3 23 First Night in Ulduar
3 23 First Night in Ulduar
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| Divineseal recommends talents to Laire during The Burning Crusade, Desolace |
Moving Out of the Fire
Lightning cracked across the dark violet sky of Netherstorm. I swung around one of the gigantic manaforges buried in the rock below, scanning for a particular mob. This area of Outland had suffered gravely when Draenor was destroyed. A gigantic ocean of nether filled the void where water once existed. Remnants of piers, boats shattered along the former coastlines were a testament to how much damage the destruction of the Dark Portal impacted the Orc homeworld. I paid little attention to the waste below me, as I continued to circle an area in the southwestern portion of the map, looking for a rare spawn that would let me strike another name off the list of the Bloody Rare achievement."Id like back in, if I could," the Paladin whispered to me.
"I havent seen you since The Burning Crusade" I replied, "Things are different now. You know this, right?"
"Yeah it looks like youve changed a lot around."
"I have." I continued my reconnaissance of Netherstorm and waited for the Paladin to make the next move.
"Well, what are you short at the moment?"
"We dont do that anymore, Divine. I dont ask people to switch to a particular spec to fill a missing role. I dont want players playing a role half-assed. I want them to give a shit about what they do. Youve been away awhile, are you even up to speed on the changes to the Paladin?"
"Oh, definitely, Ive been back PvPing with my brother, weve got an arena team going. The changes are pretty cool so far."
PvP. I rolled my eyes and headed north towards Manaforge Ara.
"Have you read the red flags post? Youre quoted in there, you know."
"I can see your side of that, but the cost of an epic mount just seemed too extreme at the time, plus I wasnt raiding as much as I was PvPing and a lot of my costs were funneled into that."
"All I hear are a lot of excuses."
Silence.
"Divine, you realize it took very little effort to save up the gold for an epic mount, right? Trivial in the grand scheme of things. Is it going to be that way about everything money related? What about when repair time hits your bank account? Flasks, food, gems, enchants, all of that. Are you going to bust my balls about the price of those things as well?"
"Not at all, I�m completely able to fund my raiding this time around."
I pondered, staring at the manaforge a moment. A gigantic funnel of energy twisted down into the opening at the top of the structure. The Blood Elves were wringing Netherstorm dry, pouring the siphoned energy into Sunstriders ship, The Eye. Kaelthas had met his end at our hands nearly a year prior, after five solid weekends of work. Divineseal hadnt been there. He rarely contributed to any progression consistently during TBC; the majority of his raid time in DoD was spent in our weekly Karazhan races. By the time Wyse was Mage tanking Illidari Council, Divineseal had already quit the game from a lack of interest, mere weeks from our execution of Illidan. While players were clawing their way up the roster to get a shot at being present for Illidans defeat, the fact that Divine had already cashed his check told me he couldnt care less about raiding. So, why the sudden interest? An impulse based on our recent successes? Was there some piece of gear in Ulduar that would somehow benefit his Arena Team? Or was it simply the fact that Ulduar looked to be one of the most amazing raids ever created by Blizzard?
I took a deep breath, but made sure to keep Vent open so he heard me sigh.
"Your best chance is to go Holy. If you do it, well see about finding you a rotation in Prog. Get your profile set up on phpRaider, get signed up for Friday and Sunday. Nothings a guarantee, keep checking in with us and when a spot opens, Ill expect you to be there, ready with bells on.�
"Alright, thanks Hanzo, I wont disappoint!"
Divineseal was a risk. It continued to flash in my mind over and over -- a Deadly Boss Mod alert screaming at me to move out of the fire. Hed red flagged himself a number of times in the past. But, I didnt need him to become an Elite...nor would that have been an option. Raiders were just as important to the roster, as they allowed flexibility to exist, flexibility which was a selling point to players unwilling to commit to a hardcore schedule. The more options I could provide, the less Id have to worry about losing players to the grass-is-greener syndrome. Just so long as Raiders did what was expected of them, thered be no problems.
I hovered briefly, glanced one final time at the barren rock below, and flew back to Shattrath. Ever-Core the Punisher would have to wait another day.
Silence.
"Divine, you realize it took very little effort to save up the gold for an epic mount, right? Trivial in the grand scheme of things. Is it going to be that way about everything money related? What about when repair time hits your bank account? Flasks, food, gems, enchants, all of that. Are you going to bust my balls about the price of those things as well?"
"Not at all, I�m completely able to fund my raiding this time around."
I pondered, staring at the manaforge a moment. A gigantic funnel of energy twisted down into the opening at the top of the structure. The Blood Elves were wringing Netherstorm dry, pouring the siphoned energy into Sunstriders ship, The Eye. Kaelthas had met his end at our hands nearly a year prior, after five solid weekends of work. Divineseal hadnt been there. He rarely contributed to any progression consistently during TBC; the majority of his raid time in DoD was spent in our weekly Karazhan races. By the time Wyse was Mage tanking Illidari Council, Divineseal had already quit the game from a lack of interest, mere weeks from our execution of Illidan. While players were clawing their way up the roster to get a shot at being present for Illidans defeat, the fact that Divine had already cashed his check told me he couldnt care less about raiding. So, why the sudden interest? An impulse based on our recent successes? Was there some piece of gear in Ulduar that would somehow benefit his Arena Team? Or was it simply the fact that Ulduar looked to be one of the most amazing raids ever created by Blizzard?
