Heya guys!!

Some of you may read this post and go, “Duh.” That’s fine if you do.   But to date I’ve found that the approach to learning encounters used by most guilds does not match my previous experience in Sleepless Knights.

I’d like to share the philosophy we had there when approaching any encounter that was difficult.

Sleepless Knights has changed a lot, and I don’t know that they still practice this philosophy, but it is the most sound approach I’ve ever seen to learning difficult content.

Intuition, Paying Attention, and Watching your !@#$’ing timers

Call it whatever you want.  But it has to be done.  Move your timer bars, change the color, put them in the middle of the screen, edit them to only show the bars that are important to you.  I don’t care what it is that has to be done, but as my old GM used to say, “Get it done and get it done now.”

Open your eyes, look around you, and quit paying attention to only your dps, healing, or whatever it is that you are doing.  It is paramount that you are aware of your surroundings and timers on boss abilities at all times.  This is not optional.  You cannot wait for some call in vent or whatever fail method that has been used.

And be preemptive.  BE PREEMPTIVE!! Be ready for cd’s, timers, abilities, etc.  Know when things are going to happen and be prepared to react to it.  Spread out, move to a new position, have a cd ready to be used.  Whatever it takes, but faster and earlier than you have been.

If every single raider preemptively prepared for boss abilities 2 seconds earlier/faster than they currently do, wipe % due to dumb shit would drop by more than 50%. Fact.

Excuses

Minor mistakes are doable.  If you do something that causes yourself or someone to die, and that’s it, then that’s bad.  But it’s not terrible so long as it doesn’t cause a wipe.  That’s important.

People make mistakes.  We’re human.  And so long as the mistakes are minimized to where they don’t cause a wipe then you did a good job actually.  Even messing up, you managed to not kill everyone else.   But wiping is a different story whether you want to believe it or not.

A lot of people have the perspective that if they only cause 1 wipe total in a night (or even 2 nights) then it’s ok.  IT’S NEVER OK.

If every person caused 1 wipe total per person per raid reset, then that would be 25 wipes. That is easily the better part of two evenings of raiding.

It is not an acceptable perspective to believe that if you cause only one wipe that it’s ok.  Your goal should be to never cause a wipe.  Screwing up is one thing, but you should be doing everything humanly possible to ensure that those mistakes do not cause the raid to wipe as a result.

Meters/Performance

The first thing people would do with meters would be to check damage taken, deaths, dps, and healing.  Observance on why people were dying, where heals were going, who was not doing enough dps to the assigned targets, etc…

Typically this information would be flawed.  Wipes mean that everything will not be accurate.  That’s just part of the deal and you can’t change it much.  But it is relatively easy to determine who is dying to stupid shit if you also pay attention to deaths before wipes are called so you know who to specifically look at.

The two biggest sources of flaws for wipes (from a meter perspective) tends to be one of two things:

• Healing not covering deaths (whether it’s healers, bad tank gear, enrages, etc…).
• DPS dps’ing the wrong shit.

It was actually a common practice in SK to scrutinize the top dps’ers more than the lower dps’ers to make sure they were not padding meters and were in fact dps’ing the correct targets.

Raid Stacking

People’s first reaction to this is to think I mean bring 10 of x class and 5 of y class.   It’s not.  You bring extra of whatever you need to get through the encounter.

It is more important to die consistently due to enrage timers than to die consistently to wipes from screw ups.

Tanks

If the fight was a 2 tank fight, we would bring in 3 tanks if threat was transferable (aka Taunt works).  Sure one of those tanks will be sitting on their bum twiddling their thumbs a lot, but if a fair % of wipes is occurring due to tank deaths then fix the problem.

Bring a 3rd tank who knows what the hell he’s doing and can (through skill) pick up adds or bosses as needed from untimely deaths.

Heals

If the fight was a 5 healer fight, then we would bring 6-7 healers to the fight.  If people are constantly dying (for whatever reason) because they are not getting the heals that they need, then we would bring more healers.  We would ensure that deaths would not be due to healing issues.

Everything Else

DPS is rarely an issue for raids.  However, having all of your dps not stand in stupid shit and also dps the correct target is often a problem.  But that’s not just a dps issue.  It’s also healers and tanks too.  This is why you over stack healing and tanks.

By having more than enough tanks and healers, you minimize the variables in an encounter that will lead to a wipe.  This in turn lets the raid members practice more and more phases of the encounter and actually learn the fight.

It’s dps’ing the wrong target, kitting a mob in a bad path, standing in the wrong place, etc… that leads to wipes more than any other reason. Your goal should be to maximize the amount of time that can be spent learning how to deal with those mechanics instead of losing time to due to healing issues or tank deaths.

Stacking an extra tank and one to two extra healers allows you to do that. Or at the very least determine why the raid really is wiping.

Consistency

This is where the big deal comes in.  I’ll use Muru as an example.

When we were working on Muru the above was our practice.  Consistency in performance was the ultimate goal.  Making sure we cleared through each phase of combat in the same amount of time, reducing deaths to almost never, always being in the correct spot, etc…

As we progressed in consistency we’d drop down on the extra classes to get people used to the shift of having less assistance.  But we’d be better prepared by that time for it.   And then once we were able to reach the enrage timer twice with no flaws we swapped into full hardcore mode utilizing maximum dps and mana efficiency.  And that was when we killed Muru.

It is more important to make changes to the raid makeup (even losing dps and guaranteeing that an attempt cannot be a win) that allow you as a team to progress through each phase of combat consistently without fail.

When you can get into the final phase of every single attempt without fucking up, that is when you should consider dropping back down to the “ideal” makeup that is required for a kill.

-Suffer Well Brothers and Sisters…

Heya guys!!  So people have asked a few times about the N52 and how I use it.  And that’s a fairly detailed deal.  As it turns out I once helped out some guildies a while back with my settings and I found that post.

The following is literally a copy/past job with minimal editing.  So it’s not going to be up to my usual post standards.  But, it gets the job done and allows me to have some /laziness with regard to a detailed post for once, so I’m taking it!!

This was written…before ICC came out.  I think?  Maybe right when it came out, I see a Nighttime in my bags on the SS.

N52 Guild Forum Post Guide (old or something…)

OK, here is a pic of my UI. It’s really not a solid one as I was doing a screen shot for my Blog showing the DPS with an Aesir’s, but it shows the action bars which is all that is important. Look at the bars.

Now you’ll see that there are 5 action bars in place. You could use whatever mod or interface to create them. I personally use CT Mod since I’ve been using it since day 1 of playing WoW.

Now the bottom two action bars are filler. I put things on there I would never really need to click in combat, but click often enough I want them handy. So you can ignore those two.

So the 3 bars that matter. Top action bar, and then the 2 secondary action bars under it which are side by side.

Defining the Bars

The first button of the primary action bar is a purple sword with numeric 1 in the upper right hand corner. The last button of the primary action bar is a greyed out red fist.

The first button of the second action bar is a downturned sword adjacent to a skull saying Leap… The last button of the second action bar is a stack of 15 Frostweave bandages.

The first button of the third action bar is bubbling blood (Blood Boil icon) which is adjacent to a Rose (DnD). The last button of the third action bar is a upreaching claw coming out of the ground greyed out (Raid Dead) adjacent the blue skull (Frost Presence).

Buttons for the Bars

You go into the key bindings of WoW and remap the action bars. The key thing to remember here is that you will never be pressing your keyboard again. Whatever you are used to DOES NOT MATTER anymore. Not Shift + this or that, or any other combination of buttons. FORGET THEM.

• First action bar is keyed from 1 through = sign on the keyboard.
• Second action bar is keyed from Q through \ on the keyboard (I omit “O” however because I’m too used to using to open the social window).
• Third action bar is keyed from F1 through F12.

Now if you notice I simply chose to designate three lines of keys on the keyboard to these actions bars. I didn’t want to designate random keys because it’d be harder to understand and remap if needed.

Experience/Exception: I recently played Borderlands which is a FPS with RPG background. And it made me realize the potential for in game movement. I’m a MUCH better player now because of it. Due to this I removed 5 and 8 from the primary action bar and remapped 5/8 to “Strafe Left/Right”.

