DF$#@%ingO

Zenborg finally got his hands on [Dislodged Foreign Object] today, and I'm excited. After picking up the heroic spyglass last week, I'm keeping Zenborg a good step ahead of my warlock.

As usual, a PUG is more fun with a friend, and Oddox joined me on his warlock (Parl) and we tore the bosses apart, including our first go at heroic lootship.

I was pretty pleased with over 10k DPS on Rotface, and being able to give the trinket a good home. It was also nice to get some 'well deserved' PSTs as well. Of course, Parl would have given it an equally good home, but in the end he's got to l2roll. ;)

Warlock Art

The week after our first Lich King kill in 10 man, I needed to use Zenborg in the progression team to fill out the healers, and get a cuople of new guildies in for a LK kill. More about that later of course, but for now, just know that Zenborg is doing a happy dance.

So Borgthor was unsaved, and so we put together an alts run for some fun in ICC10. I didn't want Borgthor's ID to go to waste, and perhaps motivated out of severe jealousy of my priest wanted to at least pick up one heroic boss on my main.

The picture is from Saurfang, which we accidentally 1 healed. Two healers decided to go offspec after the event was started, to Rih (Oddox's shammie) had to suck it up. We had two affliction warlocks, and you can see in the background two boomies too. It was some nice symmetry to capture... just don't tell Rih that I was taking screenshots under 25% health while he was busy healing.

We managed to breeze through 11/12, the beauty was that we had set absolutely no expectations for the run, and everyone put up a good showing on their alts. Our guests were delightful, even if somewhat silent (the Disc Priest missing from vent put a little spanner in the works of continuing with LK). Sindragosa was a pleasant one shot, even though while setting up flares I engaged the boss and had to explain the last phase while we were busy fighting.

Achievements:
1 - Once Bitten, Twice Shy - grats Whip XD
2 - Boned
6 - The Plagueworks
7 - Heroic Lootship
7 - The Orb Whisperer
7 - The Crimson Hall
8 - The Frostwing Halls

10/12 ICC 25 - PP Down

An important milestone this week. After having some trouble repeating our efforts on the Blood Queen, one $#%^-ton of flares later, we one shot Blood Queen, and got to have a couple of cracks at Putricide.

Putricide went down on our first night of attempts, with the phase transitions being just perfect on our last two attempts. While I may have been over enthusiastic in convincing our guild that I know what I'm talking about, we managed a seamless kill and got our first half dozen tier tokens in a raid lockout.

Most importantly we managed to get 10/12 ICC 25 inside the 20% ICC buff, which... by tomorrow... will be a distant memory as we stomp through the place with an extra quarter of KABLAM.

10/12 25, 5/12 H 10 is a nice place to nestle before the (20%) buff marches steadily on.

Heroic Blood Queen 10 man

So here's a post about what I would have liked to have known going into heroic Blood Queen. There are plenty of blog entries on the general differences of the fight, but not any accessible (I have good google skills) on the specific milestones you are looking out for.

I had done this fight on an alt before my main (such is the way) and had completed heroic Blood Queen despite my desire (I completely forgot) to finish it off on normal... however I didn't look at the specifics.

Our progression team on paper had pew pew to spare, so I was confident of a kill after pugging the fight on an alt. We also had a smaller issue with tank deaths, so it seemed like a slam dunk. However, it did prove to be a little tricky.

So...

1. Don't die. You just can't fail at any of the basic mechanics. Don't die to swarming shadows, don't delay in eradicating pact of the darkfallen, and get those bites off! (Do delay the first two sets (<5s to go before turning) as not to have to bite during the fear phase).

2. Before the first fear phase, you're aiming for around 60% health left on the boss.

3. Before the second fear phase, you're aiming for under 25% health left on the boss.

Any slower than that, or any deaths will severely impair your chances of defeating the Blood Queen on heroic mode.

Twitchie rewinds

As the 24h shutdown posts suggests, Twtichie put an end to Sindragosa last week, but still had the Crimson Hall to explore and Dreamwalker to save. I got that done today, so next week I'll try and have a peek at the princes and the queen.

24hr Shutdown: Pugging Malygos 25

I started this post before Twitchie (the Gnome Warlock) had shown his face, so I tabled it until after the Twitchie Day(tm) saga had unfolded. Now that we're almost out of the 24hr Shutdown, and facing another couple of hours of Authentication Maintenance... this is as good a time as any to post it.

I pugged Malygos 25 today (27th April) on Twitchie (the Gnome Warlock) and it made me mad. Well a combination of mad and angry in amounts far exceeding what might be reasonable, even considering the circumstances. You see, you know going into a 25 man Malygos pug that there is potential for all kinds of issues, dramas and wiping.

From Twitchie's twittter:

Pugging Malygos 25 is like pulling teeth... stay tuned.

It fell apart. I don't get it. How do people actually do fights where they have NO idea of the core mechanic?

