A couple of experiences over the weekend have left me with things to contemplate.
Firstly, I was invited by a friend, on my healer to an ICC 25 man run on Sunday - 80% of the raid was from a single guild. Now as a rule I don't like running a new raid on my healer as a PUG. Mistakes made through inexperience as a healer generally get amplified compared to similar mistakes made as a DPS. However the opportunity presented itself and I decided to take it.
I was honest to the person that invited me and the RL that this was my first time in ICC. I'd cleared trash for rep and had made one attempt on the first boss in 10 man, and neither seemed bothered that I didn't know the boss fights.
After a couple of wipes on the first boss we cleared it and then wandered off to the second boss.
That's where the troubles began. We tried the guilds strategy for the boss. We wiped. We tried again. We wiped. We wiped when someone agroed the boss.
After 5 wipes, a couple of the PUGs (including myself) asked some simple questions regarding the mechanics of the boss herself. Oh boy did we cop it. Suddenly the guilds healer started making snide comments about "why are there people here who haven't even cleared 10 man?".
Now I'm a fairly calm guy (most of the time) but I do get a little pissy when someone has a go at me for not knowing a fight when they (as a guild) don't even have a strategy themselves for the fight. Shit, I can stand on the stairs all day and heal ... it isnt my fault the tanks can't pick up the adds. Doesn't make a difference that I don't know the boss or not.
After another few wipes I made my excuses and left. I don't spend my $$s to be belittled by a know it all healer - especially when I had already confessed to not knowing the fights.
My partner runs my guild, and I have a rather odd position within it as one of the main healers, some raid leader experience and happy enough to give opinions about most things.
We are now over the 60 member level, with more than 100 level 80 accounts. We have a range of experience - some havent seen the inside of OS others have cleared ToC25 in hardmode.
We have a core of around 15 players who are capable of running most things in game.
I like my guild. I like the people in my guild. However, I accept that just because I like two people that that doesn't necessarily mean that those two people will like each other. And this is where problems start.
I guess I am worried about people - I know there are niggles which unless they get resolved will magnify and become problems. I know we would all love to develop some of the other guildies and be able to move onto 25 man content - but thats going to be tricky with social politics around the place.
I'm sitting on the fence and playing the 'can't we all be friends' card to be honest. When new members join they will always have ideas of their own - and sometimes personalities will clash - but rather than seeing that as a negative I encourage people to embrace the challenge of this.
There will always be quirkiness around players - I haven't come across a rogue yet that doesnt shadowmeld and wander off to stand under the bosses nose - makes me twitch everytime but I deal with it.
And yes occasionally some silly action of someone will cause a wipe or at least some panicing whilst a mob is picked up and dealt with. Rather than getting up tight - I tend to see it as skill building. I'm not advocating that traps be triggered or mobs pulled before we are ready - but when it happens I actually see it as catching practice.
What I don't want it to see factions form - we are meant to be a single guild - and I want it to remain that way.
My worklife is a continual game of internal and external politics - I've learnt to ride the rapids and keep myself out of one side or another - whilst maintaining the freedom to express my own individual opinions.
I feel I achieve the same within guild. I just wish I could be as assured that others won't get distracted by the little issues as this can result in the bigger picture being overlooked. Sometimes it honestly is easier to just let it go rather than let the little things eat away. I've been down that road and its not a healthy place.
Firstly, I was invited by a friend, on my healer to an ICC 25 man run on Sunday - 80% of the raid was from a single guild. Now as a rule I don't like running a new raid on my healer as a PUG. Mistakes made through inexperience as a healer generally get amplified compared to similar mistakes made as a DPS. However the opportunity presented itself and I decided to take it.
I was honest to the person that invited me and the RL that this was my first time in ICC. I'd cleared trash for rep and had made one attempt on the first boss in 10 man, and neither seemed bothered that I didn't know the boss fights.
After a couple of wipes on the first boss we cleared it and then wandered off to the second boss.
That's where the troubles began. We tried the guilds strategy for the boss. We wiped. We tried again. We wiped. We wiped when someone agroed the boss.
After 5 wipes, a couple of the PUGs (including myself) asked some simple questions regarding the mechanics of the boss herself. Oh boy did we cop it. Suddenly the guilds healer started making snide comments about "why are there people here who haven't even cleared 10 man?".