Mouse: So now you know how the keys are mapped except for the mouse. I use a mouse that has two thumb buttons on the left side. I use one of them to activate auto run and the other to run backwards. By holding down both mouse left/right buttons I can also simply run without autorunning. To turn I mouse move. So excepting Strafe, I do all movement though the mouse.

N52TE

Look at this picture first.

Ignoring the keypad buttons themselves you have a few in front of you.
1) Wheel (like a mouse wheel) – I currently have no use for it. It’s difficult to reach.
2) Button directly above the directional keypad – I currently have no use for it. It’s difficult to reach.
3) Directional keypad – I use this, more in a second.
4) Thumb button directly over the LED light (blue in pic) – I use this as my Spacebar button. It’s how I jump.

OK, so basically we now have the 14 keypad buttons, the thumb button (jump/spacebar), and the directional keypad.

When you set up your N52 there are three color selections to choose to map buttons to. Blue, Red, and Green. Next to the Thumb Button you can see a small blue LED light on. So were you to press a button, it’d activate whatever you mapped into the N52 settings for the blue buttons. If you swap to another color (say Red for now) then if you pushed a button you could have it do something totally different.

For example: If you have the N52 “1″ button set to press 1 for you on Blue it will do so. But under the Red mapping you could have it set to press F1. So by swapping the color setting you could have the “1″ button on the N52 activate either 1 or F1 in game.

How do you swap colors? You can do it however you like, but I personally chose to use the directional keypad to do it. Ignoring the N52 settings for what I’m about to say, when I “pull back” on the directional keypad it swaps everything to the Green settings. When I push up on the directional keypad it swaps everything to the Red settings. At any time where the directional keypad is released it is set to the Blue settings.

So when I press “1″ on the N52 it pushes 1 in game on my primary action bar. When I hold the directional keypad up and press “1″ on the N52 it pushes the Q button on my second action bar. When I hold the direction keypad back and press “1″ on the N52 it pushes the F1 button on my third action bar. Understand?

Exception/Experience: You need an easily accesible key to quickly talk in Vent. I personally set my push to talk button to L-Cntl. On the N52 I have the “5″ button set to L-Cntl, it is my push to talk button. I just skip “5″ on the N52 for all action bars.

So what does that do for you?

Well the fact of the matter is that I never have to move my two hands crazily across a keyboard. I have all forms of movement in game EASILY accessible at all times (run, autorun, move backwards, turn, and strafe) and can easily talk in vent.

In addition to that I have 3 total action bars easily tied into my N52 to where I can press any of those buttons without ever having to mouse click (which is retardedly slow). Also without having to reach my hand/move my hand to key a certain button.

It took me 2 weeks just to get used to it. It took me about 2 months to actually get really really good with it, let alone master it. It has 100% made me a better player. I can do things now I could NEVER do before in game and I can react far faster than the vast majority of players in game.

Oddball buttons: I also have a few weird ones as well in odd places. I’ve got an auto focus button (no macro or anything). I’ve also got a N52 macro that can auto repeat any button press. So by pressing it it can repeat press something for you, whether that’s Lightning Bolt spam *OR* more importantly Prospect/Milling spam. I have an in game macro combined with an N52 macro that will litterally auto prosect ore for me. I can put 100 stacks of ore in my bags, press a button, and go walk into another room. When I come back it’s all done. Yes, the N52 does love me!!

So that’s it. For my setup anyways. All of my performance in game isn’t just skill/talent/studying. A good bit of it is this N52/Mouse setup. I highly recommend it.

Caveat: Melee will get more out of this setup than a Caster ever will due to the complexity of being a melee toon. I played Elemental Shaman for 2 years guys, I know what I’m talking about here. It is still amazingly useful for casters, but melee toons get far more benefit.

-Suffer Well Brothers and Sisters…

Heya guys!!  There are a thousand guides out there for leveling a Death Knight.  So let’s be clear.  This is not a guide to leveling a Death Knight.  This is a tool for improving your game through leveling a Death Knight.  Yes, there is a difference.

Specs

First things first, you need to spend a minimum of 2 levels and 3 hours (both) of total game play trying each spec out post level 64.  That means you need to spend at least 2 levels and also 3+ hours (so this could possibly last longer than 2 levels) trying out each spec, even if you do not like it.

Why?

Have you not ever heard of diversity in skill sets?  Or even having a full knowledge of your tools?

You’re playing a Death Knight.  You’re not playing an “Unholy”, “Frost”, or “Blood” Death Knight.  The character is a Death Knight.  Get that through your head.

If you don’t understand the basics on how the other specs play, it will in the long run hurt your play style.  You don’t have to believe me or understand why.  Just do it.  It will make you far more well rounded and capable as a player.

Benefits

Just about every player I’ve met in WoW has ended up changing their specs at some point while playing WoW.  Whether it’s due to massive nerfs/buffs, PvP, swapping roles (tank to dps for example), or just a need for something new.

Trying out each spec for at least a few hours while leveling will give you the basic groundwork to have insight into what in the hell you are doing when you swap specs.

And eventually, you will swap specs for some reason or another.  Look at me!!  I am a die hard Unholy fan and even I do it from time to time.

Key Talents

While talents will change as the game progresses always keep your eye out for the key talents to leveling a character.  If there is a talent that will increase your movement while you are questing (and not instancing) then spec into that.

Movement talents = faster leveling always.  If you get everywhere quicker, then you level faster.  It’s like saying 2+2 = 4.  It’s really that simple.

Gaining Exp

There are basically 2 methods to leveling a Death Knight, and both are equally important.

Questing

The first method is questing.  As with Specs, you need to spend a minimum of 3 hours questing on your Death Knight.  The reasoning is simple, as it allows you to get in some solo play time on your toon.

If you have movement talents available, and are not prevented from taking them by requisite time in another spec, then you need to choose a spec that gains all of the movement talents.  While leveling helps you learn the class, let’s be honest.  If we can get it done quicker then we’re happier.

Make sure you spend some time pulling multiple mobs and just one or two at a time as well.  Use everything and play around some.  Get comfortable with what is possible with your toon.

Instancing

The second method is doing 5man instances.  The easiest method here is to swap into a tanking spec and then just queue up for what will likely be instant queue times.  However you should also spend some time doing instances as dps.

The easiest way to do that is to enter a queue while you are questing.  This way you can get something done while you are waiting.  But it’s up to you on that one.  If you queue up as a tank, wait times should be minimal.

You should do every instance possible while leveling at least once if there is a Heroic version of it that you will be doing when farming 5mans at level cap.  Get a chance to be familiar with the instances and fight requirements before you’re doing them to prepare for raiding.

Using Your Tools

This is where most DK’s fail.  And where you will hopefully not fail after reading this.

Every level pick two spells or abilities that you do not normally ever use and use them every chance that you can.  Use them in fail situations and win situations.  See how they perform.  Get yourself not only in the habit of using those tools, but also to where you know when the right and wrong times are to use them.

When was the last time you cast Raise Ally when someone died in your 5man or raid?  USE EVERYTHING!!  Get a feel for your abilities, what they do, and when to use them.  Don’t just gain experience points while you level, but also gain actual “Experience” at playing a Death Knight!!

Summation

You’d think there would be more, but there isn’t.  It all boils down to this:

• Try out each spec and play it for a while.  Understand the play style differences.
• Spend time both questing and doing 5man instances while leveling.  Know what you can handle both solo and with a group.
• Use every ability while you level so you actually have an idea of how to use them and when once you get to the level cap.

If you actually do all of that while leveling instead of just mashing buttons you will know far more than the average player does about Death Knights.  Even some of the top “leet” ones in end game raiding guilds, believe it or not.

-Suffer Well Brothers and Sisters…

Heya guys!!  Most people just kind of go with the flow.  They’ll get into a guild and never leave until they finally have to.  Others always think the grass always greener on the other side.

But it really doesn’t matter what category you fall into.  What does matter however is how you prepare and project yourself when you apply to a new guild.

