Is Team Melee the New Hotness?

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Lodur did a great job last week when he recruited 4 additional players. The catch? They were all melee players. We snagged a Rogue, a Paladin, Warrior and an Enhancement Shaman. Our melee roster now looks something like this:

4 Warriors
4 Rogues
2 Paladins
2 Enhancement Shamans

Gunship 2.0 turned into a challenge with just 6 ranged DPS players.

The guild historically has been melee heavy but not to this extent. As much as I would prefer having more ranged players as options, the raiding reality is to take the players we can get and find a way to make it work. Between the end of this expansion and a new MMO that’s holding player interest, it’s a little tougher to pick up players of the right class.

I’ve found some perks with a melee heavy raid, however.

Stuff dies really fast

That change to the melee buff (where it’s now 20%) makes a bigger difference. With trash and adds dying faster, it means overall less healing needed.

Closer proximity

Melee players typically stand in one location – Right behind the butt of the boss. I don’t have to worry about being out of range. Spells like Holy Word: Sanctuary are that much better since the melee players are in one tight location.

It’s nice to have a comfortable number of raiding players again. Holiday season is always tough. The next areas we need to shore up are ranged DPS and healers.

Now that we’ve gotten Deathwing down, we’re starting work on Heroic Morchuk (Norris). For those of you that have knocked it out already on 25 man, what would you suggest?

8 Raid Leading Mistakes That You’re Not Aware Of

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I stopped raid leading a long time ago.

Who would’ve guessed that raid leading might mean a loss in ability to heal effectively? I leave that in the hands of my capable team. We’ve all made our fair share of errors and mistakes. Chances are, yours did as well. I’ve always felt that there was no reason for every player to make a mistake to learn from it. You don’t need 25 players to stand in a Void Zone to experience that it’s a bad thing to do.

So allow me to give you several fouls that I’ve committed over the years.

Pulling too fast

This is one of my biggest faults. I get pestered about trying to get pulls going too quickly. Sometimes there’s a pat coming around through a 4 pull. I’ve also been with tanks who keep pulling trash mobs even when a significant portion of the raid is down or on their way back. Generally speaking, if there’s over 5 players dead, I’ll call a stop and burn a mass resurrect followed by quick buffs before getting under way again. Keeping an eye on healer mana is important. If everyone’s fresh out of gas, give them a few seconds to replenish (I use Mana Hymns and Mana Tide totems on trash to accelerate the process).

Pulling too slow

On the other hand, you want to make sure things are going according to a schedule. There’s always time to socialize outside of raids. I used to raid with a player who flat out screamed that he was missing Blessing of Kings on trash.

Look guys, while you might wipe to trash here and there, it isn’t because you are missing Kings. Buffs can always be done on the fly. You don’t necessarily need to wait for all of your buffs to fire off before pulling.

Are there tanks present?

Are there healers present?

Is there enough DPS around?

Then it’s time to pull and let the WoW gods sort out the rest.

Not knowing when to tap out

Sometimes your raid meets a boss that they’re just presently not capable of. Maybe there’s only 15 minutes left in raid and you’ve been working on a new progression boss all night that you just killed. Now there’s a new boss standing in front of you that no one has any idea how to take on. You could always do a for fun pull and play the game of “Let’s see who survives the longest”.

Actually, where this really takes effect is around the holiday season. Maybe you don’t have enough players to field a full group. Now I dare say most raid groups can run short handed 1 or 2 players (unless you’re in 10 man). But if you suffer enough absences where it represents a significant portion of the raid, cut your losses and give everyone a night off.

Not enough sleep

Get some sleep, guys! No one likes it when a player misses a raid because they wanted to catch a quick nap and oversleep their alarm!

Makes me wish I could dock DKP for that!