It's like walking into your pantry with a paper bag on your head, throwing random things at your oven, and licking the result off the floor.

THAT'S NOT WHAT I CALL DINNER.

Nevertheless, it has inspired a creative maelstrom in my mind about the very nature of pugging... and as a form of therapy I'll write about some of it here. So here it is, my intent, in writing to create some posts about pugging, both putting them together and participating... some tips on etiquette and communication... and finally addressing my major weakness: when to call it.

For those of you that missed the introduction post, my wife plays WoW and her main character is a resto Druid, Jondayla. Jondy doesn't like the swearing, and I like to freestyle swear. Jondy also doesn't have a particularly high tolerance for erm... let's call it "loud and angry".

However, Jondy does like to laugh (and she does like me).

So the challenge for me is to make my loud, angry freestyle swearing funny enough that the vulgarity : anger : volume : comedy ratio is over the threshold of acceptable, and the laughter produced is not nervous laughter (which I've recently learned is not remotely the same thing as regular laughter (I'm still learning the difference)).

Twitchie Day(tm) - Part 4 - Champ in a Day(tm) Complete

Previously on Twitchie Day(tm)...

We moved right along into Obsidian Sanctum at 1630, completing the Less is More achievement with a full guild group. Helly (Moordenar) came along on his priest, Ademar and kindly handed over the satchel of spoils. With the extra emblems of triumph, I was able to use my first trophy for iLvl 245 T9 lock gear.

Finally with a quick tweak to the personnel, we lined up to give Malygos a poke in the eye just after 1700. Boom blam kapow... at 1734, 13.5 hours after beginning Twitchie was Champion of the Frozen Wastes! (and now we can finally show his face)

Special thanks to my wife (who plays Jondayla) who helped hatch the scheme and helped align all the pieces so I could spend the entire day playing WoW. Jondy also found that 24 pack of pepsi max that had a significant dent in it by the end of the day.

Thanks particularly to Oddox and Therepoman, whose enthusiasm for the project spurred me on, and whose tanking and healing powered me through all those heroics. The 4am start was the icing on the cake, and logging on to find them both online is one the highlights of my time in WoW.

Quick thanks to Helly too... filling a full guild group for heroics before 6am gave me a very warm and fuzzy feeling.

Thanks to all the guildies that came to Naxx, Sarth and Mally. Having a core of known toons to help push the momentum of the group helped to run things smoothly. I also got a kick out of seeing so many achievements pile up along the way, including a number of other toons hitting Champion of the Frozen Wastes on the day!

Twitchie Day(tm) - Part 3 - Naxxramas

 
Previously on Twitchie Day(tm) ...


After some quick lunch I started to put the Naxxramas 10 man group together at about 1300. After a good half an hour we were ready to begin at 1330. We managed to grab some guildies which was fantastic, so the raid makeup looked like:

• Tanks: Abernathee (Paladin / Lucah), Healforreal (Druid / Therepoman)
• Heals: Jondayla (Druid), Rih (Shaman / (Oddox/Parl)), Guest Priest
• DPS: Twitchie (Lock), Wolfkal (DK), Kayir (Arms Warrior), Guest Hunter, Guest Boomchicken

We were off to a clockwork start and by 1400 we had completed Arachnophobia, Momma Said and Razuvious was down (there's something special about a gnome warlock using the mind control orbs).

By 1438 we had downed the four horsemen without any deaths, made quick werk of Patch and I upgraded my neck with [Veiled Amulet of Life]. I was very excited to see some upgrades through the course of Naxxramas, since today's badge system makes so much content obsolete.

We downed Thaddius at 1508, with some very close calls on potential deaths. Everyone managed to make the jump OK (I handed out those wonderful Swiftness Potions beforehand) but some lack of familiarity with the fight gave Jondy and Rih something to heal.

Heigan, Heigan, Heigan... A couple of our guests couldn't dance, so while we weren't explicitly going for Undying... it was abruptly ended on Heigan. Of course, even on my main, Borgthor, I had to 8 man Naxxramas in order to get it done. It did however renew our enthusiasm for a main's Undying run, which has just never managed to find a place in the schedule.

So at 1612 (3 hours 42 minutes later) Kel'Thuzad was defeated and I had myself a new wand. Although it was missed in the screen shot, we also pulled many many Aboms for Just Can't Get Enough.

Next up on Twitchie Day(tm) - Sarth and Maly!

Twitchie Day(tm) - Part 2 - GDKP TotC25

Previously, on Twitchie Day(tm)...

While queued for H PoS in Dalaran, I noticed a GDKP run being advertised in trade, and I thought it's just about time for some bonus material! I sold Twitchie as a brand new 80 alt, with plenty of coin, and a TON of upgrades available. Kaboom, invite at 1049.

Despite my gear, I felt like I performed admirably, with 4k DPS on beasts and 4.8k on Lord Jaraxxus. It was really nice to see the impact of 25 man buffs on performance, and start getting used to raiding from a gnome perspective.

