All I Needed To Know I Learned By Rolling A Death Knight

Aeglys, my DK just dinged 70. I've learned a lot from playing him and leveling his professions. Here are a few points I've picked up along the way.

IT TAKES A LOT OF WORK TO LOOK THIS GOOD!

Melee DPS is much more engaged than the pew pew from range that I experienced with my mage. To be courteous to the tank (as well as increase my own dps) it is important to not attack the boss/mobs from the front.

I really try to help my tank out because I understand the nuances of that role. I probably give the tank a little more time than he needs to have solid aggro, but the ability to go all out without worrying about aggro is nice. And I always try to stay to the back or side to avoid parry gibbing my tank.

But dang! Some tanks just can't stop moving! Some mechanics make constant movement or frequent changes necessary, but some tanks just never stop moving around, making it hard to stay where I should be.

This experience brought with it the realization that I could do a much better job (while tanking with Billy) positioning mobs so my melee dps can do their job better.

SUPPORT THE LEADER AND CULTIVATE COMPETENCE

In many (most) cases, I am the group leader when tanking. This is rarely the case when I'm on my DK, and I've found it hard in some instances to not try to take charge. Usually the tank is capable but may just have a different style or approach...sometimes they aren't. I try to take advantage of this situation to explain my main is a tank and offer some advice. I always do this in /w to avoid embarrassing the tank. More often than not, they express gratitude and step up and get us through. I feel good that I helped someone do a tough job a little better.

MARKY MARK THAT FUNKY BUNCH!

As a blood spec DK, I do primarily single target dps. Wrath has brought to the game a heavy aoe mentality. Rarely are mobs marked. I rarely mark when I tank, however, on Aeglys I can pull aggro off the tank on a single target. I try to attack the target of my tank, but he may be hopping (tabbing) through the mobs to get solid aoe threat built. I can't hop with him, as my abilities rely on establishing diseases to unleash my big hitting combos.

Marking a kill order does not signify a weak tank! I've been made fun of a few times when I marked with Billy. If it bothers you, kiss off. Marking targets makes everyone's job easier. Just because there's a kill order doesn't mean that you can't aoe, but it does mean that single target dps can do their job without frantically trying to find the target the tank is focusing on.

THESE BOOTS WERE MADE FOR WALKING...

My mom always said that if you're angry or irritated with someone, try to put yourself in their shoes. You just might find you understand where they're coming from.

I haven't been upset with dk's per se, but I now have much more respect for DK tanks. It's so foreign to me that I don't get it very well and therefore don't do it very well. Yeah, I could put the time into researching DK tanking like I have with my warrior, but I'd really like a change of pace. I can get tired of the responsibility of tanking and look forward to having an alt that can just dps.

So thanks tanks! Druids, Pallies, DK's, Warriors, Mages (lol, I threw that one in because of a steamvaults run that I did on my Mage back in the BC days. I was with a priest and three druids. I grabbed all the little leper gnomes before the robot boss and aoe'd like mad while my 4 group mates spam healed me. It was good times.) I will no longer scoff at your concerns in tanking forums regarding class mechanics. I will no longer think that warriors are the only ones that matter. They're still the best, or coolest, in my opinion, but you guys are all right too. And you have my respect.

DEATH GRIP: PORTENT OF DOOM!

OK, not always...BUT you can really gauge a DK by his or her use of death grip. The DK that pulls mobs off the tank is fail and should be deleted. The DK that pulls a range/caster to the tank is full of win!

I find that the brief experiences I've had tanking on my DK were made much more difficult by the other DK's in the group. I think it spawns an unhealthy competitive attitude. I'm not looked at as the tank, so much as another DK, and suddenly there's an undeniable need for these failknights to want to put as much turf between their name and mine on recount - with complete disregard to consequences.

Because of this, one of the DK's in my group will deathgrip my primary target, and I've already called for deaths in these instances via a /w to my healer. I ask them to stop, but if they ignore me, then I ask the healer to let them die. Is it bad that as a tank, I relish in the opportunity to assassinate one of my group members? Or is it simply not intervening on another retarded suicide attempt?

Well, this wall of text is enough to make China jealous, so I will stop now. I decided to not talk about professions, because it wouldn't be interesting. But JC/BS combo is a bear!

I have enjoyed rolling my DK. It's been a great experience full of learning and fun shenanigans due to being OP. Group quests mean you'll use your ghoul and maybe a health pot! :) If you have resisted the DK, give it a try. The opening quest line is EPIC! And just because there's so many bad DK's out there should not be a reason for you to miss out on great fun.

Violet Hold - Xevozz

(Edited: 01-27-09. Yup, Blizzard changed it so the orbs now can enter the water. I almost got my group wiped tonight:( Oh well, guess we gotta actually have skill to tank!)

Easy Peasy
I've heard several people complain that Xevozz is the hardest boss in Violet Hold. If this is your opinion - read on!