Preparing to Apply

This is where it becomes time to do your research.  You need to make sure that you apply to a guild that will make you happy.  And at the same time you need to make damn sure you know what you’re talking about when it comes to your character.

Finding a Guild

My preferred method for finding a guild is using Guild Ox.  You pick the realm you are on and can then check out the progression of different guilds on your server.

Now keep in mind that this does not mean you should apply to the number one guild on a server (or even the 2nd or 3rd).  If you know that you struggle on certain encounters, or can’t come close to the gear or performance level of a guild, don’t waste your time or theirs.

Be realistic in your goals.  You don’t go apply for a job that requires a Masters degree if you don’t even have a BS.  So don’t apply for a guild working on hard mode content with their lowest dps doing over 10k dps, when you struggle to do 6-8k dps.  Get me?

In addition to Guild Ox you can also check out recruitment threads on the WoW forums or other major sites like Elitest Jerks, Tank Spot, World of Raids, etc…  I think that’s a waste of time however.  Guild Ox lets you quickly see what guilds are at a progression level that matches your needs, and then go find out their recruitment needs.

Server Transfering

The method above works here as well.  But you need to be very careful and do more homework.

• Is the new server at full occupancy?  Will it have queue times during prime time hours when logging in?
• Is the new server actually “new”?  Meaning a very small pool of players to pull from if you find your new guild not to your liking, or want to pug alts?
• Is it a Role Playing server?
• Is it a PvP server?
• Is it a PvE server?
• Is it weighted to one faction?  Predominantly Horde or Alliance?
• Which Battlegroup is it on if you prefer to PvP?  Are you joining a faction that always loses there?
• Does it do solid PuG runs for alts, or have GDKP runs if that is something you’re used to or looking for?

You see where I am going?  If you are considering transferring to a new server you need to look at everything before you do it.  Or you might find that you’re miserable once you get there.

Class Research

Are you on top of your class?  You might think you are, but you could be wrong.  Take at least 2 days to poke around blogs, forums, etc… and see what’s up.  The worst case scenario is that you might learn something minor you didn’t know about and confirm that you are on top of your game.

The best case scenario is that you find out you’ve been doing something horribly wrong and can now fix it, improving your game play significantly.  Either way, it’s not wasted time.

Gear/Armory Check

Make sure all of your gear is properly enchanted, gemmed, and equipped on your toon.  And make sure that your talents and glyphs are squared away.  Nothing says /fail like an improperly geared toon.  Quickest way to an application denial possible.

This is also the time where you need to check out crafted BoE equipment to shore up holes in your gear if you have the gold.  If you’ve got 1-2 suck pieces, look into replacing them with a BoE item.

What a lot of people fail to understand is that actions speak louder than words.  So in this case, your armory speaks a lot louder than anything you write in an application. Get the right enchants, get the right gems, get the right spec, get the right glyphs, and get the right gear.

Don’t forget your 2nd spec.  They can see that one on the armory too.

Guild Public Forums

You can learn a lot about a guild here.  Read these forums.  You can see whether the guild actively posts here, what kind of personality types some of the members have, etc…

You can also check on other applicants.  Look through previous applications and read the responses.  See what the criticisms were, what the praises were, etc…  Check out what other people included, or didn’t include.  Be aware of your competition, and what the guild thought of them.

Applying to the Guild

Now, the preparation time to find a guild should have taken you between 2-7 days depending on how on top of your game you already were and the luck factor involved in finding a guild you want to apply to.

If it took you less than 2 days to prepare to apply, then you have already failed (even if you get into the guild anyways).

Make sure you are prepared 110% always.

Combat Logs

Most guilds want a combat log, or would prefer a combat log, when you apply.  Screenshots of Recount, supplications of your skill, etc… don’t mean much.  Sorry, they just don’t.

If you don’t have a log up on WoL, WWS, or WMO, then you need to take the time to figure out how to do this.

I’d recommend getting the Logger Head mod and then setting up an account with World of Logs.  It will make the process as simple and painless as possible.  You’ll have to figure a few things out still, but it’ll be easier this way.

Coherency and Spelling

For the love of God, spell check your application and use complete sentences with as little slang as possible.  “i deeps rly gud” = fail.  Get it right.

Take the time to write sentences properly, use punctuation, spacing, etc…  If this is something you struggle with (some people do), ask a friend to check it over before you post it.

Don’t be afraid to use forum options to snazz things up a bit btw.  Color coding the questions to say red, black, or blue, and then having your answers in white makes your application much easier to read.  Also using links, etc…

Additional Information

Don’t be afraid to give a guild extra relevant information.  Tell them your raid experience in vanilla WoW and BC.  Tell them about exceptional achievements you might have earned.  Let them know about your awesome alts (make sure their armories are fixed, gear, gems, etc…).

Be informative and to the point!!  Let them know if you’re in 2k+ rated Arena teams.  If it’s relevant to WoW, and something that could be impressive (in the + column for your application), then tell them about it.

References

Most applications do not request this, but I’m telling you that this is something you want to be able to put on an application.  Typically the only references that will count are from raid leaders, guild masters, or a top notch player in a top end guild (with his own combat logs, armory, and reputation to prove it).

This is where you need to talk to the Guild Master of your guild, the Raid Leader in the GDKP or PuG you run in, or that uber awesome player in the top guild on your server who happens to be your friend.

If these people do not already like you, or are not willing to speak up for you, don’t hound them.  The last thing you need is them spreading negative feedback about you.

If your raid leader or guild master is not willing to give you a reference, then you need to seriously stop and think about what in the hell you did to where they don’t want to tell someone that you’re a good player.  It’s like leaving a job for a new job.  Will your boss say you were a great employee?  Or is he just glad to see you gone?

Reading

Make damn sure you read *EVERY* single thread regarding applications to that guild.  I’ve seen guilds put multiple threads in difference categories and have as many as five threads all about applications to their guild.

Know what you are getting into, and read *everything* that they put up there for you to read.  Miss something and it’s just asking for a /denied response.

And make damn sure that you actually answer all of their questions with legitimate answers.  Yes, you should try to come off as a fun person to play with, but don’t joke around on all the questions.  Get real answers in there.

Make sure you pay attention to whether some questions are actually 2 or 3 questions in one.  That is a common mistake many people make.

Following Up on an Application

Once of the most common mistakes people make is pestering the guild they are applying to.  Give them time to check you out.  They might not do recruitment on a daily basis.  The recruitment officer might only deal with new applications on one specific day each week.

Be patient and understanding.  Again, just think of it like applying for a new job.  If you don’t hear back after a while, you are expected to follow up on it yourself.  Just don’t become a nuisance.

Contacting an Officer

Get online and find an officer in the guild.  Don’t bother them while they are raiding.  Do *NOT* bother them while they are raiding.  Get it?  That’s a huge no, no.  Politely ask someone in the guild if you could speak to an officer.

Once you find one, politely as possible, let them know you put in an application on their site and ask whether they wanted you to do anything other than wait for a response on the thread where you posted on their guild forums.

Take their instruction, say thanks, and then leave them the hell alone unless they tell you otherwise.  If you don’t hear back within 3 days (unless their instructions said for you to wait longer), politely (one time only) inquire as to the application process.

Be smart, don’t pester them.  And go from there.

Logging Out Properly

This is fundamentally important.  Do not log out in off spec gear or PvP gear.  Log out every single time in the correct gear for your main spec.

This goes for every single day that you are waiting to be approved to join a new guild.  They could decide to go check your armory at any day, or even multiple times.

It’s pretty /fail when they go to check out your armory and they see you in your PvP gear.  At best, it only delays the application process.  At worst, it generates an instant /denied.

SJ as an Example

Here is a link to my recent application to Insurrection.  Take the time to read and see what I did.  It is a very solid example of what you should be doing when you apply to a new guild.  I updated the links in the copy below, but cannot on the site itself.

*Read the link if it’s still good!!  Seriously.  The following is a copy and was not formatted by me to look as good here as it did on their site*

Here is a copy of the application in case it ever gets deleted:

1) Include the name/class/race of your character and any relevant alts. How long you have been playing this character as your main?

