MMQB: Island Edition

I'm on vacation in St. Thomas this week, so I won't being doing much blogging.  I was fortunate to squeeze in a TotC (25) run before I left for vacation.  I was even more fortunate to snag Talonstrike.  I still want the gun from Onyxia (25), but I certainly feel better now.

I ran TotC (25) with a guild I'm hoping to join.  You'd think topping their meters and out-dpsing their best geared hunter (who was better geared than me) would warrant an instant invitation regardless of spot availability.

It appears the Darkbrew effect is alive and well.  This works in one of two ways,

1. Groups that wipe several times on a boss and then pull me into the run usually one-shot the boss on my first attempt.  This has happened for Ony 10/25, Iron Council (25) and Hodir (25).  Probably some others too.
2. Raid teams I'm on that are unable to progress past a certain point will have breakthrough while I'm on vacation.  This has happened in Naxxramas and now TotC (25).  Congratulations on downing Anub, and you guys suck!

Ten Things I'm Thinking About

1. Failures on Anub (25) have cost me 24 badges, 8 chances at trophies, and opportunities to get Leggings of the Lurking Threat, Archon Glaive and Belt of Deathly Dominion.
2. I both love and hate that my guild got Anub down in TotC (25).
3. Other than badges there is no reason for me to run TotC (10), VoA (10), or Onyxia (10).
4. Patch 3.2 has been my favorite patch of this expansion.  I finally caught up to the Joneses.
5. I don't think patch 3.3 will drop this week, but it's safe to say we're officially on patch watch from here on out.
6. I'm looking forward to getting my Runed Band of the Kirin Tor.  Nice way to ring in patch 3.3.
7. My GM has asked me to tutor a couple of Hunters.  I told him okay, but only if they want to be tutored.
8. We recorded episode 15 of the Hunting Party Podcast.  No guest this week, just Euripides, Frostheim and I talking.  I missed the first half of the show because I was raiding.  It was, of course, the best half of the show.
9. My wife is a real pro at travel planning and packing.  I got to raid the night before our trip as a result of this.
10. Island internet is still better than no internet at all.  Not by much though.

MMQB: Gear Score

Another Monday, and another week of raiding comes to a close.  Last week I predicted we'd have four hunters on our VoA/Ony run.  I was wrong we had five.  Thanks to a healer shortage on Saturday we only had three hunters for our TotC (25) run.  No hunter loot this week. Hunters are close on gear, but not on dps.  This much competition combined with open role, combined with me only needing a few items, doesn't bode well for getting what I need before Icecrown arrives.

It doesn't help that our strategy for Anub (25) is all wrong.  Of course it's all wrong because our middle to bottom dps is atrocious.

Gear Score

Stuff I Need*	Gear	Darkbrew
Giant's Bane	1	0
The Diplomat	1	0
Talonstrike	1	0
Rifled Blastershot Launcher	1	0
Death's Verdict	1	0
Lupine Longstaff	2	0

* Note:  these are things I've seen drop, but haven't won.

Ten Things I'm Thinking About

1. If you're looking for a raiding guild now is the time to step up your search.  TotC 10/25 normal modes maybe puggable now, but they weren't when 3.2 first came out.  I suspect the same will be true for Icecrown Citadel.
2. I can't wait to get my hands on the new ammo in patch 3.3.  Two crystallized earth for 1K bullets and two crystallized Shadow for 1k arrows.  Very cheap to make.
3. I'm coming to the realization that my next ranged weapon upgrade might actually come from ICC (5) heroic.
4. I used rail against DKP systems; I could really use one right about now.
5. They say patience is a virtue and that good things come to those who wait.  An in-game friend has asked me to be patient.  Okay, I'll play your waiting game.
6. I'm considering having Crusader's Dragonscale Bracers made.  Unless I start doing TotGC (10) these might fit the bill to start in Icecrown.
7. I'm also thinking I'll wait until patch 3.3 hits before I have them made.  I'll sell my orbs now and then just farm what I need when the patch drops.
8. I've been reviewing the e-mail sent to my spam folder.  I've learned two important things about myself.  (1) I have made a profound impression on people that I can't recall ever meeting, and (2) They've all died around the same time.  Creepy, I know.
9. I upgraded to Windows 7.  I'm getting very good at recovering lost data, not so good at backing it up.  Epic Fail.
10. I'm going on vacation next week.  Looking forward to catching up on some sleep.

Quote of the Week I

"Just ask Darkbrew."

This was said to one of the hunters on our Onyxia (25) run.  We had three pallys so he wanted Wisdom to help him with mana issues he was having.  He was told no because the Shammy was handling mana with a totem.  This discussion went on for several minutes.  Finally someone said if you're having mana issues, just ask Darkbrew.

Quote of the Week II

"I don't need to ask Darkbrew!"

This was the hunter's response to quote I.  If dying from a whelp in phase II is your method of conserving mana, then maybe you do need to ask Darkbrew. By the way mana isn't your only issue, but since you're not asking then we're not telling ;)

MMQB: As Good as it Gets

Monday has arrived and that means another raid reset is upon us. Patch 3.3 continues to bake in the oven and it seems close to being done.  More raid bosses were tested, the Halls of Reflection are open, and a lot of the yummy loot has been added to the game.  I have to say the Emblem of Frost Hunter gear is looking nice.  It is itemized well, has red and yellow sockets, agility bonuses, and a distinct lack of haste.