My first pickup of the day was for pure profit, the BoE [Drape of the Untamed Predator] went my way for 2600g, and having previously sold them on the guild's behalf for over 7k I was confident of a quick turn around for a reasonable profit despite its ever declining value.

I had my first experience with squishy lock syndrome in faction champs, but still managed to pick up a [Trophy of the Crusade] for 1400g.

Twins was an absolute delight, and hitting a 36k shadow bolt was a nice surprise. I missed [Chalice of Searing Light] at 1600g which was just more than I was prepared to pay for an offhand, but had fun driving the price up all the same.

We did have a wipe on Anub, with the OTs not working so well together, and the healing a little all over the place in phase 3. Second time around, we smashed it and I was done by 1232. I also picked up a second trophy again at 1400g, so I was pretty ecstatic about that. Due to some other upgrades (later in the story) that second trophy is still sitting in the bank!

So my expenses for GDKP were
2600g - Drape
1400g - Trophy
1400g - Trophy
5400g - Total

My earnings from GDKP were
1064g - GDKP split (very low, since no significant loot / trinkets dropped)
4600g - Drape sale
0050g - Vendor price of on Trophy
5614g - Total; so I came out a little ahead

So next up on the Twtichie Day(tm) saga - Naxxramas!

24hr Shutdown: You need to be this high ...

... to defeat the Lich King.

Patience Twitchie, your time will come.

24hr Shutdown: Twitchie shall not be contained!!!!!

Sindy tried to fizzle Twitchie's nightfall proc.

Bad move, Sindy. Bad move.

24hr Shutdown: Lady Deathwhisper...

... started right. There's nothing like a rogue, rocket boots, parachute and a blood elf dancing transformation to start a 25 LDW off right!

24hr Shutdown: Moordenart

This art brought to you by the 24 hour shutdown, and a rogue named Moordenar.

Get to the Choppa!

With the Kingslayer title, comes a sweet new ride. Kalus joined me for a well deserved ride around Dalaran.

Lich King Down!

We downed the Lich King tonight, after an hour. After a couple of false starts, the final kill was a text book kill, with no deaths and toons wreaking havoc inside Frostmourne.

More later, but for now we're all really excited.

Getting to the weekly in style...

... is freakin' awesome!

Moordenar took Zenborg to Naxxramas this week for the weekly, on this newly 310% turbo boosted recruit-a-friend mount!

Awesome.

Just awesome.

P.S. Thanks Moordenar for churning out those 100,000 arrows for me too ;)

Glory of the Ulduar Raider

Tonight, we finally got Glory of the Ulduar Raider, by completing Yogg+1 or One Light in the Darkness. It took many, many attempts to put a solid group together (more on that later) but tonight we got it done!


The Rusted Proto-Drake is a fantastic mount, meaning I can put away my pink (yes, I can call it pink now) Violet Proto-Drake forever. Jondy is also very pleased with the increased speed for her flight form, and Moordenar's new recruit a friend mount, the X-53 Touring Rocket goes really fast now too.


A huge thank you to all the guildies that have helped with all the achievements, starting all the way back in September last year (so there are lots of you!). Of course while we completed the bulk of them in the first two months, it was both challenging and rewarding to find the toons excited to finished them off even after getting stuck into ICC.

A particular thanks to both Jondayla and Moordenar for being there every step of the way. Your mounts are well deserved. I'd also like to thank you for your perseverance and patience in dealing with groups that we all knew were not quite fit for the task at hand, and not doubting too much when I thought my shear enthusiasm and meticulous fight mechanic tutorials could magically teach people how to not clip clouds.

For tonight's effort we ran 1 tank (me, Prot Warrior), 3 heals (druidx2, holy pally), 4 melee (DKx2, rogue, warrior) and 2 ranged (spriest, hunter). You know it's going to be a fun night when in the first few attempts you don't wipe it up in the clouds. Our brain room team of druid, DKx2 and rogue were firing and on the successful attempt were close to pushing phase 3 in one trip into the brain. Our first epic attempt in phase 3 was looong, with people getting picked off and going insane. Thorim was a blessing, as popping off those guardians is fantastic when you have the luxury of entering phase three with over 6 minutes on the enrage timer. Overall it was one of those progression nights I enjoyed as toons executed better and better throughout the night and we scored a kill.

Thanks to Coalesce and friend Arionathe for helping out. I've known Coalesce since BC, and he was there for our first Malygos 25 guild kill and plenty in between.

A quick note to all the guys from the run tonight, and guildies that have missed out on some of the achievements along the way... we'll be doing it all again. Depending on group make up, Borg and Jondy will be tanking and healing through the lot (most of which can be done very quickly) so look for those runs and sign up!

We celebrated with some Champagne, and then a romp through Trial of the Grand Crusader and got that long overdue Tribute to Skill achievement.