Xevozz is actually the easiest boss in Violet Hold. Sure, if you hang out and try to kite him, etc., it gets a bit tricky, but there is a secret to make it a walk in the park. This was explained to me by a dps in one of my groups one night. Unfortunately I didn't note his name to give due credit, but it was great advice, and he was leet! So thank you unnamed dps guy!

The Trick
This is the most simply strategy, and makes the fight a breeze. Just have everyone stand in the water that is right in front of Ichoron's cell. Xevozz's ethereal spheres cannot enter the water, so simply standing in the water turns it into a basic tank and spank. He doesn't even hit hard, so it is really a very easy fight.

If anyone has struggled with this encounter, give this strategy a try. You will not be disappointed - that is until Blizzard changes this in the next patch, lol.

Damn you, Ciderhelm!!!

If you're not aware of Ciderhelm, his site Tankspot.com, and the community found there, and you are a tank in World of Warcraft, you must be living under a rock. That said, check it out!

The Project Marmot videos are great. They cover raid boss strategy as well as certain Heroic Achievement walkthroughs. The video and sound quality is superb.

I had watched the one about Utgarde Pinnacle, and although I don't feel ready for Heroic UP, I did feel prepared for regular. I had my guild buddies with me, an 80 Enh Shammy and 80 Holy Priest. We pugged a 78 rogue and a 79 shaman. It was a cake-walk up until the gauntlet and Skadi fight. Then we wiped repeatedly. I was really frustrated.

There were several contributing factors to our failure. One was the rogue who said he could pull 2500 dps. At 77, that seemed high, but he seemed pretty sure of himself. Recount had him in the 580 range most of the instance. The pugged Shammy was putting out around 890. My buddy shaman started over 1150, but was having to backup heal, so he dropped to around 950. I think I ended up around 1200.

Another problem was how fast the harpoons would despawn after dropping. We couldn't even pick up the stupid things. When we did get them, Skadi would wipe us with his whirlwind. It was brutal.

The majority of the blame for our wipeage I attribute to my lack of skill. My gear is getting pretty decent for just starting heroics, but I lack the reflexes and experience. The gauntlet was brutal to try to get aggro and hold it, especially when getting netted, and the casters staying back drilling my healer. At least I have a few awesome friends in my guild that like to learn instances, class particulars, mechanics, etc. So I'm sure this weekend will find us back in UP seeking redemption.

This brings me to the title of the post. Damn Cider for making it look so freaking easy! I say that facetiously. He's good, really good. He's also been doing it a lot longer than I have, and while I doubt I will ever be as good as him, I have to hope I will get decent with more experience. I mean, I didn't even really start tanking until WOTLK came out, so I'm still a noob.

While I singled out Cider in the title, I have to say (and you'll probably see me write this a lot) that there is an incredible tanking community! It has been so easy to find information about how to be better, get better gear, get feedback, etc. I see a lot of links to each other's blogs and references to podcasts. I love how tight-knit this group is.

So thank you all, and I hope one day, Billy can exhibit a shadow of your skill and knowledge!

Introducing BillyWallace!

I decided to make a blog about my warrior in World of Warcraft. His name is Billywallace, and he is on the Skullcrusher US PVP server. To be honest, I hated playing Billy for the longest time. Between the struggles of levelling a warrior and the constant ganking on the server, Billy got benched around level 50 while I levelled a mage on a PVE server all the way to 70 before I came back to Billy. I really only came back for social reasons. A lot of friends had hit 70 on Skullcrusher, and my next highest toon at the time was my Pally at 31, therefore, I decided to work on Billy so I could run with my friends.

I played around with arms and fury specs but thought maybe I would enjoy tanking. So I went prot when I hit outlands. That was a flop. It turns out my guild was loaded with tanks who had levelled and acquired gear and experience. I returned to switching between fury and arms and finally understood the reality of a warrior's gear dependance. I tooled my way to 70, but still struggled with wanting to log onto Billy.

Some months before Wrath was released, I started to get the tanking bug again. I think it was when I stumbled across tankspot.com and tankingtips.com. I used the guide that Veneratio put together about gear to aim for when newly reaching 70.

Billy had a goal. Billy had a purpose. Billy was starting to get a bit interesting to play.

I still preferred my mage, but that all changed with the release of Patch 3.0 "Echoes of Doom." HOLY CRAP! Prot warriors suddenly were super fun! I still think I hit Northrend first with my mage and got him pretty quickly to 74. It was fun, but one night, my buddies on that server weren't online. I logged over to Billy and started grinding my way into the Borean Tundra.

I had also been somewhat unsatisfied in the only guild Billy had ever been in. There are a TON of great guys and gals in that guild, but I didn't have really close ties to them. (Not the kind of ties where you see so-and-so log on and feel compelled to drop what your doing to hang out with them.) There was a small group forming within the guild as well that bothered me due to their elitist attitude.

A friend from that guild had recommended another guild that he felt would mesh better with my personality. Boy was he right. My poor mage hasn't seen the outside of the Inn in Valiance Keep since Billy joined his new guild.

Since then, Billy has shockwaved countless mobs, and shield slammed his way across Northrend. He has tanked all but a few of the level 80 instances, and I just can't get enough!