I took a deep breath, but made sure to keep Vent open so he heard me sigh.
"Your best chance is to go Holy. If you do it, well see about finding you a rotation in Prog. Get your profile set up on phpRaider, get signed up for Friday and Sunday. Nothings a guarantee, keep checking in with us and when a spot opens, Ill expect you to be there, ready with bells on.�
"Alright, thanks Hanzo, I wont disappoint!"
Divineseal was a risk. It continued to flash in my mind over and over -- a Deadly Boss Mod alert screaming at me to move out of the fire. Hed red flagged himself a number of times in the past. But, I didnt need him to become an Elite...nor would that have been an option. Raiders were just as important to the roster, as they allowed flexibility to exist, flexibility which was a selling point to players unwilling to commit to a hardcore schedule. The more options I could provide, the less Id have to worry about losing players to the grass-is-greener syndrome. Just so long as Raiders did what was expected of them, thered be no problems.
I hovered briefly, glanced one final time at the barren rock below, and flew back to Shattrath. Ever-Core the Punisher would have to wait another day.
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| DoD defeats Flame Leviathan without slowing it, earning "Heroic: Shutout", Ulduar |
Flame Leviathan
The 25-Man progression team first set foot in Ulduar on Friday, April 17th, the same day that the verdict to The Pirate Bay trial came in. None of us had software piracy or BitTorrent on the brain that evening -- it was all business. When I zoned in, headed down those few steps and got my first look across the battlefield, I was awestruck at the scope. Raids like AhnQiraj cover a lot of territory, but tunnels that twist downward into the earth dont convey the same magnitude as wide open war zones. The playing field was so immense that we only saw a portion of the outdoor area from our vantage point. Three more bosses would fall after Flame Leviathan before any of us would step indoors.
"Epic" had been redefined.
The raiders got situated, moving towards the Siege Engines, Demolishers, and Choppers, mentally reviewing all that had been intricately laid out in our raid forum thread on Ulduar. To keep things moving quickly and efficiently, Cheeseus designated vehicle assignments and posted them on the forums the night before the raid. So, only moments passed before we were buffed, in our assigned vehicles, and cutting a path through the iron dwarves on our way to Flame Leviathan. Vent lit up with excitement and laughter, as our individual duties had us blowing up Iron Giants, taking down flying contraptions, painting the ground with tar. It was a load of fun. For our first night in Ulduar, Cheeseus had us take out all four towers, just to get comfortable with a regular kill. Hard modes would come later.
Flame Leviathan burst through the gates, and began locking on to players. As a Siege Engine driver, my job was simple: keep a reasonably good distance from the boss, but be close enough to interrupt Flame Vents with an Electroshock, while my turret partner shielded us if Flame Leviathan got too close for comfort. It was an easy ride. I maneuvered the bulky tank around, sticking to my assignment, listening to Cheeseus coordinate attacks while the team barraged Flame Leviathan with mortar and barrels of pyrite. In one attempt, the titan tank fell apart in a pile of junk in the middle of his battlefield, and the �Heroic:Shutout� achievement spammed up on everyones screen.
"Achievements already?" I asked Cheeseus.
"Yeah, its simple. We just didnt slow him. Thought wed get that done on normal, since it is a pain during hard modes."
"Lets keep doing that."
"Oh, I fully plan on it."
"Epic" had been redefined.
The raiders got situated, moving towards the Siege Engines, Demolishers, and Choppers, mentally reviewing all that had been intricately laid out in our raid forum thread on Ulduar. To keep things moving quickly and efficiently, Cheeseus designated vehicle assignments and posted them on the forums the night before the raid. So, only moments passed before we were buffed, in our assigned vehicles, and cutting a path through the iron dwarves on our way to Flame Leviathan. Vent lit up with excitement and laughter, as our individual duties had us blowing up Iron Giants, taking down flying contraptions, painting the ground with tar. It was a load of fun. For our first night in Ulduar, Cheeseus had us take out all four towers, just to get comfortable with a regular kill. Hard modes would come later.
Flame Leviathan burst through the gates, and began locking on to players. As a Siege Engine driver, my job was simple: keep a reasonably good distance from the boss, but be close enough to interrupt Flame Vents with an Electroshock, while my turret partner shielded us if Flame Leviathan got too close for comfort. It was an easy ride. I maneuvered the bulky tank around, sticking to my assignment, listening to Cheeseus coordinate attacks while the team barraged Flame Leviathan with mortar and barrels of pyrite. In one attempt, the titan tank fell apart in a pile of junk in the middle of his battlefield, and the �Heroic:Shutout� achievement spammed up on everyones screen.
