Dol Amroth

Krond the Longhorn – Dead

May 30, 2008 on 7:17 am | In Uncategorized | No Comments

With the Memorial Day Holiday this last weekend we had a considerably shortened raiding schedule (about 50% of our typical raid time) so that our members could pay tribute to those that have sacrificed so much and have some extra non-raiding time.

But on Tuesday night we came back to work and promptly dropped Breakneck, Master at Arms. We killed Breakneck without our top five tanks, in fact we did it with only our top three tanks – and the fight was 40 minutes less then the previous weeks kill. So the week certainly started off well. Wednesday went decently well as we began our learning on Krond the Longhorn, with our best attempt at 52% after Wednesday. With Thursday coming up (worst day in attendance for us) I wasn’t expecting anything better then a repeat performance of 52%. I was certainly in for a surprise.

The simple fact is I underestimate the members of this Alliance. Looking at the raid roster we had Thursday night we were not poised to get a first kill – it is that simple. Our damage potential was considerably lower then normal (low melee numbers) I did not feel we had the damage to sustain a long fight against Krond the Longhorn. I was certainly in for a surprise.

We returned to what we are good at. We returned to what we excel at. We are a defensive guild, we bring high tank numbers and high healing numbers. It proved to work out incredibly well. After the kill I thought about it a little and realized just what a round of poor luck that we had. Of his weapon selections he selected shield (low aggro from Main Tank) for an extended time. Our initial burn period only lasted until 89% before he went and grabbed the first set of weapons. So once again, bad luck.

So now we sit ready to begin another week of raiding on Sunday afternoon.

Recruitment – All Classes Open – 300 AA Minimum

Fortitude

May 21, 2008 on 10:08 pm | In Uncategorized | No Comments

Fortitude noun mental and emotional strength in facing difficulty, adversity, danger, or temptation courageously

With the farming done in Steamfactory we were prepared to enter Meldrath’s Majestic Mansion and face the first of many challenges that the zone will offer. Although there is nothing preventing you from doing the other events first, there is an event mechanic which gives you a strong indication of where to start. That indication is Breakneck, Master at Arms.

The first day we were in Meldrath’s Majestic Mansion we had considerable fun. When we opened a door Breakneck, Master at Arms could spawn along with a group of his adds. The adds are either Mezzable (Troopers), or not (Elites). Along with them spawning on top of your raid (yes on top) you deal Breakneck, Master at Arms himself. Really Breakneck is not that big of a deal. All he does is a Single Target Death Touch, an Area of Effect Death Touch, Wild Ramage (Area of Effect) and Single Target Rampage. No problem. If you lose aggro on Breakneck, Master at Arms the event resets. Being as there are four waves (four doors to trigger) to spawn the event this can be problematic. If you get to Wave 3 and he drops aggro you get to restart. That is what was frustrating.

After all of that (and it takes about 2 hours) you finally get to fight the final version of Breakneck, Master at Arms. To get to this point a guild must show determination, but not fortitude. Fortitude is something different, something unique which can be seen only at certain times. The following is an excerpt of my logs:

[Wed May 21 21:12:36 2008] You tell your raid, ‘GAME TIME’
[Wed May 21 22:38:25 2008] Breakneck, Master at Arms’s corpse utters a throaty, guttural growl as he is cut down.

For eighty five minutes, and fourty nine seconds we battled Breakneck, Master at Arms. There we no breaks and no lull in the action. The initial part of the fight saw us lose considerable resources at our disposal, primarily to the Single Target Death Touch. As time continued we learned from our mistakes, making the correct adaptations to the fight. We grew in understanding as a Guild. We showed the mental determination to succeed in our battles against Breakneck, Master at Arms.

This was the third time that we had seen Breakneck, Master at Arms in his final form. That’s all it took.

Recruitment
We’ve got room for all classes. Especially recruting DPS Classes, Cleric/Druid/Shaman and Enchanters.

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