4 44 The 90 Minute Demotion
4 44 The 90 Minute Demotion
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| Joredin and Mature earn 1000 Conquest Points in 2v2 Arenas, Ruins of Lordaeron |
Right Spec, Wrong Patch
Another gaming night came and went with few internet dragons slain, thanks in part to a more formidable foe: ongoing micromanagement. I spent the evening checking up on Tacticians, those 10-Man leads running their own mini-guilds within DoD. After getting updates from Borken and Bovie, I wrapped up with Joredin, head of Recovering Raidaholics. Joredin just happened to be my on-again, off-again 2v2 partner. I honestly couldnt tell you how Priest / Death Knight fared competitively circa 4.1, we did it for fun. It was important to keep my relationship strong with all the Tacticians, so I could trust theyd give me the straight story on their own folks. I needed to know if rough times were headed our way."I dont have two other healers, but luckily Ive been about to pug them each week," Joredin said. "Funny story: we wrapped up Blackwing Descent and were headed to BoT the other night, and I had a DPS switch to heals. We have Halfus down to 50%, healing is super intense. Then I realize our DPS never switched to heals. I was solo healing and dispelling the entire fight. Luckily we didnt wipe, and only had one death."
Pro.
"Jesus," I said, "was this Disc or Holy?"
"Disc. I dont think Ill ever play Holy."
"Not a fan, eh?"
"I really got into the style of Disc in Wrath, this entirely new way of healing through bubbles. It was fun. Holy really had a tough time keeping up with that. Now in Cata, that gap is even wider. I mean, Holy is even more complex to play than it was in Wrath, and you really have to be at the top of your game to pull it off well. Disc is great because I like the style and it frees me up to keep an eye on all the various things going on in our 10."
"Ive got a heated debate going amongst the officers about a particular spec. Like to hear your opinion. It has to do with the change to Chakra."
"Do tell."
"Apparently Chakra was raised to 1 minute in 4.0.6 and most top end priests are no longer specd into 1 / 2 State of Mind...they put the point elsewhere. I realize there arent a lot of options, unless you count Desperate Prayer...if the priest happens to be fond of dying."
"Ive got a heated debate going amongst the officers about a particular spec. Like to hear your opinion. It has to do with the change to Chakra."
"Do tell."
"Apparently Chakra was raised to 1 minute in 4.0.6 and most top end priests are no longer specd into 1 / 2 State of Mind...they put the point elsewhere. I realize there arent a lot of options, unless you count Desperate Prayer...if the priest happens to be fond of dying."
"So the debate is where to put the points?"
The debate is about why her attitude sucks.
"I cant say for sure," I told Joredin, "but would appreciate a second set of eyes."
Joredin pulled up the logs of our latest 25-Man progression kills in Blackwing Descent, and started cross-referencing Lexxiis spec with her individual tactics.
"I cant really tell how she is on mana from these logs," he said, "but Renew is one of her top spells. Renew is thirsty. Throughput really comes from Heal, particularly because it relates to Chakra and SoM. But her style really isnt benefiting from these choices. A tiny bit of Circle of Healing, but not even any Holy Word. AoE heals should be a lot higher on this chart."
"One of the arguments shes made is that she is always always always using Sanctuary."
"Again, I dont know her specific role on these bosses, which is highly dependent on how she heals. But to the point, if she claims shes spending all her time in Chakra: Sanctuary, then why even use SoM? It isnt for extending a stance anymore. Its for changing stances more frequently."
Lexxiis tactics were for a spec that no longer existed.
"Im guessing you want to get rid of me."
"And what makes you think that?"
"Well, it really isnt that much of a secret. I mean, I know that Jungard doesnt like me, Fred is constantly giving me a hard time, and whenever I try to get support, nobody wants to listen to what I have to say, about strategy or assignments, or whatever. I know they are calling me a bitch behind my back. Which I dont care about, thats fine. I mean, whatever, if thats what makes them feel better about it."
"So you dont really feel like youre getting the support you need."
"Not at all, not really, no."
"Can give me a specific example where you werent supported?"
She sighed into the mic.
"Ok. Well, like, there was that one time, about a month ago, where I was trying to get seven healers for heroic Halfus, and Neps just rolls right over me."
Hes 2nd-in-command. Its his job to override bad decisions.
