This Could Be A Sign
A sign of an alt problem.
Does this mean I have a problem yet?
While I’m trying to get some alts more acceptably/powerfully geared, I am trying to avoid the same kind of single-minded, dailies-based effort I devoted to Thermalix. I do have Commendations for most Pandaland reps, so if I DO decide to grind one on an alt, that’ll be a bit easier than before.
Logic, We Haz It
Because RNG has burned it into our souls.
#1, Thermalix
Current Gear Score: 497
Current Spec: Beast Mastery
Thoughts: Loot specialization for a class that is all DPS all the time makes me laugh. JUST GIVE ME A BOW FOR GAWD’S SAKE I DON’T CARE ABOUT SPECIALIZATION UNLESS I CAN SPECIALIZE “WEAPON” OVER “ARMOR.” If you need me, I’ll be in my corner crying.
Therm’s the one who gets asked to do stuff, solely by virtue of her gearscore. It doesn’t mean she really helps in any way, though. One thing that IS nice about having a gearscore near 500 is that her armor is pretty stable – I’m not replacing pieces all the time, so enchanting/gemming/reforging costs are lower. One bad thing is that I often forget to do it.
#2, Niremere
Current Gear Score: 468 equipped
Current Spec: Protection
Thoughts: I’m most interested in improving Nir’s gear right now. I simply don’t spend as much time Alliance-side, so I’m not as connected with her guild members as I would be otherwise. Unfortunately, social bonds are what makes old school raid runs happen – you can’t just log on one day and announce “HEY GUYS, LET’S GO TO THE SUNWELL,” because nobody will move an inch. So if I want transmog gear from this place or that, I’m really on my own – and I want Nir to be as independent as possible.
I also want to suck less as a tank.
Niremere is able to run the first part of Mogu’shan Vaults, but I haven’t done so for a number of reasons (including LFR stage fright). She’s mostly enchanted/gemmed, but I refuse to spend 3k on a weapon enchant for a heroic sword that I’m going to drop at the first possible chance. Wait, given how long Therm’s had her heroic bow, that may be dumb. On third thought, I actually don’t have anywhere near 3k gold on Nir, so … NEVER MIND.
It feels like she’s in a hugely awkward phase gear-wise right now. I have to reforge pretty much EVERYTHING to Hit and Expertise. Before I did that, her hit was around 2%. TWO. PERCENT. Sometimes I lose stats that I don’t care about, but a lot of the time I’m giving up tanky-type things like Parry and whatnot just so I can HIT THE DAMN MOBS and hopefully keep a bit more aggro.
Healing me seems to be way difficult. Subpar healers can’t keep me up. If the healer is good, I still manage to suck their mana dry unless they’re geared in crap from Throne of Thunder. Part of it is relearning the heroics from a tank perspective instead of ranged (FOR GOD’S SAKE MOVE, YOU’RE GOING TO GET STUNNED), but I worry that some of it is my bad gear and the insane reforging for hit/expertise. But if I don’t hit crap, then I have an even WORSE aggro problem.
Starting somewhere around late Cata and continuing into Pandaland, I’ve been having a lot more trouble holding aggro – I no longer have the huge aggro margins I used to easily sustain. On bosses, I’m thrilled if I can keep it around above 100%, but I often can’t. I have to yank aggro back from the top DPS frequently. I’ve even been putting Hand of Salvation on whoever gets aggro from me, but it doesn’t help much. It’s time not spent on using skills that build more aggro, so he or she just pulls it right on back. Sometimes it’s trash, sometimes it’s bosses, but quite often the mob is yoyo-ing back and forth. It’s REALLY bad when I have DPS in Throne of Thunder raid gear, bad enough that I sometimes give up on trying to get the aggro back. They outDPS me by twenty miles. I’m using all the skills I got and I just can’t keep up.
This is probably the biggest reason I haven’t taken Nir into LFR. I KNOW what the response will be if I can’t keep the boss’ attention, I just don’t know how they’ll phrase it – and I don’t want to find out.
#3, Alexalis
Current Gear Score: 463
Current Spec: Windwalker
Thoughts: Not much for some reason. Probably because I’m more obsessed with Not Being a Failtank on Nir. Has most of the farm unlocked, though, if only she’d use it.
#4, Mechalis
Current Gear Score: 468
Current Spec: Unholy
Thoughts: Look at this picture.
Gawd is in the Irony
Starshatter is a really nice looking sword though, you gotta admit.
Mech has run Vaults three times. That’s right. Three, and lo, there was A WEAPON. WTF RNG? WTF!
Anyway, fights are much harder for me as melee because … well, because I’m not ranged. Crap keeps moving out of range, or I have to move out of something that I’d normally never be anywhere near. I’m used to moving some, like for Flanking Orders, but melee has to move ALL THE TIME. Move into this one attack. Move outta that one attack. Tank drags the boss over there for some unclear reason? Gotta move over there. Add? Gotta run all the way over there, then gotta run all the way back to the boss.
Alexalis has the running easier, what with the way monks roll. For some reason, though, I prefer the DK’s self healing (it feels more effective). I like self healing A LOT. This is because when you’re not one of the top DPSers, healers don’t really give a crap about you. You gotta keep your own self up when the going gets tough and the mana gets low.
Her heroic tanking set is almost complete. I wonder if I’ll have the same kind of aggro problems …
#5, Ailabeth
Current Gear Score: 441
Current Spec: Shadow
Thoughts: EL OH EL JUST GOT HERE GUYS HAVEN’T REALLY RUN ANY HEROICS YET LOLZ.
All A Matter of Perspective
Cal’s got my type down pretty well.
