Calendar

Hey guys, Just wanted to say GREAT JOB last night, we took down 5 bosses in 3 hours and I'm convinced that we'll be able to get Vashj down no problem. A few modification will be made to the group formations for this fight, so be ready for it. A few other things that have changed: - I've added the links to the instructional videos for Vashj and Kael'Thelas on the main post. - I've added the macro for the tainted cores during the Vashj fight on the main post. - The DKP system have been modified to reward players that remain on standby mode. We have a handful of *AWESOME* players that work with us behind the scenes to try and pick up the spots left whenever people say they *might* miss a raid, I feel that some compensation should be given for their time and effort. This new change will take effect starting Thursday Feb 6th.

Hey Holy, That's a good question and the answer's a little tricky. We've been doing such awesome progress in SSC and I really don't want to inhibit our chances of killing Vashj. I refuse to do like most guilds and simply "settle" for another 5/6 SSC & 3/4 TK raid. At the same time I'd rather not force people to constantly revisit the same content over and over again while bashing their heads in a wall trying to down 2 bosses. After some discussion the consensus is this: 2 weeks. I'm giving us this week and next week to down Vashj. If we down her (or the 2 weeks have passed) then we will move on to TK exclusively until we hit 3/4. After that we will move onto a "farming" schedule to ready ourselves for Kael (or something of the sort). This schedule isn't fixed and we're open to suggestions, but for now that's the game plan

Ultimately some kind of compromise will need to be reached. In my opinion, should a few people not be able to make the meeting then so be it, as long as the reasons are legitimate. In light of the various raiding schedules and personal situations, I feel the best times for this meeting would either have to be before OR after the usual raid slots (7:30-10:30 I think). Weekends tend to be chancey at best since for most people real life ends up taking precedence. I don't think it's such a great idea to plan this meeting over a raid slot. The amount of effort and time involved in bringing 10 to 25 players together, dealing with replacements, schedules, consumables, etc, is quite significant. Scheduling over a raid would only serve to undermine some of our clan mate's gaming endeavors and weaken raid group cohesion.

Hey Zeb, You bring up a good point with regards to TS, I'm sure you're not the only one that has issues with it. I think a lot of people are avoiding communicating on TS simply because their setup isn't properly configured in Windows or Teamspeak. I'd like to encourage other Crushers out there to provide their own advice with regards to getting TS up and running. I feel that better communication usually leads to better raids, so we should do anything we can to help others. Here's my piece of advice: Teamspeak usually works on top of Windows' sound settings. A lot of people find they can't accurately control the volume of their mics from TS simply because it hasn't been properly calibrated in Windows. The calibration process is pretty easy, Windows provides you with a simple yet obscure wizard to help you regulate the volume. You can find it in your control panel under "Sounds and Audio Devices". Look under the "Voice" tab and you should find a button called "Test Hardware...". Now if you get the sound to work properly through that wizard then TS will typically be able to handle your mic volume pretty well afterwards. However, some older mics don't quite have the volume boosting capabilities that the newer ones have. Windows provides you with +20dB boosting option. This option (also hidden away and obscure) can be find under the same "Sounds and Audio Devices" control and "Voice" tab. Just click on the "Volume..." option under the selected microphone box followed by a click on the "Advanced" button in the subsequent "Recording Control" panel. The "Microphone Boost" option should be there. Fair warning, some poorer microphones do not have very good noise cancellation, boosting their input can result in distorted or choppy recording. Anyways, I hope this helps you out a bit, or at least helps out a few other Crushers having issues. The advice is only pertinent for Windows XP users, I know Windows Vista has its own set of problems and configurations, so I hope someone will step forward and maybe provide their advice for you. Best of luck, Cal

I just wanted to add: THAT VIDEO IS AWESOME!!!! It *REALLY* explains the fight *VERY* well, shows all aspects of the battle and the video is good quality.

For the time being we will continue our endeavors within SSC. Whether or not we hit Leotheras depends a lot on our Warlocks. As many of you know Leotheras requires yet another resistance set, this time a cloth Fire Resistance set for one of our Warlocks. A "Soul Link" spec'd (XX/21/XX) Warlock is also highly recommended for this fight. I'll be querying the Warlocks in our raiding to find out: 1) Their interest in being a tank for this fight. 2) What kind of resistance gear they have. 3) Whether or not they are willing to modify their specs. Once we find our man we'll be able to better assess the situation and where we need to be. Quick guide on how to Warlock tank Leotheras

Welcome on board Kalea! I'm sure I speak for most of the Crushers when I say it's an honor to have you with us. Your great personality and contributions to the Argent Dawn horde community certainly haven't gone unnoticed. So once again, welcome to our ranks and I hope we'll all have a chance to get to know you a bit better in the following days. Cal

Hey guys, Just wanted to thank all of you for helping me out. I got enough Arena points to get the piece I wanted (yay!). I had tons of fun too, so if you guys ever need a Protection warrior let me know (if only to fill in a spot -- I don't mind). I could certainly use the points!