"Blain never really listens to me, either. Whenever I try to push harder, sure enough theres Neps and Klocker and Jungard right there supporting him and shutting me down. I mean it really is insensitive, which is surprising because Ive never really been in a guild before where the guild leader is supportive, but the officers behave like that. Its just been a lot of ego and bullshit and children beating their chest."
Its called a unified front, Lexxii. You might take a page from their book.
"Blain doesnt approve of redoing strategy mid-raid. Thats something he made clear when he took on the role of raid leader. I know you werent around for the early days, but allowing officers to second-guess and debate him as he prepares for a pull is inappropriate. I dont allow it. Neps and Klocker and Jungard are doing their jobs in support of that policy. Blains made it pretty clear that if you want to debate the merits of certain tactics, that those debates need to happen post raid."
"Yeah, but hes never available."
Hes never available? Or you arent.
"Ive seen you spending a lot less time online in the evenings these days. Is it possible that you are the one thats not readily accessible after raids?"
"Ive had a whole bunch of things going on in the evenings that normally werent taking up a lot of my time, back in Wrath."
"OK, thats fine. We all have real life responsibilities. And Im pretty sure you know what kind of a ship I run here. Thats why we have a static raid schedule � so our players can re-arrange the rest of their stuff safely. Theyll know its Friday night and Sunday day, and thats it. No surprises. But if youre going to be a leader, youre expected to stay on top of specs. If it comes naturally, then theres no issue. But if it doesnt, some extra time and effort might be warranted."
"So its about the spec."
Aha. So you do know theres an issue.
"Theyre giving me a hard time because Im not specd into whatever cookie cutter build is at the top of worldoflogs or wherever theyre looking these days."
Get specific, Lexxii. Demonstrate some expertise.
"Can you elaborate?"
"They keep bitching about how I�m specd into State of Mind, and they dont understand how Im using it."
"Enlighten me."
She sighed again, as if being forced to a re-paint a freshly painted house.
"The way Holy works is that the Chakras are all a stance that boost a particular proficiency. Sanctuary is the one I spend all of my time in. State of Mind lets me extend that stance."
Wrong.
"And what problem do they have with it?"
"Theyre saying that Im not able to permanently keep the stance up, since the 4.0.3 patch, so why bother even using it. But they dont understand that I�m not trying to keep it permanently up. Im aware 100% uptime isnt possible. It doesnt matter, the throughput thats generated from being in Sanctuary is better than not being in it. So, yes, I may not be able to keep it up permanently, but the longer, the better."
"You say SoM is more important than something like Surge of Light or Desperate Prayer. Let me give you the benefit of the doubt. If Sanctuary is your go-to Chakra, the one youre most comfortable in, that should mean your healing spells should reflect Sanctuary, right?"
"They should, yeah."
"The last logs I pulled off Atramedes show you leaning heavily on Renew. But Renew doesnt benefit at all from Sanctuary. In fact, would you not agree that its costly, and therefore, not a great example to push your throughput?"
"Atramedes isnt a very good fight to look at. The entire second phase were constantly running around, banging gongs, dodging fire. Even phase one has us dodging rings, I barely have any time to pull off Circle of Healing or Holy Word."
"Hold on, now. Stay with me a moment. So your Renew is way up, and spells that are directly benefited by Sanctuary are way down. Can you see why the officers might be concerned that youre spending time in a Chakra that doesnt reflect the way in which you heal? Does that make sense?"
Lexxii repeated her initial claim, a bit louder this time. As if I hadnt heard her.
"Atramdes isnt a good fight to measure this by!"
"So if you know that Atramedes doesnt play well to your spec, why are you using it?"
Another audible sigh.
"Lex, I dont want to sit here and tell you whats right and whats wrong. Only you know what spec works for you. What I want to stress thats far more important than individual talent choices is how you defend those choices. Youre trying to convince me that Atramedes is a bad fight to use as a gauge of effectiveness. What you should be convincing me of is why you arent switching to something else when we get to Atramedes."
More silence.
"Its OK to not know the answer. Its not OK to defend those reasons for answers you make up. Youre a good healer. Youre competent."
Barely.
"I fast tracked you to Elite in Wrath because you represented the type of raider I hoped others would emulate. But today, we�re talking exclusively about your role as Healing Officer, a role you and I agreed that would be something wed try out. And for that, I need more than competence. I need you to understand the nuance of your class so well that you are in a position to defend something perceived as a bad spec choice. Without even giving it a second thought, you should be able to tell me exactly why you stay in your spec for Atramedes, and give me...or anyone in the guild...the kind of answer that stops us dead in our tracks. The kind that makes us go Ohhhhhhh. My God. I never considered for this or that. Youve given me some significant insight into Holy today. And if you cant, thats perfectly OK...but you cannot be in a position to lead until you do."