Speaking of gear, I'm coming to the realization that that I could be marching on Icecrown Citadel with my current gear set.  Assuming an early December release for patch 3.3 (I'm thinking 12/8), there just aren't many shopping days left.  Still on the wish list are Ranged, Melee, Legs, Trinket, and Belt; in that order!  I'm going on vacation the week after Thanksgiving, so given my raid schedule that leaves two Onyxia and VoA runs, and one TotC (25) run.  This had better be one heck of a lucky week in terms of drops and rolls, or this may be as good as it gets.

Ten Things I'm Thinking About

1.  There's no point in me checking the guild calendar every 10-minutes to see how many hunters are signed up for Tuesday's run.  It may only be two now, but there's no reason to believe there won't be four when sign-ups close.

2. I couldn't make the guild TotC (25) run this week so I pugged with another guild.  New group, same result; Anub lives to fight another day.  Maybe it's me?

3. Just checked the combat logs, number one on most fights and no deaths except on Anub.  It's not me.

4. The group I pugged with is going after Anub tonight.  Can't say the same for my current guild which couldn't get him down this week either.

5. Anub has three items I could use.  Legs, polearm and belt.  I rolled a 97 on a trophy and lost.  During our run there were a total of four rolls of 100 for various items.  I should probably hope that none of my stuff drops.

6. The guild I pugged with might soon have an opening for a ranged dps class.  I will probably take it.  Finding the right guild is a lot like finding the right company to work for (that's not necessarily a good thing).

7. Loque'Nahak is the coolest pet ever!  I will have to bring him to face Arthas at some point.

8. My old guild's forums are dead.  They used to be a lively place where the officers hung out.  My decision to leave was probably the right move.

9. The Redskins suck this year, but they beat Denver (a team with playoff hopes).  Did I mention that my wife's family is from Denver and are huge Broncos fans? :)

10. My wife and I disagree about how much lettuce should go on sandwich.  Some battles just aren't worth fighting.  I need an office rabbit.

Shock the Monkey, Stroke the Ego

Every now and then I like to remind myself that the Brew Hall is primarily a blog about hunters.  Today's post is from my beyond the button mashing series.

Now I don't know about you but I especially like it when my fellow raid members compliment me on my dps.  I like it even more when they compliment me on the other stuff too.  One of those other things involves a situational spell and a giant monkey named Icehowl.

The other night I was in ToC (25) where someone had the misfortune of getting rammed by Icehowl.  Luckily for our raid, I was ready for this and the King Kong wannabe only flashed red for an instant before he was returned to his more passive state.  Normally we keep vent quiet, but this time silence was broken by the raid leader to say thanks and find out just who was this Johny-on-the-spot hunter that saved our bacon.

I guess my zeal to see how good our tanks are at generating threat, and my faith in our healers to heal me through Legion Flames as I stand there so as not to let Sniper Training drop-off probably eliminated me from consideration.  But like they say even a blind squirrel can find a nut.  So yeah, it was me :)

The key to this is raid awareness and planning.  While I hope nobody will get hit by Icehowl, I play it as if they will.

What this means is once I'm stunned, I focus on DBM and wait to see who he's targeting.  Once I get a name I then move my camera around and try to locate that person.  DBM is pretty good about placing a skull over their head.

Once I have this information in hand, I plan my route.   I want to follow Icehowl to his location without getting in his way.  As I run I have my finger poised on the Tranquilizing Shot button, so that I can fire it as soon as he enrages.

If you do this right, you'll be in firing range as soon as he enrages, and with one press of the button everything will be back on track.  No deaths and no extra healing.

It should be noted that accolades do not translate into any special loot privileges.  It won't net you a crusader's trophy, nor will it prevent the raid leader from giving the feral druid the Lupine Longstaff even though you rolled higher.

Good Hunting!

P.S. - Yes I know icehowl is a yeti, but my raid group likes to refer to him as a monkey.

P.S.S. - Yes the Lupine Longstaff was given to our feral druid

The Hunting Party Podcast, Episode 6

This week, we cover the news: faction changes, the armor penetration nerf, 3.2.2, bestial wrath nerfbuff, trial of the grand crusader difficulty, the tier 9 set bonus bug fixes, and Darkbrew’s theories on management. We then answered some listener questions!

Episode 6 of the Hunting Party Podcast was also the first live show, however this caused no end of trouble for our producer because the audio synch was much worse on Talkshoe.com than it is on Skype. Until we can find something with as much quality as Skype that allows us to broadcast our voices and provides a chat room, we’re going back to canned podcasts.

[audio http://outdps.files.wordpress.com/2009/09/huntingparty_005.mp3]

As always, here is the Hunting Party Podcast feed, or here is the direct XML feed. If you email us comments or questions for Munken from Ensidia, we’ll ask him on the (hopefully next) show. Send an email to outdps@gmail.com, and mention “podcast” in the subject.

If you don’t do syndicated podcasts (iTunes, or whatever) but just want to download this week’s MP3 and play it on your player of choice, click here.

The Hunting Party Podcast, Episode 4

In this episode, we talk about the news: twin val’kry, faction champions, koralon, and then interview Pike from Aspect of the Hare!
[audio http://outdps.files.wordpress.com/2009/09/huntingparty_004.mp3]

As always, email comments to outdps@gmail.com or thebrewhall@gmail.com.

To subscribe to just the podcast feed, add this to your aggregator (direct link to XML), or check us out on iTunes!  You can also download the podcast by clicking here.