Hey guys, Cal needs maybe 150 to 200 Arena points to get his Season 3 chest piece. I know I'm prot and all, but I was wondering if there wasn't a team out there willing to give me a little pity and let me do a few fights with them? Let me know, I'd really appreciate it. Thanks in advance, Cal

Yes guys, we have done in one night what takes most several weeks to learn. Hydross the Unstable has been defeated!!!! (Picture coming soon)

Thanks for the words of encouragement guys. You all did *AWESOME* last night during our very first raid and it's only going to get better from this point on! Next bosses on our clomp list: Fathom-Lord Karathress Hydross the Unstable With a little luck it won't take too long for these guys to go down! Great job everyone and keep on clompin'!

The specific resist tanks will likely be you (Holyssa) and me (Calendar). 90% of the resistance gear is ready for the main tanks as well. I'm missing 1 Nature Resist ring and Frost resist armor kits (missing 16 Primal Fires for the later). However, before I hand over the gear I'd like to meet up with you in-game Holyssa if you don't mind.

I just wanted to add, if leading raids has taught me anything, it's that regardless of what people say the group will constantly undergo changes. That's why we are trying hard to maintain a list of viable replacements. I know that no honor and glory are to be had waiting on a stand-by list, but it's only a matter of time before we'll be needing to move someone into the permanent roster. It gives a chance for casuals to have a slim possibility of joining into raids they otherwise wouldn't have the opportunity to join. Being online at the right time and place can lead to all kinds of interesting raiding opportunities. If you want to be added to the replacement list, please let me know, we'll be more than happy to add you!

Please send all non-soul bound material to Calendar.

Tempest Keep and SSC Raid Information Day and Time Tempest Keep: Tuesdays 7:30pm to 10:30pm Server Time Serpent Shrine Cavern: Thursdays 7:30pm to 10:30pm Server Time *** Subject to change depending on progression *** Quick Links: Loot Wish List Form Loot Distribution Results Results of the Loot Wish List Roster Replacement List Roles and Group Formations Loot Points (DKP) Nether Vortex Assignments WWS Raid Statistics Information: Boss Encounters Lady Vashj Instructional Video Kael'thas Sunstrider Instructional Video Vashj Fight Tainted Cores Macro: /use Tainted Core /y <------- TAINTED CORE TO: %t ! ! ! /s <------- TAINTED CORE TO: %t ! ! ! /script SendChatMessage("!!! YOU HAVE THE CORE !!!", "WHISPER", "Orcish", UnitName("target")); Loot System The loot system is based on a ZeroSum DKP System: - All items will have a set DKP value associated to them. - When a player wins an item the spent DKP will be re-distributed among other raid members. - Once establish a minimum lifetime DKP must be earn before a new player is allowed to bid on an item. BONUS DKP: - 2 DKP awarded at the start of the raid (7:30pm). - 1 DKP awarded at every hour of the raid (for a total of 3 DKP). - 2 DKP awarded whenever a new raid boss is conquered. PENALTY DKP: - -5 DKP for not showing up to a raid without giving 24h notice. - -3 DKP for showing up more than 30min late to a raid without giving any notice. STANDBY DKP: - Starting February 7th, any player that stays on standby in the event that one of the regulars does not show up will earn 15 DKP. - Standby status must be approved by a raid official (for the time being). - If a standby is not present when called upon the DKP earned will be revoked. NON DKP-BASED LOOT: - Epic recipes are rolled for among the appropriate crafters (with no associated cost and exclusive to non-first comers). - Nether Vortexes are rolled for among players that have submitted an item to be crafted (with no associated cost and exclusive to non-first comers). - Nexus Crystals and Nether Vortexes can be obtained from the raid leader, the amount that can be withdrawn is subject to availability . Current Void Crystal count : 37 Current Nether Vortex count : 25 - Gold to be distributed: 2000g - Plenty of Epic Patterns are Available (Free for Regular Raiders or 200g for an alt). Attendance System Participation in this raid is based on a strict set of rules regarding player attendance. - A player is not required to attend both nights of the raid (only if established from the onset). - Players on the regular roster are ASSUMED TO ALWAYS BE PRESENT AND ON TIME! - Absences require 24h notice (via forum post, in-game mail, etc.) - Late arrivals (8:00pm or later) will not be tolerated. - Any 2 unannounced absences or late arrivals will result in the player's removal from the regular roster. *** Attendance rules will be enforced, the only way to guarantee a successful raid is by having dedicated players. *** Yes folks, it's coming! Stay tuned for more information! Your raid leader, Cal

Hey Uglutz, Thanks for letting us know, I'm sure we'll be able to find you a replacement for tonight. To the remaining Crushers: Anyone wanting to step up? We need a good healer for tonight's ZA run.