I continued, "You said yourself that you have more on your plate now, after hours, then you expected. Let me lighten the load on your behalf. Well be professional and discreet about the change -- this isnt going to be an attack or smear on your skills. The guild is very appreciative of you stepping up and handling things at the start of Cata. Well swap Fred in and give him a shot, and let you take a backseat."
"So am I going to end up losing a bunch of raid spots now?"
"Absolutely not. I still consider you top tier, and I expect to see you at every Fri/Sun raid here on out. From now on, you can focus on doing what you do best..."
Bullshitting.
"�healing. And this will give you an opportunity to get a bit more flexible with your spec if you need to try things out, without being under the scrutiny of the officership. Make sense?"
I waited for the "Yeah. Youre right, Hanzo. I never saw it that way before. Thanks! I appreciate the support."
No such luck.
"...I guess so. Whatever works. I mean, it doesnt matter if I switch up my spec, or stick with a particular spec, I feel like theyre going to find a way to tell me why Im wrong, or why I have to start using a particular spell on a particular encounter, and I really thought I would get more support on my reasons and�
I shut up and let her talk. And talk. And talk. And talk.
"Again, I dont know her specific role on these bosses, which is highly dependent on how she heals. But to the point, if she claims shes spending all her time in Chakra: Sanctuary, then why even use SoM? It isnt for extending a stance anymore. Its for changing stances more frequently."
Lexxiis tactics were for a spec that no longer existed.
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| Neps overrides Lexxiis request for more healers, Undercity |
Excuse Navigation
"You know what this is about, right?""Im guessing you want to get rid of me."
"And what makes you think that?"
"Well, it really isnt that much of a secret. I mean, I know that Jungard doesnt like me, Fred is constantly giving me a hard time, and whenever I try to get support, nobody wants to listen to what I have to say, about strategy or assignments, or whatever. I know they are calling me a bitch behind my back. Which I dont care about, thats fine. I mean, whatever, if thats what makes them feel better about it."
"So you dont really feel like youre getting the support you need."
"Not at all, not really, no."
"Can give me a specific example where you werent supported?"
She sighed into the mic.
"Ok. Well, like, there was that one time, about a month ago, where I was trying to get seven healers for heroic Halfus, and Neps just rolls right over me."
Hes 2nd-in-command. Its his job to override bad decisions.
"Blain never really listens to me, either. Whenever I try to push harder, sure enough theres Neps and Klocker and Jungard right there supporting him and shutting me down. I mean it really is insensitive, which is surprising because Ive never really been in a guild before where the guild leader is supportive, but the officers behave like that. Its just been a lot of ego and bullshit and children beating their chest."
Its called a unified front, Lexxii. You might take a page from their book.
"Blain doesnt approve of redoing strategy mid-raid. Thats something he made clear when he took on the role of raid leader. I know you werent around for the early days, but allowing officers to second-guess and debate him as he prepares for a pull is inappropriate. I dont allow it. Neps and Klocker and Jungard are doing their jobs in support of that policy. Blains made it pretty clear that if you want to debate the merits of certain tactics, that those debates need to happen post raid."
"Yeah, but hes never available."
Hes never available? Or you arent.
"Ive seen you spending a lot less time online in the evenings these days. Is it possible that you are the one thats not readily accessible after raids?"
"Ive had a whole bunch of things going on in the evenings that normally werent taking up a lot of my time, back in Wrath."
"OK, thats fine. We all have real life responsibilities. And Im pretty sure you know what kind of a ship I run here. Thats why we have a static raid schedule � so our players can re-arrange the rest of their stuff safely. Theyll know its Friday night and Sunday day, and thats it. No surprises. But if youre going to be a leader, youre expected to stay on top of specs. If it comes naturally, then theres no issue. But if it doesnt, some extra time and effort might be warranted."
"So its about the spec."
Aha. So you do know theres an issue.
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| Lexxii is the sole death as the 25-Man progression team defeats Heroic: Halfus Wyrmbreaker, Bastion of Twilight |
On Credibility
"So whats the deal with the spec, then?""Theyre giving me a hard time because Im not specd into whatever cookie cutter build is at the top of worldoflogs or wherever theyre looking these days."
