Well, the theme of wednesday is something near (but not dear) to my heart: Fail-tanking. You know, looks like a tank, acts like a tank, but utterly fails in execution, normally leading to wipe? I have a couple instances of this from the weekend, both as the fail-tank, and as the healer unfortunately stuck with one.
First, I will admit my own tanking failure. With the changes in patch 3.2, I got a significant boost to my tanking abilities. Seal of corruption became even better for threat generation, and I'll soon re-spec to include vindication in my ret talents (any ounce of mitigation can help). Anyways, I can run through H UK and H UP in my sleep. I've run H UP repeatedly trying to get the sword and belt, some of the only drops which are really upgrades for me.
Well, that leads into my fail-tanking. You see, there is another item that is a clear upgrade for me: the shoulders from H Gundrak. I mentioned this, suggested we run it, we grouped up, got into the instance and I realized a problem: I've never run Gundrak. I had run another instance in Zul'Drak, never seen this one. So we plowed through the first boss, no biggie, got to the 2nd boss, the tough one. We wiped when it switched to goo form, I had no idea it was going to happen, was slow pulling it back, it tore through the group. The next time we tried, I made a total n00b mistake and didn't have my threat increaser up, so obviously I couldn't hold aggro at all, group wiped again and we called the run. Yeah I admit, not knowing the run = fail; Not using a basic ability = fail.
The 2nd instance of fail was with me trying to heal an instance on my druid. Basically, I just wanted to get some experience healing and using healbot in general. My druid is level 70, has a mix of lower Northrend, Kara gear, and misc stuff I've picked up along the way. I have decent SP (450ish), but I've mostly stacked spirit, so my regen is pretty good. I got my healbot set up basically to make Rejuvenation, the green one (whose name I never remember), swiftmend, wild growth, healing touch, and lifebloom easy and quick to cast. The statement I'm trying to make here is that I think I have the tools to be effective at the level I'm at.
So I went into LFG for two instances: Nexus and Utgarde Keep. I've run both repeatedly (I got most of the nexus quest drops on my alliance pally, I'm scared to run them on horde because of PvP). I got whispered for a group running nexus, I asked them to clarify that I'd be healing (I usually join as healing, DPS or tank, this one I joined just DPS or heals), which they said yes to. I flew to dalaran and switched out my gear and waited for the summons.
Our group was a 70 warrior tanking, me healing, I remember a 73 ret paladin, a 70 shammy, and I couldn't say who the 5th was. I am pretty sure he was 70 though. Well long story short, I died three times. There was only 1 group wipe. The tank was going too fast, losing aggro, and mobs were peeling off on me. I was having to bomb heals on pretty much everyone to keep them up, mobs would peel off and I couldn't even get off a heal. It's a bad thing when I'm having to use my instant healing touch macro on myself. I remember dying VERY soon on the mage boss.
It's frustrating basically just wanting to heal people worrying about being beaten on and basically having no defensive tools at all. I have barkskin, WOOOO! Resto druids kind of are what they are: healing machines. Even as a Holy paladin (which I played briefly believe it or not) I had bubble, stun, and plate armor so if the tank lost aggro I was ok for a lil bit.
Thats about all my progress. Didn't do much on alts, just tried to get druid a lil ways into Northrend. My guild is hurting for heals if we want to run more than 1 team through heroics, and I've decided I kinda like it. Also, I think it'd be fun having multiple level capped toons for a change.
Stay a while and listen.
11 years ago
4 comments:
Quite a few addons will check your buffs. I'm only a 77 pally (alt) so haven't made the switch to tanking, but I have healbot set to ensure I'm always buffed with a seal, an aura and a blessing. When out of combat, clicking the heal button applies the buffs one by one.
Although judging by the attitude of your post, failing to apply Righteous Fury before pulling probably won't happen again for a long time!
I've been accompanying tanks much lower levelled or with much worse gear than myself (like last night's failed Naxx 10 run which I got saved into), and I know beforehand that it's going to cost me up to 50 gold per instance in repairs until they learn how to generate aggro and keep the bad things off me.
I really don't mind, as long as they LEARN. 20 minutes doing 3 daily quests replaces the money I lost. The important thing is that you KNOW where you messed up and are doing something about it.
Keep your chin up, get back on the horse and practice, practice, practice.
p.s. No-one's infallible. On Wednesday I did Ulduar 10 up to Hodir before a fellow guildie pointed out I had my Time Lost Figurine equipped... /facepalm
The thing that bugs me (on your behalf) about your Gundrak run is that, since you were new to the instance, *someone should have said*. A prepared tank is a successful tank, and ultimately you're never going to know how a fight works until you've done it a few times. And you shouldn't have to take responsibility for laziness on the part of your group. I don't think that was fail-tanking, I think you were failed.
And, oh God, I hate it when you can't trust your tank. So many tanks don't realise how hard it is when you're trying to keep someone alive and you're in constant fear that they're just going to randomly let you die. Also you heal so much better when you're not trying to keep your own fragile arse alive.
I hear you on the vulnerability of druid healing. At least priests get PW:S and fade. Whenever I've tried tree healing I'm terrified because you have *nothing* except tasty looking leaves.
Could just be me, but I think 450 sp is a bit on the low side. I think I had around 700 or so when I hit northrend on my Druid with a bunch of BC items.
The mage boss is a dream for resto druids and rough. A dream because you can hot everyone up for when she flails you around. A nightmare for those hots ticking when she splits and grabbing aggro.
@ Fish
Hang in there buddy you will learn the runs and be fine. You know I got your back!
@ Tamarind
While you have some valid points on paitence in a run, I completely disagree with you. Now I was not healing this run but ret'n it up for him. We did provide solid tips for him on how to handle the bosses; however, he had never ran this and did not say this at the beginning of the run.
Had he told us, we may have switched the group up for him to run ret and see the instance and how it is handled so he can learn. We take great pride in our tanks in MAS and go above and beyond to help them get geared and learn the runs.
I have ran UP more times than I care to think to teach tanks and help gear them. Fish can attest to this. So before you go trying to post a feel good comment, please think first.
Sorry usually not cranky but when you make a generalized statement about a situation you are not fully aware of, you will look like an ass. No offense.
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