LK: Skeletonjack, Night Elf Death Knight, has been my main for all of LK (Unholy DPS). My only relevant alt is Skeletonjill, another Night Elf Death Knight, which is a Blood Tank currently.

BC: Bigeasy, Draenei Shaman, initially Enhancement and later Elemental for all but the initial period of BC. During SSC progression I swapped mains to my shaman as dps. She was a full Sunwell geared ele shaman clearing all content in BC.

Vanilla: Elorien, Night Elf Warrior, was my main for all of Vanilla WoW as a Protection Warrior. I played Fury when they let me, but for raid progression I was a tank. He was a full 8/8 T2 prot warrior clearing all content but some of Naxx40.

While Skeletonjack is an Unholy DPS DK, I would be willing to alternate as a Frost DK if it is needed as I progressed in gear. To let you know upfront my gear is scaled and weighted to Unholy DPS however, and I do not currently have dual wield weapons. So I could not initially fill a Frost role if needed.

2) How old are you? Do you work full/part time? Are you a student? Tell us your availability. Commitment,dedication and Attendance are our top priority- we need to know how dedicated you are.

I am 33 years old and work full time Wed – Sun 3pm-11pm central US time. I am 15 hours behind your server time, which means I am off of work between 2pm to 6am server time giving me 100% unrestricted raiding times. I will be fully available for all raid times and will commit to 100% attendance.

3) Tell us about your guild history. If you are currently in a guild, why are you applying to us?

Bronzebeard US

Vanilla WoW: Category 5 was my first “real” guild (joined before I hit 60). I stayed there for about a year I think? That was a long time ago and they disbanded recently. Towards the end of vanilla WoW, before BC release, I was recruited by Sleepless Knights for the end of vanilla WoW.

BC WoW: Sleepless Knights for the entire expansion.

LK WoW: Sleepless Knights for the beginning of the expansion. I joined Paragon (same server, was ranked 2nd at the time, but is now 5th) later on in LK before ToC release. I left SK for personal reasons, largely due to the changes in SK over 3 years of being a member there.

Sleepless Knights however is still ranked 1 for the server, 252 US, and 690 World. That is more the level of play that I am accustomed to playing at.

My new career has left me unable to raid with my guild for about 3 months now. I’ve been forced to raid with pug’s for both 10 and 25 man content and it sucks to be perfectly frank. The guilds that have already attempted to recruit me all raid while I am at work, and after some lengthy research I’ve found that Oceanic servers best fit my lifestyle and career.

4) What is your raiding experience? List applicable expansions as well as which boss fights/hardmodes.

WoW Vanilla: ZG/MC/BWL/AQ20/AQ40 all cleared plus the full spider wing of Naxx40. I never stepped foot into the other wings during vanilla WoW.

BC WoW: All content up through, and including, Muru before the 3.0 nerf hit. We killed KJ after the 3.0 nerf. However killing Muru was the true challenge and worth the 3 months of wiping 5 nights a week until we downed him.

LK WoW: Due to dropping from SK to Paragon, and recent work schedule conflicts (which are why I am looking at a guild on the Oceanic servers), my personal progression has been lackluster for LK (imo).

I did still manage to get a few decent marks: [The Undying] (got on 12/11/08 less than a month after release, LK released 11/13/08), One Light in the Darkness (25 player), Firefighter (25 player), 10man ToGC 5/5 (w/A Tribute to Mad Skill 10 player), 25man ToGC 4/5, and 10man heroic ICC 6/12 (Blood Wing). My current normal progression is 9/12 ICC25, 11/12 ICC10.

5) List your class rotations. Please provide as much detail here as you can – if you’re a DPS class, explain your spell/ability rotation. If you’re a tank, tell us how your threat generation works. If you’re a healer, describe how you fulfill your assignment, whatever it might be. Show us you KNOW your class. Give us a decent explanation, not something like ” I tank ” or ” I heal “

Single Target Rotation: IT – PS – BS – BS – SS (repeat w/no Reaping — Reaping builds sub in SS on 2nd rotation for the BSx2)

Runic Power Dumps/HoW: HoW and DC’s are worked into GCD holes as they open, also taking into account the 2SR (2.5 second leeway on rune cd’s after they become available).

I do not place HoW into a strict rotation form due to refreshing it on the pull to make sure it is on all melee in case any had missed it for range reasons (so all melee start with the buff, no questions asked). I work HoW into GCD rotation where it falls after running in. I don’t cast PS as my opener because there is no reason to not cast IT while I am still running to the boss. Exceptions such as Saurfang of course alter that. Runic Strike is tied into a macro so that if splash melee AoE activates it, it is used automatically.

AoE Rotation: DnD – IT – PS – Pest (with DnD off CD) // DnD – BB – SS (DnD off CD, diseases up) // IT – PS – Pest – BB – SS (with DnD on CD, diseases falling off of primary target and no GoD) // SS – BB – BB – SS (DnD on CD, diseases up) //

DnD is cast first if running for 4+ seconds to reach melee range. While there is a dps loss to cast it without EP already on the targets from diseases, using the runes 4 or more seconds early, translating into more rune usage, directly equates to a dps increase so long as the tanks can handle the initial threat burst. If it is an issue, or the distance is short, lead with IT – PS – Pest – DnD instead. AoE is defined as 3 or more mobs as Unholy. 2 mobs = ST rotation working in a Pest every 2nd rotation in place of 1 BS. AoE rotations can change in a moments notice depending on kill priorities, additional adds, etc…you have to make on the fly decisions usually and be aware of all rune cd’s.

Always pop Speed Pot and then AotD before the pull. Communication with the tank or hunter puller is required to get a solid 4-5 second warning before the pull happens. Gargoyle is used based upon several factors. When is Heroism cast on the encounter, how many total Gargoyle’s can be cast in the duration of the encounter, is there a burn phase where it has to be used, etc… If the fight is short enough for only 1 Gargoyle with Heroism (due to placement of Heroism cast), or 2 Gargoyles without heroism then I will use Gargoyle twice timing it with procs from 2 trinkets, weapon, and ring for maximum effect combined with a Haste Pot (pets get my haste). Gargoyle summoning is totally dependent on too many factors to say it is used under x condition, but it is timed to go with procs if not with Heroism. Preferably with all if possible.

6) Please provide links to WWS(http://wowwebstats.com) or WMO/WOL parses of your raiding experiences. You should know which encounters best demonstrate your ability, and please tell us why a particular parse(WotLK raids only) shows how well you perform. We’re not just interested in how you topped the charts on Patchwerk, but on other bosses as well(especially more movement oriented fights). If you’re a DPS class, this section is mandatory. If you have no reports from a raid, then spend some time on Boss Target Dummies for 6mins and screenshot or write down a recount breakdown of your dmg.

As I’ve not been able to run with my guild for over 3 months now, I’ve got no recent combat logs with me in a solid run. I’ve recently been getting into a pug group (not a guild) called GMT10, originally created by the Australian and New Zealand players on my server. Please keep in mind, the fights tend to be longer (aka cd’s worth less due to longer fights), no clue when Heroism will be cast as the shaman sometimes cast it just whenever they feel like it, etc…

WoL Combat Log #1
I’m not sure how I managed to get this run as I don’t remember turning on my combat log, but apparently I did. On this run we were screwing around, etc… It was a pug, I wasn’t really popping Haste pots etc… I figured might as well show the bad with the good. So this is me not really trying while on a pug run.

WoL Combat Log #2
OK, this one is me trying. Same pug, different night. I was popping haste pots, trying to find out when the shaman was gonna blow hero (still chaotic casting), etc. I must admit a few failures up front. I forgot to reflask at some point like a total newb. I borked up Saurfang. My pet got unsummoned and I missed it (from the boat)…so I ended up with an unbuffed pet (no kings/bs) and casting AotD like 1 second before combat. Honestly I knew this was my “application combat log” and I got nervous as hell. So I made some mistakes I wouldn’t likely have made normally just because I over thought it. I died at Lady Deathwhisper because they killed me when I was mind controlled…gotta love pugs.