Get specific, Lexxii. Demonstrate some expertise.
"Can you elaborate?"
"They keep bitching about how I�m specd into State of Mind, and they dont understand how Im using it."
"Enlighten me."
She sighed again, as if being forced to a re-paint a freshly painted house.
"The way Holy works is that the Chakras are all a stance that boost a particular proficiency. Sanctuary is the one I spend all of my time in. State of Mind lets me extend that stance."
Wrong.
"And what problem do they have with it?"
"Theyre saying that Im not able to permanently keep the stance up, since the 4.0.3 patch, so why bother even using it. But they dont understand that I�m not trying to keep it permanently up. Im aware 100% uptime isnt possible. It doesnt matter, the throughput thats generated from being in Sanctuary is better than not being in it. So, yes, I may not be able to keep it up permanently, but the longer, the better."
"You say SoM is more important than something like Surge of Light or Desperate Prayer. Let me give you the benefit of the doubt. If Sanctuary is your go-to Chakra, the one youre most comfortable in, that should mean your healing spells should reflect Sanctuary, right?"
"They should, yeah."
"The last logs I pulled off Atramedes show you leaning heavily on Renew. But Renew doesnt benefit at all from Sanctuary. In fact, would you not agree that its costly, and therefore, not a great example to push your throughput?"
"Atramedes isnt a very good fight to look at. The entire second phase were constantly running around, banging gongs, dodging fire. Even phase one has us dodging rings, I barely have any time to pull off Circle of Healing or Holy Word."
"Hold on, now. Stay with me a moment. So your Renew is way up, and spells that are directly benefited by Sanctuary are way down. Can you see why the officers might be concerned that youre spending time in a Chakra that doesnt reflect the way in which you heal? Does that make sense?"
Lexxii repeated her initial claim, a bit louder this time. As if I hadnt heard her.
"Atramdes isnt a good fight to measure this by!"
"So if you know that Atramedes doesnt play well to your spec, why are you using it?"
Another audible sigh.
"Lex, I dont want to sit here and tell you whats right and whats wrong. Only you know what spec works for you. What I want to stress thats far more important than individual talent choices is how you defend those choices. Youre trying to convince me that Atramedes is a bad fight to use as a gauge of effectiveness. What you should be convincing me of is why you arent switching to something else when we get to Atramedes."
More silence.
"Its OK to not know the answer. Its not OK to defend those reasons for answers you make up. Youre a good healer. Youre competent."
Barely.
"I fast tracked you to Elite in Wrath because you represented the type of raider I hoped others would emulate. But today, we�re talking exclusively about your role as Healing Officer, a role you and I agreed that would be something wed try out. And for that, I need more than competence. I need you to understand the nuance of your class so well that you are in a position to defend something perceived as a bad spec choice. Without even giving it a second thought, you should be able to tell me exactly why you stay in your spec for Atramedes, and give me...or anyone in the guild...the kind of answer that stops us dead in our tracks. The kind that makes us go Ohhhhhhh. My God. I never considered for this or that. Youve given me some significant insight into Holy today. And if you cant, thats perfectly OK...but you cannot be in a position to lead until you do."
I continued, "You said yourself that you have more on your plate now, after hours, then you expected. Let me lighten the load on your behalf. Well be professional and discreet about the change -- this isnt going to be an attack or smear on your skills. The guild is very appreciative of you stepping up and handling things at the start of Cata. Well swap Fred in and give him a shot, and let you take a backseat."
"So am I going to end up losing a bunch of raid spots now?"
"Absolutely not. I still consider you top tier, and I expect to see you at every Fri/Sun raid here on out. From now on, you can focus on doing what you do best..."
Bullshitting.
"�healing. And this will give you an opportunity to get a bit more flexible with your spec if you need to try things out, without being under the scrutiny of the officership. Make sense?"
I waited for the "Yeah. Youre right, Hanzo. I never saw it that way before. Thanks! I appreciate the support."
No such luck.
"...I guess so. Whatever works. I mean, it doesnt matter if I switch up my spec, or stick with a particular spec, I feel like theyre going to find a way to tell me why Im wrong, or why I have to start using a particular spell on a particular encounter, and I really thought I would get more support on my reasons and�
I shut up and let her talk. And talk. And talk. And talk.
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