"Achievements already?" I asked Cheeseus.
"Yeah, its simple. We just didnt slow him. Thought wed get that done on normal, since it is a pain during hard modes."
"Lets keep doing that."
"Oh, I fully plan on it."
The team made their bids on loot, Neps received his first Fragment of Valanyr, and we were on our mounts, heading toward the next boss.
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| DoD defeats Razorscale without allowing her to return to the sky more than once, earning "Heroic: A Quick Shave", Ulduar |
The Bird and the Bot
Proto-Dragons were a new creature to Azeroth by way of Northrend. They resembled traditional smaller dragons or "Drakes" in that they still bore the large, leathery wings of their namesake. The most noticeable difference in a Proto-Drake was its head: no longer did it bear resemblance to that of a lizard, slitted eyes more often seen in snakes. A Proto-Dragons head was larger, more bulbous, with its jagged teeth clearly visible even when its jaw was clamped shut. Their eyes were nowhere to be seen, sunken so far below the protruding head that, at initial glance, one could easily mistake it for being blind. Proto-Dragons were a de-evolution of a Drake, early experiments at the flying creature that produced a barbaric, neanderthal-like version of a small dragon. Our first exposure to the Proto-Dragons were the ones littering the ice-capped mountains in The Storm Peaks, and a few lucky guild members who had completed Glory of the Raider (10-Man) boasted a Proto-Dragon mount. The design of a Proto-Dragon was unique and incredibly cool -- it was hard to fathom how it could be made any cooler.
Once I got a good look at Razorscale, Blizzard proved me wrong.
Originally, Razorscale was known as Veranus. She had been set free by her master, Thorim, to become the brood-mother for the Proto-Dragons that swarmed the aforementioned Storm Peaks. Alas, events transpired in The Storm Peaks which led to her capture, and subsequent forced armoring by Ignis (another boss wed be seeing soon). As we arrived in her area, I glanced up and saw the enormous purple Proto-Dragon circling above us. Unlike Proto-Dragons wed seen thus far, Razorscale was armored, plates of metal pounded into her wings and back by the Furnace Master. It was entirely new level of cool. Quite possibly, one of the best looking creatures ever to come out of the minds of the Blizzard art department.
"We wrap up Glory", Cheeseus whispered to me, "and we get her as a mount."
Gravy.
It was time to put the bird out of her misery. I resumed my role of tank, alongside Dalans and Omaric, and we collected up piles of Iron Dwarves, while Eacavissi spearheaded the team responsible for grappling Razorscale out of the sky. Once on the ground, the team opened up on her, the Proto-Dragon breathing fire on us in defiance. We repeated these dual phases several times, collecting Dwarves while she bombarded us from the sky, then grappling her back to the surface and letting the damage fly. Soon, she became unlatched from the grappling hooks which kept her grounded, and the tanks and I traded off kiting her around the play field. Her health dropped quickly, and a kill was imminent.
"Stop, stop, stop", Cheeseus called out. "Lets reset it".
"What?" I was a bit shocked by this. What were we failing on? "...are you sure?"
"Were behind by a few seconds. We can knock out A Quick Shave easily."
"...yeah, but..."
"You said you wanted achievements done, right?", he moved from vent to direct whispers.
"Yes I did."
"So lets do them!"
We did as instructed, called for a wipe, and started the bird again. There was still a bit more cleanup to be performed, but Cheeseus felt confident this was doable, even with present gear. After a second manual wipe, the third try was the charm. Our DPS was where it needed to be, positioned were refined, and our strategy was enough to push out the necessary kill within the time limit. Razorscale fell over dead. And on our screen, achievement spam: "Heroic: A Quick Shave".
Cheeseus put Ignis on the back burner, instead leading the team towards a towering robot with the voice of a child. We found ourselves joining his "playthings", while his giant toy box of bombs began to close in on us. Ranged grouped up tight in the front, and Cheeseus directed them to move to the side of the group if they were debuffed with a Gravity Bomb. One by one, the casters took their Gravity Bombs out of the group, while the remainder of DPS burned the childlike construct. Dalans tanked XT-002 while Omaric and I ran around its playroom, collecting up bots of various shapes and sizes to be AOEd down by casters. It took some getting used to, but after a couple of attempts, we found our groove, and the casters were actively aware of how quickly they needed to move out of the group for their Gravity Bomb.
In typical DoD tradition, it was our famous last pull of the evening, mere seconds before the 4 hour limit was reached, that XT-002 powered down, frozen into position as defeated robots often do. And up on the screen flashed: "Heroic: Nerf Gravity Bombs", having successfully prevented anyone in our raid from dying to one.
Not bad for the first night in Ulduar.
Not bad for the first night in Ulduar.
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| DoD keeps everyone alive through Gravity Bombs, earning "Heroic: Nerf Gravity Bombs" during XT-002, Ulduar |
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