Thank you for your votes - I appreciate your opinions, but I overruled the vote regardless. SF has diversified…
For current and future 70’s who join/stay with the Special Forces, know that Zul’Aman, the up coming raid instance for epic gear, is coming and it is a perfect instance for Druids, Shammy's, & Pally's. We can basically forego Kara and get epics that are even better.
Here are some facts: (Compliments of Fiordhraoi - Balance of Power Blog) Zul'Aman. For those that don't know, this is a 10-man dungeon in the Blood Elf starting area.
Here's the official Blizzard word on it:
Zul'Aman will be a 10-person raid zone.
Zul'Aman will be on a quicker reset than 7 days (some might call this "casual").
Zul'Aman will be MORE difficult than Karazhan and drop better loot (some might call this hardcore).
Zul'Aman will feature 6 bosses and it's our goal that you can kill them all in one night -- perhaps 2-3 hour clear times (some might call this casual).
Zul'Aman will not have a key requirement. Nor will it have an attunement quest (some might call this casual).
Zul'Aman will have a VERY challenging timed quest for those who choose to participate in it. This *will be* hardcore and will be very rewarding.
Players do not have to engage in the timed run (very similar to the Baron run in Stratholme).
We're tuning the first boss in Zul'Aman to require less raid coordination than some other raid bosses. He will still hit very hard so you'll need to be geared properly but it won't take 30 minutes to explain the fight. It will be a simple yet challenging fight. The other boss fights get more complex and challenging from there. If players want a basis of comparison, imagine the tuning of ZA started around Nightbane/Prince difficulty and ramped up from there.
Yes, you can totally skip Karazhan if you're a unique guild who doesn't have time to key up for it.
Other Zul’Aman Considerations:
1) Gear! A full moonkin set has been confirmed, and there are rumors of Elemental Shaman & Prot. Paladin gear.
2) All loot in Zul'Aman is said to be on par with Tier 5. Very nice.3) Zul'Aman = Outdoors. That means Roots.
Saturday, September 29, 2007
Guild Diversification to Casual (Hardcore) Raiding
The vote ended with keeping SF an all druid guild. However, I decided to still open it to all other classes within the WOW world. Why? Because it will be better for the guild in the long term, but more specifically, because we need more active members playing on a consistent basis. There are over 120 druids in the Special Forces, but only a handful play regularly, and this in itself is degrading the level of effectiveness toward end game accomplishment. What good is a guild if only a small fraction plays? In my opinion, not very good.
So, I realize that this decision will drive some of our members away, but it will also bring in fresh members with complimentary skills, and help the Special Forces to become a destination for players seeking casual fun with some hardcore on the side.
I thank you for your understanding.
Casual with a little Hardcore Raiding on the side:
So you have clawed your way to level 70, ran a few dungeons, and you are now in possession of your Karazhan key. You have been looking forward to raiding, and although you have heard that some people literally devote their entire life to it, you are comfortable in a guild that deems itself a "casual raiding guild". Raiding is not mandatory, but people do have fun with it.
That is all well & good until you realize that even if you play on a casual schedule, you have to be a little bit hardcore if you are going to ever experience anything more than the first few bosses in Karazhan.
If you are serious about wanting to clear Karazhan, and eventually progress into the 25 man raids, then you are going to have to start working to better your raiding toon(s). Perhaps you have a few alts at lower levels - be prepared to set them aside for a while - if you want to raid well, but have limited play time, then you really cannot afford to divide your attention too much.
While quest greens and early instance blues are sufficient for many of the early encounters in Karazhan, you are going to have to do quite a few more instances to improve your gear if you plan on making a significant impact on the Curator and beyond. Heroics will help immensely, as will some PVP rewards.
Simply put: if you want to win - if you want to experience all the content that Burning Crusade has to offer before it becomes obsolete - then you have to prepare yourself. If you cannot - or will not - prepare, then you will not help your raid group nearly as much as you could, and everyone will suffer for it.
I'm not suggesting that you neglect their family, jettison real life commitments/hobbies, and immerse yourself in this game..... I am, however, stating that simply gaining level 70 and getting Kara keyed is not good enough.
So, if you want to be a skilled casual raider and help your guild progress through the game's content, here is what I suggest:
Learn how to play your class/spec to its potential. There are plenty of forums and blogs out there for you to read, as well as many wonderful and skilled people in your guild (and beyond) who would gladly discuss how to run your class more effectively.
Think about a run (raid/instance) after it ends, and try to identify things that you and your group could have done better. Use add-ons like Recount and sites like WoW Web Stats to help in your analysis. Post strategies you attempted and reasons for failures (and successes) on your guild's forum. Hold a five minute post-mortem with the raid on Ventrillo after the run. Whatever. A raid doesn't end when you stop killing things.