As usual, I'm interested and could likely make it on Thursdays (starting the 1st of Nov I think). Sundays are also a possibility, but its definitely not my preference since I usually dedicate the weekend for family and friends. I've been wanting to get into SSC for a while but since I'm already leading 2 other raids it's kind of hard dedicating anymore time to organization. In any case, your main tank and offtanks are going to need some resistance gear. If I'm not mistaken you'll need a crap load of Primal Fires, Primal Waters, Primal Life and something else... (I forget). Let me know if you need a hand with anything I can probably help you out a bit getting this thing off the ground.

Oops, my bad What can I say...all trolls look alike to me!

Hey Najagiwanda, Like Scryll said, this post is very old. There hasn't been any new announcements with regards to the raid in a while. The Gruul and Magtheridon raid are done in the same time slot (hence the peculiar class balance of our group). The rule of thumb is that if we down Gruul before 9pm Server Time and provided we have enough regulars, Magtheridon is attempted. Cal

As far as Commanding Shout goes it's pretty much a case by case basis. I totally agree with you Scryll, there are situations where it's important for the rest of the group to have more health. My comment was mostly geared towards tanks who view the buff like another "mini Fortication", it's not. If you're taking out regular trash and your DPS is dieing than you're likely to have CC problems, not a lack of HP. And not having Omen/KTM is not necessarily being ignorant of your threat rate. Many people can manage their aggro just fine without the addons. I'd go as far as to say that those that don't use these addons and still manage their threat well are obviously superior players. On the other hand, if a person can't manage their threat and refuse to use an addon than there's an issue. And I also agree with Waldonnis, Omen/KTM is a tool and can only be relied on to a certain extent. As for the threat enchant, I'm very curious about it as well. The only other decent enchant for gloves is +8 Stamina in my opinion.