Of Note:
12k DPS Marrowgar
11.5k DPS Rotface
8.3k DPS Prof Put I don’t feel that 8.3k is terribly overwhelming, but for your comparison the 200th ranked unholy DK dps for this encounter did 9.8k dps.

To point out, I feel my numbers would be higher were I able to get back into the groove again and run with a guild that had shorter duration encounters. I’m not the best out there, but I am a dedicated and hard working player who can do better given the opportunity.

Thanks btw for mentioning loggerhead mod on your application forums. I got it after reading the threads here and it freaking rocks!

7) The Lich King represents a considerable jump in difficulty over most current WoTLK encounters. Explain your role in this fight in as much detail as possible. Choose either fight and describe a typical assignment for your class/spec, also including positioning, priorities and things you’d watch out for. If you haven’t done it, research it and answer this:

LK Hard Mode – I just got my first opportunity last night in a pug ICC10 to make a few attempts at LK on normal mode. While we made it into P3 repeatedly, we were carrying people and unable to complete the encounter. That is the limit of my experience on this encounter; however, this is my role as a DK to the best of my knowledge.

P1

Get into the melee camp with the tank, all out dps the boss. Pest diseases to ghouls, but do not focus fire AoE ghouls (no BB or DnD), the boss is the priority. Stay spread out as much as possible within the melee camp and be aware of the Shadow Traps at all times. Situational awareness is 200% mandatory here. If I get the disease I run behind the shambler for dispel. Immediately get back into the melee camp and back on the boss.

Transition Phase

Before this transition the melee camp/tank should already be near the edge. Get on it the moment the ledge forms and focus all dps on the raging spirits while making sure to stay behind them and in the melee camp at the same time. If a frost orb gets near me for some reason, kite it until it is killed.

P2

Move back in with melee camp, dps’ing the raging spirits (number one kill priority) until just before the valk cd comes up. Collapse with the raid towards the center of the dais, but just off center by enough so that the valks will all go in the same direction together. CoI the valks as needed based upon the snares being used by the raid, meanwhile staying completely aware of the defile cd at all times. I cannot be in the Defile no matter what, movement/reactions and attention are key.

While in the melee camp stay spread out as much as possible and be ready to move. Some guilds have a strat where those who get the defile always run in one direction (such as towards the throne) and those without another direction (such as away from throne). Hard dps on the boss is required to get out the phase quickly as staying in it too long will cause a soft enrage from too much inc damage from the valks flying in the air.

Transition Phase

Get to the edge and repeat as per previous Transition Phase.

P3

Get back in with melee camp and focus fire the raging spirits, then swap to boss. Still be aware of defile and positioning. If a vile spirit comes after me, kite it away. Most strats call for swapping sides once the vile spirits are spawned so that the raid camps and boss are not on the same side of the dais as the vile spirits. Either ranged can dps them down more freely, or you can have a paladin pop them, allowing the dps to go all out on boss.

Regardless I stick with melee camp on the boss, and kite if required to. Vile Spirits are susceptible to CoI. As to harvest souls, stick with the main camp inside unless the strat calls for melee to dps in the center away from camp. I could not find a lot of solid info on the role melee perform while inside harvest souls for heroic mode, so this is the one aspect of the fight I am fuzziest on in hard mode. Normal of course is dps and interrupt. Defile cd’s can be up when you come out of Harvest, so be hyper aware of positioning when you pop back out. Rinse and Repeat.

P4

Don’t be a newb and just dps the LK after rez.

What are your weaknesses? Don’t write something that has no relevance to your raid performance like “the opposite sex”, we want to know what areas of your game and personality might affect us in a raiding situation. Farming, Gold, Professions, upkeep ect.

First time on new encounters I can get nervous, but then most people do. After a few tries on something I’m usually good. That also counts for “trial” runs, like the combat log I made tonight for the application. When I’m not relaxed, sometimes I stress and over think/worry which detracts from my game play. I like to talk theories a lot. Even if I’m wrong I enjoy the debate. The back and forth on theory crafting is fun, and I can get *really* into it. I tend to write huge walls of text too…

9) We strongly believe in performance and reliability based prioritization on raid spots, and openly encourage competition amongst classes and roles. Analysis of your ability is to be expected, and potentially criticism may occur. We do our best to be fair, but require that members respond positively and maturely if and when they are asked to step up their game. What is your opinion on this environment? Basically, if we tell you aren’t performing to our standards, what would you do in this situation?

So long as the standards can be defined in some manner so that benchmark goals can be set and/or compared against, it sounds fine to me. If you tell me that I was failing to meet your standards, I’d simply ask for you to set a benchmark you wished for me to exceed. And if there were other players in the guild in a similar class/role/spec, to ask for comparative information. Whether that be advice from the player meeting the standards, or they be an example of where I need to be at. So long as the goals can be met, I will find a way exceed them.

10) Certain encounters require certain class makeups, and the presence of particular strengths in each member of the raid. For example, Gurtogg Bloodboil requires a large number of healers, and Archimonde requires good movement, communication and quick thinking, basically, its a retard check. In order to down bosses such as these, you may be asked to sit out so that a more ideal raid composition can be used. Would this be an issue? If you fail and I tell you to sit, how will you take it?

If I fail enough to where I stand out as an exception to the standard of the guild, then sure. Sit me. I’d hope for an opportunity down the road to practice at the encounter so that I could improve personally. But to date, I’ve never been asked to sit because I stood in the fire, etc… If it did happen I think I might be a bit aggravated, but more so at myself than because I was asked to sit.

If it’s a composition issue, aka you need the right classes, then sure. By all means, sit me. While it’s super cool to be in the progression group for the first kill, it’s a team effort and I’m willing to do my part. Including, if it is something the guild does, leveling an Alt toon for another role to bring into raids for progression. I am aware some guilds do this, but don’t know Insurrection’s stance on the policy. Regardless, stepping out for better raid comp to down a boss is always understood.

11) What WoW related websites do you regularly visit? Are you a fan of theorycrafting and optimization of your class and playstyle? Please provide some links to and descriptions of resources you frequently use.

I am a huge fan of theory crafting and working out how the aspects of my class will play out. I’m incredibly excited about exploring the upcoming mechanics changes for DK’s as well. While I’m not 100% sold on the massive sweeping scope of the changes involved, I look forward to tearing through them and figuring things out.

Elitest Jerks – general theory crafting on the DK class as a whole

Tank Spot – raid encounters, boss strats, movies, etc…

World of Raids – general information on the goings on of wow

MMO Champion – general information on the goings on of wow

WoW Wiki – while sometimes you find weird and inaccurate info, it sometimes has information no one else has

Google – the most under utilized tool out there imo, google searches sometimes find the info easier than pouring through websites

Curse – primary source of mods, but I do visit other sites for add on downloads as well

Loot Rank (by Guild Ox) – an invaluable resource for stat weights online for measuring gear

12) Each member of Insurrection is required to be flasked/elixired at all times during a raid, as well as popping Mana /Speed/Wild magic/Health potions on all bosses, as well as whatever you can to enhance yourself. This is not an option, will this be an issue for you?

Nope, done and done. Got the stuff in my bags and bank already… I generally get them made in bulk, plus carry the mammoth treats for my ghoul.

13) What are your crafting professions? Are you willing to drop a profession if we ask you to and level another one?

I have Alchemy and Jewel Crafting currently. The “BEST POSSIBLE” is JC/BS, but the minor gain on BS is not worth the investment imo. I’d assume the question on leveling a new skill is directed for those people with mining, herbalism, and skinning? However if there was cause for the guild to want me to swap professions, so long as you told me why, I’d do it.

14) On a scale of 1 to 10 (1 being a retard, 10 being Pro) rate yourself on how well you think you are at getting enchants on your gear and how often you update those enchants?. As the Number #1 guild on the server, we expect people to have their gear enchanted as soon as they get it with the best possible enchant.

TEN. Unless I’ve been just dying for a specific drop I rarely have the mats on me in raid to enchant it, though I do tend to have the gems on me for sockets at all times. As soon as I get out of the raid I enchant my gear. Even if it’s bed time, I usually won’t even log until it’s done.

