pallie and plow ahead.
At this point I am getting whispers from group members about the run… and if we can do the Murmur room with the Ret-pallie. Reassurances go out and I will MAKE this run a success. I do have some pull with My Rogue so if we need him we can bring him back. =P
We do fine to Murmur.
Everyone that needed the first Shard fragment for Kara got it. A success!
But wait, there is just Murmur…
We try… I know we cannot do this with the group DPS that we have… but I hear echoes of my core group telling me “Be nice.” So I say nothing and let the group come to that decision without me.
The Rogue and Ret-pallie have to leave for the night.
The Priest wants to bring in more DPS and kill Murmur. I am happy to do that and so is the Tank. So in comes a replacement Rogue and the only Hunter I have ever grouped.
We eventually kill him and my T3 shoulders drop… and I feel obliged to take them since they were being offered up. If I didn’t they would be vendor trash. With two pieces now… it might be something I can play with around town or farming.
I have NEVER died so much in an instance. EVER EVER EVER.
What did I learn … being “nice” is expensive on repairs. I actually lost count of the number of wipes and how much I was spending at fixing my armor. Thanks tank for the repair bots!
In all, it went quite well… Well for this group. If this was my core group… It would have been HORRIBLE like I am coming over to your house to check your computers and see if your fingers are working because that was nuts.
A nutty but successful run.
Edit: To clarify the Ret-pallie low DPS was not because he was a Ret-pallie but because he had sub-instance gear for this run. I like my Pallies they work in the light so I can have my darkness.