Excessive consensus

Let’s be real here. If you’re raid leading, chances are you know what the hell you’re talking about more. You’ll most likely have studied up on the encounter extensively. You’ve mentally orchestrated your unit about what needs to happen. There’s generally one or two ways to take down a boss. Run that raid with a fist of steel and stick to your plan. Do not instantly agree with every new radical proposal or idea that occurs after a wipe. Stick to making minor adjustments as needed but don’t overhaul the general strategy. Chances are, your strategy is sound but the rest of the team needs to adapt and make their own individual changes to make it work.

But don’t run a raid or take on a boss in a majority rules fashion.

Too much Hand Holding

This really bothers me. It shouldn’t be the job of the raid leader to micromanage every player’s DPS rotations and individual skills. I’ve heard stories shared to me by players where their raid leader would tell a new recruit exactly what to do and when.

“Okay, Lightning Bolt… then Lava Burst … trigger your Earth Shock … Lightning Bolt again and refresh your Flame Shock.”

We try to do everything we can when it comes to recruiting applications to figure out what players know. There’s a minimum threshold of knowledge that is required. I’d say having a solid idea of how your class works and any rotations would be on the “must know” list. For other progressive guilds, knowing every ability on select hard mode bosses is a plus. Perhaps knowing how to fluently play in an off role would be a requirement. It all really depends on your guild.

Your raid leader should not be the person teaching players as they go how to play their class. Your raid leader is the guy people look to when they’re trying to figure out the overarching strategy on taking down a boss. Vik addressed the difference between a raid leader and a guild leader quite nicely last year.

Being too accommodating

There’s this great quote by Steve Jobs that I keep on my wallpaper.

“My job is to not be easy on people. My job is to make them better.”

Press the buttons that you feel will actually result in action. Don’t press buttons for the sake of pressing them. Remember that you’re in the business of raiding. Your focus and dedication is going to vary. No matter what it is, figure out what your limits are.

Someone needs a quick glass of water during a trash pull? Sure, I can live with that.

Baby just started crying right before pulling a boss and needs to be dealt with? It’s a teeth grinder and a stress ball destroyer but I’ll survive until I can get a replacement.

Need to AFK for a smoke right when you clear the last pack of trash to a new encounter? Get the hell out of my raid.

That last one especially is one of my biggest pet peeves after playing this game for so long. I’m sure it’s influenced by the fact that my dad used to smoke and I hated the smell of it. While flexibility is a great strength to have, be careful that you’re not going too far in the direction at the cost of progress.

Not pulling the trigger on decisions

Cold feet on which boss to go for?

Can’t seem to switch out the healer for the DPS?

Trouble deciding on which strategy to use?

The best raid leaders are the ones who come to a decision within a quick and reasonable amount of time. Indecision is never the right way to go. Consult with officers or other players as needed, but don’t drag your feet too much. Pick one and run with it. If you’re wrong, at least you’ll know what to do for sure next week.

One more thing

Don’t be afraid to give your raid leader feedback. Just do it after the raid is over, not during. Doing it mid raid is enough to throw them off their game which isn’t a good idea if the raid is working on some new encounters.

2011: Best of World of Matticus

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2011 was a fairly eventful year. Highlights included my new gig at Enjin, BlizzCon 2011, and Cataclysm. We saw a new expansion announcement while this expansion began to wind down. The new Star Wars MMO came out this month. We’ll see what the MMO market place is going to be like with two competing MMOs. I’ve already hit 50 after approaching it like a single player game with multiplayer elements. As I’ve always been more of an end game player then an “experience” player, I’m going to have to wait until the rest of my new SWTOR crew levels out. 16 players is a far cry from 25.

In a way though, this was a year where I just felt my energy had been sapped completely. Additional professional responsibilities and guild rebuilding takes a rather large toll. Unfortunately, the blog and my projects had to suffer slightly. I decided to close and consolidate different projects because I was stretching myself way too thin and I couldn’t possibly maintain the level of care required.

It’s a tradition for me every year to take a look back at some of my favourite posts published this year on the blog. Other bloggers, I encourage you to do the same!