15) End game progression requires alot of learning and endless wipes to learn a new boss encounter, we are looking for players that are dedicated to do what is necessary to progress, and push through the hard times with high repair bills. If you aren’t able to cope with these kinds of high stress situtations, this ain’t your guild, if you are, keep applying.

I spent 3 months wiping 4-6 nights a week learning Muru in Sunwell. If I can do that, I can put up with whatever else WoW throws at me. While it can get frustrating, that is only natural. Being ready for the long haul is no problem. I am used to being in a guild where dedication is a standard to be exceeded, and progression fundamentally important.

16) All raid members are expected to have oRA2, Deadly Boss Mods/Big Wigs, Grid + Clique(or Mouseover macros, for healers), Decursive(or at least a way of seeing debuffs on your raid frames like grid, for healers) and working Vent and Mic. Do you currently have these mods(or others like them)? If you don’t have these, please get them, as they are advantageous to have in end game raiding. If you don’t have Vent or a working Mic, your application won’t be accepted until you do.

I already have oRA2, DBM, Vent, and a Mic. In addition I run several other mods such as Tell Me When (for procs for cd usage), Rune Watch (disease timers, rune cd, and rp gauge), etc…

17) As specified above, the guild raids 4 days a week, attendance is integral part of progression and is just as important as being skilled at your class. If you are unable to make any of these raid days, especially the Sunday times, stop right here, as we only want people who are able to make as many raids as humanly possible.

I can make all raid times 100%. My work and personal schedule match your raid schedule with no problem or issue.

18) As a guild we are a raunchy bunch, we do have women in the guild, but sometimes they are as bad as the guys, its a mature environment so if you can’t handle swear words, or raunchy jokes and innuendo’s this ain’t your guild.

I’m likely gonna be one of the ones joking around constantly, heh. Very little offends me. And usually if you get to the point of offending me, you’ve already offended a lot of other people well before that point. I’m serious when I need to be, but I tend to joke around a lot.

19) Provide a link to your Armory page.

Skeletonjack: US-Bronzebeard WoW Armory Link

For your personal reference:

Unholy Best in Slot Items (Melee Hit Capped ilvl264)

Unholy Best in Slot Items (Not Melee Hit Capped ilvl264)

EJ Unholy Thread

20) We do a Loot Council System, it’s based on attendance, performance, loyalty, reliability, player skill and knowledge of their class, previous loot obtained and what is best for the guild. If you can’t handle this kind of Loot system, then this is not the guild for you.

Sounds cool. Never been a part of a system like this, but I’ve heard of Loot Council systems that work very well. I’ll probably have to ask questions to understand everything, but I’ve got no issues complying with Insurrection’s Loot Council.

21) References and Recommendations

This wasn’t one of the questions, but I feel that like applying to a new job, references and/or recommendations when applying to a new guild is something that you should bring to the table.

Rage and Tinytot – Guild Masters of Sleepless Knights US-Bronzebeard. Tiny is not as involved in WoW currently, but Rage is very involved. Both have said they would be happy to give me a reference for applying to a new guild. This was my guild for 3 years and where a lot of my WoW experience was gained. I linked their guild site if you find a need for it. If you decide to reach them, but are having trouble, let me know. Our server is 15 hours behind yours.

World of Raids – If you are familiar with the website then you may be aware that they recently starting doing interviews of players in WoW. They recently interviewed: Killars of Vodka, Zapp of Critical Mass, and Lawliepop of Blood Legion. All players from top 100 guilds. They also chose to interview me, Skeleton Jack, due to my previous raid experience and blogging about Death Knights in LK WoW.

While I’m not in a top 100 guild like those guys, my previous experience in top raiding content combined with my online contributions to the WoW community got me into an interview among the ranks of very prestigious players on a major WoW site.

Aestus – Guild Master of Paragon, my current guild on US-Bronzebeard. He will of course give me a reference as well if you wish to contact him. I am still on good terms with them, and they are attempting to still get my quests done for the Legendary (which I have no illusions of getting to complete) just so I can have gotten them done (BQL/Sindragos left).

-Skeleton Jack

-Suffer Well Brothers and Sisters…

Heya guys!!  So today we’re gonna get into one of the more confusing aspects of WoW.  Or at least, very often misunderstood.  Having uber leet roxorz deepz!!!  o.O

Three of the biggest names in combat logs are WoW Web Stats, WoW Meters Online, and World of Logs.  Otherwise known as WWS, WMO, and WoL.  And let’s not forget the ranking systems they have.

One of the most famous examples is on WMO.  The current link to the top 20 DPS results for DK’s from WMO looks like this:  (click me!!)

The initial reaction of most players when they see stuff like this is to freak out, “OMG LOOK AT THAT DPS!!!  HOW DO I DO THAT MUCH DPS?!!?” The truth is you don’t.

Unless you upgrade on *everything*, you won’t likely ever do that much.  And when I say *everything*, I mean *everything*.  We’re not just talking about gear.  We’re talking about the whole kit and kaboodle (how often do you get to work that into a sentence?! ).

Combat Log Sites

The first and most important thing you need to know about these sites is that they do not measure dps in the same manner that mods do.

The typical mod, such as Recount, measures your dps based off of your activity.  If you’re hitting something (whether that be you, a pet, or a disease ticking away) then it counts you as being in combat.  If you’re not hitting something, then it counts you as being out of combat.

So that travel time to the boss on the pull, transitions where you have no pet or dot on the boss, etc… does not count against your dps.  A site like WMO however ranks the top dps by the entire length of the fight.  They only care about how long the fight took.

Let’s say you went into a boss fight that lasted for 5 minutes even.  That is a total of 300 seconds of combat from the time the boss is agro’d to the time it dies.  And in that fight you did 3,000,000 damage (3 million).  But during the encounter you lost a total of 15 seconds due to movement and phase transitioning.  How much dps did you do?

By a mod such as Recount you would have done 3,000,000 dmg / 285 sec = 10526 DPS.  However a ranking site like WMO doesn’t care about your inactive time.  As far as it’s concerned, your dps is measured by the total boss encounter.  So by WMO you would have done 3,000,000 dmg / 300 sec = 10000 DPS.

Now in this example 15 seconds of inactivity results in a net loss of 526 DPS.  That extra travel time to run to the boss because you were 10 yards behind the tank?  That extra time to run around the room because you didn’t know your exact positioning?  That time where you ran in the wrong direction at first?  All account and attribute for DPS losses on ranking sites.

So if you want to hold yourself up to these ranked sites, the very first thing you need to learn is how to improve your dps in regard to the total boss encounter length.

Top Raiding Guilds

The next thing you need to learn is why the top end guilds always have players scoring in the top ranks.

Let’s say you are an amazing player and do between 8k-13k dps per encounter.  And then let’s say that you have a few more exceptional members in your guild y, but the rest are lackluster.  They do well, but they never do *really well*.  Let’s say they do 5k-9k dps per encounter.

Now let’s look at a top end guild x where the lackluster members are nearly non-existent.  Everyone is pulling 8k-13k dps per encounter.  How much faster are they killing a boss than you are?

Take a boss with 32 million hp.  If guild x has 18 DPS doing 10k dps on average they will kill that boss in 3 minutes.  If guild y has 18 DPS doing 8k dps on average (and I’m being generous for some people) they will kill the same boss in 3 min and 42 sec.

Why does that matter?  The shorter a fight, the more dps you are going to do in a raid.  Always.

It all comes down to cool down abilities, whether it be Heroism, trinkets, abilities, etc…  The more that are used within a shorter period of time, the more dps that you do.  If you use 5 cool down abilities in a fight that lasts 3 minutes, you will do more dps than you would have using 5 cool down abilities in a fight that lasts 4 minutes.

So if you play with average players who do moderate dps, increasing the length of a fight, they in turn are actually decreasing your dps.  Raiding is more about teamwork than most people realize.  You need the rest of the dps to do well in order for you to do well.