Research your gear, and run instances to fill in holes. WoW Loot Lists breaks down instance loot by class, so this type of research is a snap. Know what you need and how to get it - this will help you optimize your play time. (Important if you're a casual.) Remember: if you're decked out primarily in greens, you're hurting your raid. Do something about it.
Run heroic dungeons. Heroics are difficult, and force you to be aware of a lot of things at once. Hone your skills with four other guildies, and practice for raids. Healers can learn how to deal with the increased damage that they will see in raids. Tanks will have to learn how to deal with multiple heavy hitters. CC'ers will be tested to the max. DPS will have to maximize their output to prevent long battles from getting out of hand. And guess what - the loot rocks.
If you want to seep further into the game, and experience as much of the content as possible, then you have to be prepared to work towards it. Even a casual guild, if well managed and filled with dedicated players, can raid with the big boys. They may not get any world-first kills, and they will certainly be months behind the curve, but there is nothing stopping casual players from kicking ass with the best of them whenever their schedule allows.
(Casual overview compliments of Teeth & Claws)
So, I realize that this decision will drive some of our members away, but it will also bring in fresh members with complimentary skills, and help the Special Forces to become a destination for players seeking casual fun with some hardcore on the side.
I thank you for your understanding.
Casual with a little Hardcore Raiding on the side:
So you have clawed your way to level 70, ran a few dungeons, and you are now in possession of your Karazhan key. You have been looking forward to raiding, and although you have heard that some people literally devote their entire life to it, you are comfortable in a guild that deems itself a "casual raiding guild". Raiding is not mandatory, but people do have fun with it.
That is all well & good until you realize that even if you play on a casual schedule, you have to be a little bit hardcore if you are going to ever experience anything more than the first few bosses in Karazhan.
If you are serious about wanting to clear Karazhan, and eventually progress into the 25 man raids, then you are going to have to start working to better your raiding toon(s). Perhaps you have a few alts at lower levels - be prepared to set them aside for a while - if you want to raid well, but have limited play time, then you really cannot afford to divide your attention too much.
While quest greens and early instance blues are sufficient for many of the early encounters in Karazhan, you are going to have to do quite a few more instances to improve your gear if you plan on making a significant impact on the Curator and beyond. Heroics will help immensely, as will some PVP rewards.
Simply put: if you want to win - if you want to experience all the content that Burning Crusade has to offer before it becomes obsolete - then you have to prepare yourself. If you cannot - or will not - prepare, then you will not help your raid group nearly as much as you could, and everyone will suffer for it.
I'm not suggesting that you neglect their family, jettison real life commitments/hobbies, and immerse yourself in this game..... I am, however, stating that simply gaining level 70 and getting Kara keyed is not good enough.
So, if you want to be a skilled casual raider and help your guild progress through the game's content, here is what I suggest:
Learn how to play your class/spec to its potential. There are plenty of forums and blogs out there for you to read, as well as many wonderful and skilled people in your guild (and beyond) who would gladly discuss how to run your class more effectively.
Think about a run (raid/instance) after it ends, and try to identify things that you and your group could have done better. Use add-ons like Recount and sites like WoW Web Stats to help in your analysis. Post strategies you attempted and reasons for failures (and successes) on your guild's forum. Hold a five minute post-mortem with the raid on Ventrillo after the run. Whatever. A raid doesn't end when you stop killing things.
Research your gear, and run instances to fill in holes. WoW Loot Lists breaks down instance loot by class, so this type of research is a snap. Know what you need and how to get it - this will help you optimize your play time. (Important if you're a casual.) Remember: if you're decked out primarily in greens, you're hurting your raid. Do something about it.
Run heroic dungeons. Heroics are difficult, and force you to be aware of a lot of things at once. Hone your skills with four other guildies, and practice for raids. Healers can learn how to deal with the increased damage that they will see in raids. Tanks will have to learn how to deal with multiple heavy hitters. CC'ers will be tested to the max. DPS will have to maximize their output to prevent long battles from getting out of hand. And guess what - the loot rocks.
If you want to seep further into the game, and experience as much of the content as possible, then you have to be prepared to work towards it. Even a casual guild, if well managed and filled with dedicated players, can raid with the big boys. They may not get any world-first kills, and they will certainly be months behind the curve, but there is nothing stopping casual players from kicking ass with the best of them whenever their schedule allows.
(Casual overview compliments of Teeth & Claws)
New Guild Blog
This is our new Guild Blog. Visit often for information and upcoming events. For those still interested in our old blog, the address is still active - www.sfdruids.blogspot.com
Have Fun.
Have Fun.
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