Well here my two cents I guess, Start of fight: Bloodrage is likely the single most important skill you can use when you start tanking. Right after Bloodrage I’ll usually throw in a sunder or two, the reason being that rage will take some time to accumulate before having enough to Shield Slam. The two skills I spam as often as I can are Revenge and Shield Slam. Revenge cannot really be controlled; I use it when I can, it’s more important at the start of a fight. Shield slam on the other hand depends on the rage generation rate for a particular mob; some mobs hit harder, others hit faster. Whenever you use another skill you increasing the time between Shield Slams. So if I had to write a concrete order in which I use my skills I’d probably have something close to: Bloodrage Sunder Revenge Sunder Shield Slam Sunder Revenge Sunder Shield Slam Sunder Revenge Devastate Shield Slam … This isn’t always the same, like I said, it depends A LOT on rage generation! (e.g speed and amount of damage incurred, gear level, stats, etc). Taunt: I’d have to agree with the fact that Taunt isn’t always the best way to start a fight. Taunt will immediately bump your threat level to the top of the meter, so if you’re just starting a fight that level probably isn’t very high. Here are situations I’m most likely to be using taunt: - Taunt a mob BEFORE breaking an ice trap. Hunter traps generate aggro and unless you’re going to break the trap using a high damage shield slam, the mob will likely run straight for the hunter. - Taunt a mob BEFORE breaking a shackle. This depends on how long the mob’s been sitting there. If the battle has been going on for a long time than healers may have accumulate significant amounts of threat, making it hard to gain immediate aggro. - Taunt when you’ve lost aggro to a successive crit string from a DPSer. Some DPS classes crit A LOT. Multiple SUCCESSIVE critical strikes will pull aggro REGARDLESS OF THE PERSON’S CURRENT THREAT. Depending on the damage and the number of crits, you can typically pull the mob back with a few hits/typical skills. To be on the safe side I will usually taunt. Successive critical strikes can be difficult to control for some classes, it’s their responsibility to WAIT a bit after they’ve had a few critical strikes. - Taunt whenever you’ve lost aggro due a SMALLER RATE OF THREAT GENERATION. Threat shouldn’t be interpreted as a static measure; it should be seen as a rate (e.g threat/sec). Doesn’t matter how long you started tanking before DPSers got on, if a DPSer has a higher threat generation rate they’ll eventually pull the mob away from you. Taunt in this case isn’t used to save that person; it’s used to give that individual a second chance to regulate their threat rate before they die. In the end, taunt is mostly an “Oh ######!” button. It’ll never guarantee you aggro for any extended period of time. Damage Mitigation: Damage mitigation skills depend a lot on your gear level and the mob you’re fighting. At the start of Karazhan this was more important to me; now I barely take notice. However, mobs like Gruul, mitigation will always be important. In my opinion Shield Block is likely the single most important mitigation skill. It allows you to not only reduce damage to yourself but practically eliminates the chance of getting a crushing blow. In the cases where mitigation is an important factor I typically spam this skill (this is somewhat dependent on other factors as well, since spamming isn’t always necessary). Thunderclap would probably the next most important followed by the Demoralizing Shout. I NEVER sacrifice mitigation skills for rage generating skills. Even if this means NO mitigation is performed at the start of the fight. Mitigation skills produce very little aggro, so you need to make sure you’re ahead enough from everyone else before you use them. Other skills: Heroic Strike: In some situations I will gain TONS rage for whatever reason; either lots of damage was incurred, I’m hitting the mob for excessive amounts of damage or all my Sunders/Mitigation skills are active. In these cases Heroic Strike is awesome since it'll generate plenty of threat with free rage. It does not however have the added benefits that Sunders have, notably the reduction in armour. This side effect of Sunders makes it more appealing for the rest of the raid. In my opinion the use of a slower or faster weapon coupled with the use of Devastate or Heroic Strike will not significantly impact your threat generation. Basically if you couldn’t do it with a “slow weapon”+“Devastate” you won’t be able to do it with a “fast weapon”+“Heroic Strike”. One of the advantages of Heroic Strike is that it allows you you to vary your rage generation. You should never rely on simply spamming the same 2 skills. Commanding Shout: Some people swear by this skill. I’ll admit it’s fairly useful, but its main purpose is that it’ll give healers a time buffer with which they can heal you. If you’re tanking trash, healers likely don’t need to devote 100% of their attention to you, this makes Commanding Shout not so important. On hard hitting bosses and mobs however it’s a good idea to keep it up. NOTE: I don’t really believe in keeping Commanding Shout on 100% of the time. If the healers in the group find themselves constantly relying on that extra HP to keep you up, then there’s a BIG problem. The fact is no matter how good you are, Commanding Shout will go down at some point. If the healers have become complacent because of the skill they may neglect to adapt their heals to keep you up. Gems: As far as gems go I completely agree with Kailand on the fact that a more balanced approach helps more. A lot of warriors out there tend to think that pure Stamina gems are the only way to go. The fact is that tanking gear has several coloured slots for good reason! Sure Stamina is VERY important, but it’s not the only stat out there for tanks. Stamina increases your HP, and once again gives healers a larger time buffer with which they can heal you. Stamina however, does NOTHING for mitigation. Meaning that if you socket strictly with Stamina gems then you’ll be getting hit more often and for larger amounts, somewhat negating your extra health. Here’s a list of useful crafted gems: Red Sockets: - This is a case of personal preference. I typically have a suitable hit rating and I don’t find strength to be particularly useful (in the quantities given by gems). I tend to choose either the +Dodge or the +Agility/+Stamina (there are drops in Heroics that have +Dodge/+Stam). [subtle Living Ruby] +8 Dodge [shifting Nightseye] +4 Agility +6 Stamina [sovereign Nightseye] +4 Strength +6 Stamina [Glinting Noble Topaz] +4 Agility +4 Hit Rating Blue Sockets: [solid Star of Elune] +12 Stamina Yellow Sockets: [Enduring Talasite] +4 Defense Rating +6 Stamina Now that I’ve written FAR more than I should have, my best piece of advice is this: AGGRO AND THREAT MANAGEMENT IS EVERYONE’S RESPONSIBILITY, NOT ONLY THE TANK’S! I don't have any pity for DPS crazed individuals that will sacrifice the survivability of their peers in order to increase their own standings in the damage meters. Ignorance and improper management of an individual's threat rate is a poor excuse for wiping your group. If have questions let me know! Cal

That mount is a myth and as such will not be added to the list.

Hey guys, I know I've mentioned this for a while, but after last night's discussion I've finally decided to post the remaining loot pieces people are looking for. Once a majority of these pieces have dropped we will likely move on to something else. If Zul'Aman is not out we'll either aim for more Heroics or perhaps start up an SSC raid. Aldrecs DONE Calendar DONE Baracko Prince - Helm of the Fallen Champion Harne Netherspite - Mithril Band of the Unscarred Kadiana Prince - Stainless Cloak of the Pure Hearted Kailand Curator - Garona's Signet Ring Phewd DONE Rahgesh Prince - Helm of the Fallen Champion Zebgora Nightbane - Robe of the Elder Scribes

Pooie! Well I hope everything works out for him, I'll keep my fingers crossed. In the meantime I'll be looking for a healing replacement for Gruul tonight.

Of course I lived! I've got dah skillz! Good job Phewd and great song selection too!