Top Posts of 2011

Did Cataclysm Fail?

A provocative piece by Lodur who examined the positives and negatives of this expansion. Some elements were well received but others not so much.

How to Come out of Raiding Retirement

You’re feeling the itch again. You can feel your mouse and keyboard call you. Does your raid group even want you? Exercise caution if you make the jump back in.

Why Ready Checks Suck

“Ready checks are an opt-in system, and opt-in systems deflect responsibility.  Instead, we make the choice to assume that everyone is at keyboard and ready to play when we’re raiding – when they’re expected to be.” As quoted from the bible of Mel. Read on for the full interview with Mel and his take on raid leading.

Does Your Guild Need Social Media Guidelines?

With more and more gamers taking to Twitter and other social media aspects, it might be wise to lay down a set of guidelines that they should look over.

GMs Talk: Things We Share, Things We Do Not

When you take the rank as a GM, there’s a certain level of social rules that needs to be observed especially when conversing with other GMs. Don’t worry, some of your secrets are safe.

A Lesson in Guild Ultimatums

It’ll happen from time to time. It never hurts to be prepared for the occasion.

Topping Meters vs Assigned Role

Which takes priority? Lodur laid down the law. One of these elements will lead to personal glory while the other will lead to glory for the guild.

11 Suggestions for the New Guild Leader

Veteran guild masters and leaders share some nuggets of wisdom for new GMs. The great thing is that this post isn’t platform specific. Starting a guild in SWTOR can be just the same as in WoW.

Breaking Up With your Guild is Hard to Do

One of the highlights for me was when Lodur made the switch to come and join my guys. I knew it was going to be a difficult process for him but he’s still a champ.

Handling the Guild Dirty Work

It’s a crappy job, but someone’s got to do it. It’s a great way to demonstrate to the troops that you still have the spark and that you’re not just some suit leading from the rear.

11 Raid Finder Personalities You Will Never Escape

The raid finder is proof of the diversity among our player base. Which one are you?

The E-Book

I keep talking about it for years and it’s something I’ve really wanted to do. I keep getting sidetracked by different things (a job, games, etc). With a blog that’s 4 and a half years old, I’ve got more than enough material to put together an E-Book. The topic is going to be about guilds and raids. Anything from recruiting, to discipline, management, leadership and so forth.

Here’s where I’m stuck.

  • Design – I don’t have a clue about things like colours. Maybe I’ll just keep it simple.
  • Contributions – I would love to ask bloggers. I approached Kurn the other night with a basic idea. If you could only share one guild management related post with the world, which one would it be? She’s sitting on it and mulling it over. But who else can I approach?
  • Title – Coming up with blog post headlines takes up half my time. Can you imagine how much time an e-book title would take?
  • Technical – Do I use Word for this? Publish it to a PDF?

So yes, this is my first resolution. I’m going to write and finish this book.

Someone get me a post it note.

The first chapter’s almost done actually.

Hmm, maybe that’s what I’ll do. I’ll release a chapter a month. That’s way less daunting then putting together a book. Plus I can always piece it together after.

Alright team, I’m relying on you to make me honest. Poke me two days before the end of January.

Happy Holidays–2011!

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What an exhausting year for me. Responsibilities tripled and which affected my ability to blog. For you aspiring bloggers, I’ll tell you a story about that later. Getting SWTOR and blitzing to end game also takes a toll. I love getting new games. I bought myself Chrono Trigger for my iPhone as an early Christmas gift (and something I can do while waiting in line ups).

For you bloggers, I’m interested in reading up on your New Year’s resolutions. This is the first time an expansion has closed and finished out in under a year. Cataclysm came out in December 2010. The last tier of bosses were released earlier this month. Now it’s just a waiting game until Mists of Pandaria. More importantly, did you accomplish everything you wanted to do for the year?