End story?  The shorter the fight the better.  It is actually possible to out dps the top ranked players by “active time”, but because the top end guilds have less total “inactive time” and shorter fights they will always be at an advantage over other players…

Stupid Gimmicks

What are these?  Let’s say you’re an Unholy Death Knight (go figure I’d use that as an example, heh).  And let’s say you happen to have 1 Blood DK and 3 Rogues in the party.  And let’s say you’re a cheese ball.  You get the Blood DK to hit you with Hysteria every time it’s up and also have the Rogues spam Tricks of the Trade on you as well.

That will *massively* change your dps.  And some of the people who get ranked on sites do this.  Not all, but some.

So what does it all mean?

It basically means you need to be aware that your “awesome” damage could be “suck”.  Or that your “suck” damage is more “suck” than you realized…  And then there is also the chance that you do “amazing” dps, but the ranking sites will never recognize it.

I can’t tell you what this means to you because I don’t know how much dps that you actually do.  But if you’re interested, now at least you have an idea of how it all works.  You can go to these sites and learn how to upload combat logs fairly easily.  And you can also keep a mod like Recount running.  It’s all up to you whether you’d like to put in the effort is all.

Being a Top DPS’er

This really comes down to the total package:

• Solid Computer System
• Top Notch Guild
• Leet Skillz
• Good Mods
• Solid Keybindings
• And more…

When I said upgrade *everything*, I meant everything…  It’s not just about being better.  It’s about your computer, your mods, your keybinds, your macros, your guild…everything…

But more importantly its also about being a total “Bad Ass”.  Being a bad ass is kind of like being in love.  Someone can’t tell you that you’re in love.  You can’t ‘think’ that you’re in love.  You can’t wonder if you’re in love.  You *know* when you’re in love with someone.  Being a bad ass is the same thing.  You either know you’re a bad ass, or you don’t.

But just like being in love, there are idiots out there who think they are when they’re not.  *shrug*  There are always going to be morons…

-Suffer Well Brothers and Sisters…

Heya guys!!  So this begins the future installments of “Improving Your Game” ala me!!  Skeleton Jack at your service.  Today we get into System Requirements.

Now I’m not really going to be supporting Mac users.  I don’t know enough about Mac’s to begin with.  And then there is the fact that I just don’t like Mac’s.  They charge too damn much and are far too proprietary for my liking.  So if someone wants to e-mail me Mac info or preferably post some comments to help Mac users that would be great.

What are we looking at in this post?

• Hardware meeting System Requirements
• Internet meeting System Requirements
• How to Test/Check these SR’s.
• What to do about it if you don’t.

While I may not give every technical trick possible, I should at the very least give you a stream lined consensus of ideas allowing you to make sure your computer is at the levels that you need to up your game!

World of Warcraft: Lich King System Requirements

Straight from the WoW site:

OS: Windows XP / Windows Vista (with latest Service Packs)

Processor:

Minimum: Intel Pentium 4 1.3 GHz or AMD Athlon XP 1500+
Recommended: Dual-core processor, such as the Intel Pentium D or AMD Athlon 64 X2

Memory:

Minimum: 512 MB RAM (1GB for Vista users)
Recommended: 1 GB RAM (2 GB for Vista users)

Video:

Minimum: 3D graphics processor with Hardware Transform and Lighting with 32 MB VRAM Such as an ATI Radeon 7200 or NVIDIA GeForce 2 class card or better
Recommended: 3D graphics processor with Vertex and Pixel Shader capability with 128 MB VRAM Such as an ATI Radeon X1600 or NVIDIA GeForce 7600 GT class card or better

Sound: DirectX-compatible sound card or motherboard sound capability

Mac System Requirements

OS: Mac OS X 10.4.11 or newer

Processor:

Minimum: PowerPC G5 1.6 GHz or Intel Core Duo processor
Recommended: Intel 1.8GHz processor or better

Memory:

Minimum: 1 GB RAM
Recommended: 2 GB RAM

Video:

Minimum: 3D graphics processor with Hardware Transform and Lighting with 64 MB VRAM Such as an ATI Radeon 9600 or NVIDIA GeForce Ti 4600 class card or better
Recommended: 3D graphics processor with Vertex and Pixel Shader capability with 128 MB VRAM Such as an ATI Radeon X1600 or NVIDIA 7600 class card or better

All Platforms

Controls: A keyboard and mouse are required. Input devices other than a mouse and keyboard are not supported.
Connectivity: You must have an active broadband Internet connection to play.
Mouse: Multi-button mouse with scroll wheel recommended.
Hard Drive Space: 15 GB free hard drive space

For a complete list of supported 3D cards, visit www.worldofwarcraft.com/supportedvideo
Note that due to the evolving nature of the game, the minimum system requirements for World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King may change over time.

So now what? TEST your system first!

Good question.  While a great deal of gamers will instantly know how their system stacks up to these requirements, many still won’t.  And the far worse situation is when gamers *think* they surpass these requirements, but they really don’t.  It happens people, it happens…

A great internet tool to simply get you started is this website: 

http://cyri.systemrequirementslab.com/CYRI/

• Get your complete report in seconds including upgrade suggestions for your computer.
• Only your system’s hardware and system software are evaluated.
• No personally identifiable information is collected.
• Works on Windows XP, 2000, 2003, Vista and 7.
• Works with Internet Explorer, Firefox and Netscape browsers.
• You will need to give your permission to download a secure ActiveX/Java browser component.
• You can easily uninstall the ActiveX/Java browser component when the analysis is complete.

Now I poked around the internet for quite some time before using this site to make sure it was legit, and I have used it myself.  No, my computer did not blow up with viruses.    It’s cool.  While this site does not cover all games, it does cover a LOT of them.  Including WoW: LK.  So it suits our purposes quite well.

Just go to the site, run the download, and wait for the results.  The one odd issue I had was a script error.  But by simply reloading the page or opening up the trouble shooting link into a new tab, I got the results (for anyone who runs into my problem).

Now the really great thing about this site is that it breaks things down in a very easily understood manner.  It has two tabs available for you to peruse:  Minimum/Recommended.  In addition to that, it lists for each requirement what it is you’re supposed to have, and then what you actually do have on your computer.

I got the “Pass” result for everything, so I’m not sure what it says if you have a sub par piece of hardware…maybe “Fail”?  It should be like 100 HUNDRED TIMES SIZE and be like YOU FAIL!!! And then play a maniacal laugh sound file.  OMFG that would be so pure win.  Probably piss off some users, but it’d make me lol. 

So from this point you could then see if your computer is failing miserably, or doing just fine.  So keep this information open/saved.  We’re going to come back to it!!

TEST your internet next!

There are TONS of sites out there to test your internet connection.  So feel free to use any one that you like.  However to make your life a little bit easier I have two links for you to try here.

• http://www.speedtest.net/
• http://reviews.cnet.com/internet-speed-test/

Why two sites?  Always check your internet speed on two different sites at a minimum.  One site could be off, standards could be different, etc…  Always get two samples to look at.  If the 2 sites do not give similar results, start checking more test sites to get down to what the problem is.

One of the reasons why I like http://www.speedtest.net/ however is because it gives you your “ms”.  Most people have *NO* idea what ms is.  MS stands for millisecond, which is one thousandth of a second.  So it takes 1000 milliseconds to equal 1 second.

MS, when referring to your internet connection, is basically how much time in milliseconds it takes for information to travel back and forth between your computer and the WoW server.  That’s the *SUPER SIMPLE* explanation.

Ideally you want to see something under 100 ms on a website test.  In game you want to see something under 200 ms.  To check this in game hover your mouse over the computer icon named “Game Menu (Escape)”.  In a TRULY ideal world you would have less than 100ms in game honestly.  But not everyone can get that.  Also, it can fluctuate a lot.

For example http://www.speedtest.net/ just showed my ms at 22, while in game I have 167ms.  Though of course I have Steam running, streaming music downloads from You Tube, and I am downloading the Blizzard pre-patch as well.  Heh. 

So where is the danger zone then?  For me personally it’s over 300, but for the average gamer you really want to be concerned when you peak at 500.  However this range will vary from person to person based upon their own preferences.  Some people can handle a little bit of lag, others can’t.