Now I'm a fairly calm guy (most of the time) but I do get a little pissy when someone has a go at me for not knowing a fight when they (as a guild) don't even have a strategy themselves for the fight. Shit, I can stand on the stairs all day and heal ... it isnt my fault the tanks can't pick up the adds. Doesn't make a difference that I don't know the boss or not.
After another few wipes I made my excuses and left. I don't spend my $$s to be belittled by a know it all healer - especially when I had already confessed to not knowing the fights.
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The Politics of gear - I do feel that healers get a bum deal when it comes to loot. For example, two items dropped from the first boss in ICC25. There was a spellcaster dagger (no hit rating) and a caster ring (with hit rating)
There were 6 healers in the raid - 10 people rolled on the dagger. Fair enough - it was an upgrade for all of them. Then the ring was rolled for and two of the healers rolled - a mage actually won the roll so it wasnt a biggie but there was a comment made in /raid about a healer rolling on the ring.
The ring would have been a huge upgrade for me - but I didn't roll because of the hit on it. But it did get me thinking about the dagger. DPS casters get to roll on gear with and without hit - but if a healer rolls on an item with hit on it - watch out!
I don't think there is an answer that is satisfactory on this one - I can see both sides - but it did get me thinking.
__________________________________
My partner runs my guild, and I have a rather odd position within it as one of the main healers, some raid leader experience and happy enough to give opinions about most things.
We are now over the 60 member level, with more than 100 level 80 accounts. We have a range of experience - some havent seen the inside of OS others have cleared ToC25 in hardmode.
We have a core of around 15 players who are capable of running most things in game.
I like my guild. I like the people in my guild. However, I accept that just because I like two people that that doesn't necessarily mean that those two people will like each other. And this is where problems start.
I guess I am worried about people - I know there are niggles which unless they get resolved will magnify and become problems. I know we would all love to develop some of the other guildies and be able to move onto 25 man content - but thats going to be tricky with social politics around the place.
I'm sitting on the fence and playing the 'can't we all be friends' card to be honest. When new members join they will always have ideas of their own - and sometimes personalities will clash - but rather than seeing that as a negative I encourage people to embrace the challenge of this.
There will always be quirkiness around players - I haven't come across a rogue yet that doesnt shadowmeld and wander off to stand under the bosses nose - makes me twitch everytime but I deal with it.
And yes occasionally some silly action of someone will cause a wipe or at least some panicing whilst a mob is picked up and dealt with. Rather than getting up tight - I tend to see it as skill building. I'm not advocating that traps be triggered or mobs pulled before we are ready - but when it happens I actually see it as catching practice.
What I don't want it to see factions form - we are meant to be a single guild - and I want it to remain that way.
My worklife is a continual game of internal and external politics - I've learnt to ride the rapids and keep myself out of one side or another - whilst maintaining the freedom to express my own individual opinions.
I feel I achieve the same within guild. I just wish I could be as assured that others won't get distracted by the little issues as this can result in the bigger picture being overlooked. Sometimes it honestly is easier to just let it go rather than let the little things eat away. I've been down that road and its not a healthy place.
2 comments:
I lost a roll on agility cloak (best suited for druid, rogue and hunter ofc) which would have been a major upgrade to a warrior (for whom agility is subpar stat) and agreeing with your persective I was pissed. I never consider rolling on strenght items, since strength is a sub-par stat for me.
Now your situation is a bit different: casters have it three ways as far as I know:
1.items with mp5 (pure healing item, no doubt about it) ans sometimes spirit are for healing classes
2.items with +hit should go to dps classes as priority
3.hybrid items: items with haste, crit and sp (no hit or mp5 on them) are free for all. Healers and DPS classes both benefit from them, if healers have enough endurance to not go oom in the middle of a long and intensive fight and if DPS casters are hit capped.
As a disc priest I hate mp5/spirit. All my healing is driven off Spell power and then crit. Mana regen is never an issue. I can heal Ony 25 and rarely have mana issues that cant resolved with a shadowfiend top-up. I agree that MP5 is a crucial stat for the majority of healing classes - just not me personally.
Being hit capped these days isnt a problem - gear carries it by the truck load...even my disc spec carries 150 hit rating which is half way to cap. Its very difficult to find pure non hit rating gear for every slot.
But yeah in general I try and give gear with hit to DPS casters - it just dawned on me that clothie healers really have the smallest pool of items to pick from when it comes to loot
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