Have a safe and happy holiday, everyone! Don’t drink and raid (much)! Your guild leaders wouldn’t want you incapacitated after the new year, right?

(PS, what are your favourite drinks for the holidays? I’m looking to expand and diversify)

Flux and SWTOR Thoughts After Day 1

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With the holiday season coming up, more and more of us will be staying up late at night playing video games. I want to take a moment and recommend a program called F.lux. It auto dims or brightens your computer screen according to the time of day it is. When it’s evening, it sets the display to appear indoorsy and when it’s daylight, it’ll return brightness to optimum levels. I highly recommend it.

flux-shot

The Old Republic

I received my early access today and spent a good part of my schedule playing and getting reaccustomed to the game. I rolled a Sith Inquisitor (Sorcerer). Just can’t stop healing. Level 13 after about 6 hours. SWTOR has been labelled as a WoW clone with Star Wars skins. I agree with this and I’m not opposed to it. It’s nice to have transferable knowledge and skills from one game to another. I compare it to how in FPS games, you don’t really need to re-learn how to find cover, strafe or aim. In SWTOR, it’s easy to break line of sight, kite and do other standard things. Those of you looking for a completely new gaming archetype won’t be satisfied with it.

Healing feels quite similar to WoW. The resources used though are the biggest changes. Having a healer that relies on energy or is a GCD healer is going to be interesting. If I wasn’t playing an Inquisitor, I would’ve played an Imperial Agent (Operative) instead. With so many instant cast heals, they felt like Resto Druids to me during the beta.

One thing I’ve noticed in SWTOR is that I’ve run into players who just plain aren’t familiar with the actual MMO genre or they’re just not very bright. I was speaking with a friend of mine who agreed. He shares with me a story of how he was running by a player who was dead on the ground. He resurrected him and that player proceeded to run into another pack of mobs. He took out two or three before he was overwhelmed. He didn’t release or let go. After a few more of these, my friend messaged him to try to find out what he was doing. It turns out he’s been at this for a while because he has no idea how to come back to life. He did not know about the button in the middle of the screen that can be pressed to trigger a med evac.

This whole time he had been relying on players running by him and resurrecting him.

My friend understandable became demoralized and just walked away while the player he was with decided to pull another 4 mobs.

So the dialog and choices stuff is cool. But I confess, I simply skip most of it. I end up reading faster than the actual dialog and conversations and automatically pick the choices that are the most negative. It’s neat with the interaction and all that, but I know I’ll get tired of it quick. This is especially true in instances because you may run into cases where someone takes a long time to make a selection or AFKs out or something. If you instance grind with a group of players you know who all space bar (or skip) their way through dialog, it feels like a quicker leveling experience. But once you’re on your 4th or 5th run through of Black Talon, it gets old fast. I suppose I’m not one for patience.

Conquest in SWTOR?

Speaking of the Old Republic, if you’ve got the game but are looking around for a guild to join, you’re welcome to join my crew and I. While I would love to be able to raid and try out their end game, the reality is that I would not be able to seriously commit to two end game raiding activities. I’d have to find another player willing to organize and handle that aspect of it. But it’s too early to worry about that. For now, if you’re looking for a home:

Server: Warriors of the Shadow
Faction: Empire

Just add Matticus to your friends list or post a comment here or use smoke signals to get a hold of me.

How’s WoW going?

We hit 6/8 normal mode last week. We ran out of time as players had to leave but there was enough for a 10 man to take a look at Spine of Deathwing. That fell over within 2 attempts. All that remains now is Madness of Deathwing. There’s been some debate between leaving Alexstrasza last or Kalecgos last. Personally, I’m in favor of leaving Alexstrasza last so that we don’t have to worry about those mini-tentacles and just DPS the claw down. Others say that the 25% damage increase is much more favorable. I don’t think there’s a right or wrong answer but I do believe one approach is better for our group than the other.

Still looking for Balance Druids, Shadow Priests, Warlocks, Mages.