So you can test your connection online, and you can go into WoW and check your ms there as well.  Be aware that ms in game can fluctuate, so check it a few times over the course of a day or two to make sure you get an accurate result.

Fixing your system!!

Now this can be a HUGE deal for some people.  For others it is a simple process.  So lets address some of the pitfalls and how to best approach them.

You are a total newb when dealing with computer hardware.

This is one of the worst situations you could be in, because you basically have no idea what you are doing.  The first thing you need to do is to find a business that is reputable that you trust.  Whether that be Best Buy, Gateway, Comp USA, etc…  For many of you this will end up being whomever you bought your computer from, which you will often have a warranty through them.

You need to print out, e-mail out, copy down and write the information, or whatever you need to do to get the information from the http://cyri.systemrequirementslab.com/CYRI test to these people.  It will show them what the minimum and recommended requirements are, and where your system falls into those categories.

From this point you need to make some decisions based upon your budget.  Do you buy a new computer or upgrade your existing one?   If you go with the new system things are pretty easy.  Just make sure you check all of the recommended system requirements against the new system.  And if you are ever expecting an expansion within less than years times, shoot a little high to make sure you have no issues with the x-pac release.

If however you decide to upgrade then I recommend doubling back on any and all suggestions your company makes.  Head on over to http://www.newegg.com/ and price check anything they recommended to you.  Quite frankly a lot of businesses charge you an arm and a leg for something you can buy cheap online.  Now, before purchasing something from an online site you need to make sure of a few things.

Check (ask the company you have your warranty through or purchased the computer from) if the part is compatible with your system.  Make sure your power supply can handle the new video card, the RAM is the right type of RAM, etc…  Also, find out how you can get these pieces of hardware installed without breaking the warranty.  That’s very important to remember.  And don’t forget to make sure that they charge the same to install hardware you purchase elsewhere as with them.

Don’t let these people double talk you, back you into a corner, or tell you they are right without making sure first.  You wouldn’t go buy a new home or car without getting advice from somewhere else first would you?  No reason to start stupid decision making processes now.

Just remember these points

• Give your company your computer’s stats compared to the minimum/recommended WoW system requirements.
• If you don’t understand something, ask until they make you understand.
• Double check all purchases against online prices at a different site.  I recommend http://www.newegg.com/ personally.
• Make sure you will not void your warranty.  Usually most companies (like Best Buy) will install whatever you want if you bring them the computer and the part.
• Make sure the new parts are compatible.

You can install hardware, or have a trusted friend who can.

If you fell into the above category you still need to read this.  Heads up. 

You need to hop your butt on over to http://www.newegg.com/ and check some stuff out.  The big thing here, more than anywhere else, is to check on compatibility issues.  Make damn sure any purchase you are about to make will actually work in your system.  I’ve known tons of people who bought hardware that was either not compatible, or could not be supported by their power supply.

Comments, comments, and more comments.  Don’t just look at specs and prices.  Go into the items and read the comments left by other consumers.  They will tell you what the great things, and crappy things, about these items are.  I’ve made purchases, and not made them, many times based off of the consumer feedback.  It is an invaluable tool when making a purchase for your system.

What you are actually going for.

What should you be upgrading?  And how far?  Most often getting the biggest and best possible upgrade is a huge mistake.  More often than not, a slightly lesser upgrade will be significantly cheaper and will result in the exact same performance increase.  Sad to say, that is the truth of things in the computer industry.

What to really pay attention to?

• Video Card
• RAM
• Processor
• Power Supply

While other factors do, and will, come in to play, these are the primary upgrades you should focus on before any others.  They will have the biggest oomph factor in making your system run WoW better.

Fixing your internet!!

So this is a bit trickier.  Some cities only have one or two options available to them (or po dunk country areas, heh), while others have three to five, or more options.  This is where personal research and action comes in.  If you can stay around 200ms in game consistently I’d leave things be.  If however you consistently go over that, then it’s time to shop around.

Google is gonna be your best friend here.  Take some time and start doing some searches, checking on consumer feedback for the available Internet Service Providers in your area.  This is all going to come down to you on this one.  You need to find a company in your area that is reputable and will provide solid service.

Side notes:

• If you are connected to the internet through a wireless connection I would recommend trying a land line for a day to see if the issue lies with the wireless connection.
• If you have multiple computers in the house connected to a router make sure no one is downloading/uploading files.  This will kill your bandwidth.
• If you have a wireless router make sure it is password protected.  People in your building/neighborhood could be siphoning off of your connection.
• Try closing/turning off everything on your system that uses the internet.  Close all browsers, background programs, etc…
• Check your firewall settings to ensure it is not clogging up your connection to WoW.
• Check your Router to make sure it has open ports, etc…

Mods!!

One of the biggest mistakes gamers make is running too damn many resource intensive mods.  Yeah you like them and they are neat.  Sure they do cool things.  But if you run too damn many of them that use up a lot of resources then suddenly WoW becomes WoWLaG.  And no one likes that game…

Go into WoW and play with all of your mods running.  Then go turn them ALL off.  And I mean ALL of them.  Don’t leave like 1 running.  They all go off.  And then go play WoW.  Even go zone somewhere and see how much faster that blue bar moves without the mods running.  If you use a good bit of mods it’s gonna blow your mind.

Some people fix their performance issues by only running certain mods while raiding/pvp’ing, and then turning all of them back on when elsewhere.  While others go find alternative mods that are light weight (meaning not resource intensive) to fix performance issues.  Either way you need to find out if mods are your problem.

So log in and play with all of your mods running and then with all of them off.  See what happens.  You can hover your mouse over the computer icon named “Game Menu (Escape)” and it will tell you how much AddOn Memory is being used, and what the top 3 AddOns are for memory usage.

Auctioneer (and similar mods) and Mail mods can use up a lot of memory btw.  And if you’re not in town, you don’t really need those AddOns running now do you?  Be smart about your AddOns.  That is all.

Video Settings!!

Yeah, this is probably gonna upset you.  Just a heads up…

Go into game and play a little bit.  Then go into your video settings and crank them all the way down.  Yeah, ALL the way down.  Drop them into the floor.  Game isn’t gonna look too pretty, but this will get my point across.

Now go play, preferably with a bunch of people in a raid or pvp.  And pay attention to how much of a performance increase you see in your game.  If your system is *SCREAMIN’* then you won’t see a difference at all.  If however your system falls short in some areas you will see a performance increase.

If you have issues with lag interfering with your game play then you need to consider altering your video settings.

Now, if you’re not sure what you did, or where things were there is this nice lil button named “Defaults”.  Push it and things go back to normal. 

How to make all of this work for you!!

By this point you should have a very solid idea of where your system sits as far as being able to run WoW.  You should be able to say whether your hardware needs some upgrades and whether your internet connection is up to speed.  You know how your system is affected by running a ton of mods and you should know whether your graphics settings are what is really lagging you.

It’s up to you to take the pieces of the puzzle and fit them all together.  If you cannot by this point, then I’m not the person to help you sadly.  You need much more in depth help than I am willing to offer.  But if you read everything here and did as I told you to do, then you should be fine.  And able to figure out on your own what the next step is. 

How is this supposed to up my game?!?!

If you are asking this question then you are more behind than you realize.  If you know what I am about to say next, then you’re moving along quite well.

Upping your game requires a well rounded approach to improve every aspect of you, the gamer.  So when you game there is more going on than just you.  There is your system performance, your communication skills, your key bindings and mods, your strategy, your reaction times, your team mates, etc…  Everything fits together to make the overall experience.

This is the first step.  Your system.  If your system sucks then it doesn’t matter if you are God’s gift to gaming.  You can only do so much.  So if you wanna “Up Your Game”, fix your system first.  This is just the first installment of many.

Keep in mind I really am one of the better gamers out there and I will lead you down the right path.  A lot of this is just common sense when you think about it.  If you are going to be a race car driver you want a really good car.  If you want to be a professional runner you want a really good pair of shoes.

The same applies here.  If you want to be a really good gamer, you need a good system.

Have questions?  Need answers?

Skeleton.Jack@hotmail.com

-Suffer Well Brothers and Sisters…