Tanking Perceptions

32 Written by Anna on March 15, 2010 – 7:00 am

(You knew it was coming. This is a rant.)

Dear Heroic LFD Puggers:

Let me explain to you some things. First, the defense cap for heroics is 535. With 535 defense, you are uncrittable in a heroic, and it’s quite possible to tank them with less than 535 defense anyway. (The defense cap for raids is 540. We’re not pugging raids. We’re pugging heroics. And I have 563 defense anyway, so shut up.)

Heroics are, right now, easier than they have ever been.

Many of them have been nerfed. Some of them have been nerfed A LOT. Let me refresh your memory a leeeetle bit about things from a year ago, when there were not badge epics and Tier 9 the way they are now, and before the heroics had been nerfed:

1. Unbuffed 21k armor, 21k health and 32% dodge+parry is a good target for entry-level Naxxramas. (from Tankspot)
2. This guy, who at 565 defense and less than 25K armor is agreed to be geared to MT/OT Naxxramas (though he should get 25K if he wants to PUG it) (from the WoW Forums)
3. 23637 health and 21661 armor unbuffed now, 555 defense – “solidly for heroics” (From our friend the Panzercow)

So our friend the Panzercow takes the most conservative stance of the three, but last I checked, Tankspot is a pretty reliable resource for what is and isn’t acceptable for tanking. Looking at Annie’s armory profile, I have around 27K health, 24K armor, and 563 defense. My other avoidance stats aren’t so amazing (about 40% Dodge+Parry), but I’m working on it.

By any measurement that I can find on The Internets, a year ago I would have been OK tanking in a Naxxramas 25 man raid.

Let me repeat: I am not tanking raids. I am tanking heroics.

So when we pull into H-Nexus, sure, your Tier 10, frost badge, epic’d out the ass DPSy self might have to hold back a bit for me to tank it. And maybe the geared out the arse healer might have to pay attention a little on tough pulls. And no, I can’t pull the whole place at once. But if you will take THREE DEEP BREATHS, we can successfully beat this place. And, considering you have to wait 15 minutes for your next random dungeon, probably in less time than it will take for you to sit on your arse in Dalaran for 15 minutes and re-queue and then wait through the DPS queue again.

Making fun of me, telling me my gear sucks, bitching about having to “carry a tank with your healing”, playing like a total idiot, pulling things ahead of me, DPSing whatever the hell you feel like targeting just because you can? Solves nothing.

I know I’m not Tanking’s Gift To The World. I scrub it up, sometimes stand in it, accidentally miss pats, and sometimes forget to use Vigilance.

But I can tank.

And if you’ll give me half a minute’s chance, I can pretty much chain pull these dungeons (that aren’t ICC of course) and we’ll pwn and get our badges and get on with our lives.

Get over yourself already.

Have a little links for my friends

6 Written by Anna on March 12, 2010 – 10:14 am

There’s a lot of turnover in the blogging world. This crazy hobby (sometimes profession) is one that’s hard to keep up with. It takes a lot of time, discipline, creativity, and butt-in-chair time to make it work. I’ve been around for two years, and I’ve seen a lot of people start and fade. But I’ve also seen a lot of people start up and stick with it, and turn into pretty fantastic bloggers. As such, I’d like to spotlight a few new blogs (some aren’t really NEW, but newer to me) that I’ve been reading.

The Physician’s Log

I’ve got to start with Dristanel, ’cause she’s a gal after my own shriveled little heart. Another holy paladin, raider, and roleplayer, she’s been blogging for just a few months now, and The Physician’s Log shows a lot of potential. Dris writes well, and clearly, about raiding and roleplay subjects, and her most recent post – about raid morale – is fantastic. She’s probably best known for the Blogging Secret Admirer’s project that she ran this year at Valentine’s.

Miss Medicina

Medicina is another blogger after my own heart, with a whole stable full of healers of various flavors and assortments. Her weekly link posts about each class are fantastic, and if you’re looking to be a healer, Medicina is a great place to start for resources. Also? Fantastic priest guides.

Righteous Orbs

There are a few blogs that I read knowing that no matter what shows up, I will end up at least chuckling. Tam and Chas make me laugh out loud most days – a feat when most of my reading is done sitting by myself (it’s always easier to laugh along with others, you know?) While Kumquat the Shaman is probably my favorite post to date (SO EPIC), Tam’s most recent post on pugging, tank entitlement, and the votekick system is a good solid read.

/officerchat

Sedgewick is my dose of raid officer common sense. Though I’m not a guild officer, I do help herd cats for TRI, and Sedge usually has something thought provoking to say. He’s no-nonsense enough to be worth reading but not unduly harsh (in my ever so humble opinion), and worth a look if you are involved in group leading in game.

The Mana Obscura

And now for the left field contender, Mana Obscura is a blog about spellcasters, and a very new recommendation for me (thanks Aoirselvar). But even though he’s extremely new (only a few weeks old!), Gazimoff has been playing since vanilla wow (yay, another old fart like me!), and his posts are excellent. I really hope he sticks with blogging, since I enjoy reading his posts, even if I don’t often actually play spellcasters. AND he’s not opposed to a little RP on the side, so how can I object?

Alright – that’s five. I could’ve easily probably listed another five – but that’s a good post for another week.

If there are great bloggers you think I should be reading, please leave them in the comments – and feel free to plug your own blog! I could use some creative new voices in my feed reader, and you never know, I might just publicly embarrass you in a link love post someday too!

A New Use for a WoW Plushie

2 Written by Anna on March 11, 2010 – 9:30 am

WoW plushies are awesome. Sometimes they come with in-game pets. Sometimes they mrrgl in your mailbox. But by and large, beyond their awesomeness, nerdiness, and amazing desk decoration ability, they don’t have a lot of actual function. Which is to say, they’re just plushies.

Until now, that is.

I was talking to Linedan yesterday, and he mentioned that his wife had come up with a new and absolutely brilliant use for her wind rider plushie. She had given him some very stylin’ new jewelry: a pretty ribbon necklace – in Horde Red, of course – with a beautiful Authenticator pendant. Now not only does her wind rider have an extremely high quotient of awesome, she will never lose her authenticator again.

I decided, on hearing this, it was time for Murky to start pulling his own weight around here:

And he’s now stylin’ with an Authenticator necklace of his own.

He’s no longer just a plushie – he’s The Powerful Protector of Anna’s WoW Account! (I’m told having an official title makes the job sound impressive. Considering he’s been putting on airs all day, and ordering around the little frog that usually sits on my desk, it’s working. I would get him a spear, but I fear for my eyeballs.)

If you don’t have an authenticator, you really should consider getting one (that link is for the US version, this one is for the non-US authenticator). They’re inexpensive (or free for some smartphones), easy to use, and while they don’t completely safeguard your account (due to a new middleman virus that’s been making the rounds on some of the addon websites), they provide one more hoop to jump through for someone who wishes to steal your account.

As with anything, there is nothing foolproof to a truly dedicated fool, but account security is a major issue in WoW right now, due to the lucrative nature of WoW accounts and the ability to sell virtual stuff for real life money, and taking the steps to avoid a compromised account is very important.

A Quick Hello

Comment Written by Anna on March 11, 2010 – 8:36 am

To everyone stopping by from WoW.com’s Daily Quest.

I hope you like what you see, peruse the articles in the sidebar and the story archive, and maybe come back another day to read something else. This week has been a little slow, due to Real Life Invasions (impending babies mean I’m doing a lot of knitting, houseguests this weekend, and Arrens working days = RP at night instead of writing posts!) but there will be a little something more substantial up later today!

Enjoy!