quondam

\KWAHN-duhm; KWAHN-dam\, adjective:
Having been formerly; former; sometime.

Example:  My quondam ability to post on schedule is sure to return once exams and the holidays are over!

So I finally hit 80!  Time to run some heroics and raids, right?

Nope.  Instead of skipping right to raiding and heroics, I took a trip to regular Oculus with a couple other newly 80 guildies, and a couple not so newly 80.  And it turns out running something on regular was a really good idea.  It turns out I haven’t run any instances since around 72-73… and other than those 4 times I ran instances then, I haven’t run a 5-man instance in many a month.  I was rusty, it was pretty clear.  I was running around all flummoxed, not used to it being more than just Hanno and me.

No sending my gorilla in and rounding things up, then volleying.  No, now I have to pay attention to which target I and my pet are on!  And I have to pay attention to when my cooldowns are up!  I admit I forgot to use kill shot about half the run… even though it gives me a little notice when I can use it, I’m so used to ignoring the notice that I just seemed to skip it.

But in the end, I started to get back into the swing of things.  I am glad I had guildies there to not think I was a total noob.

You shoulda seen me running around trying to find the entrance to the instance.  I’ve decided the minimap should be 3 dimensional.

If I’d PUG’d myself, I’d have kicked myself before the run even started!

Anyway, it was hunter night in Oculus apparently, and I could have picked up 3 upgrades.  I grabbed the [Wyrmclaw Battleaxe], the [Centrifuge Core Cloak] and passed on the [Spaulders of Skillful Maneuvers] since I’m going to be making new shoulders soon anyway (but I won the roll for the shard!)

All in all, it was nice to be back to running things and being part of a group.

While I didn’t get to go to Naxxramas, <Unemployed> had quite a successful week.  The got quite a few bosses down.  I just hope I get a chance to get in there before they clear it all!

Brajana – Level 80 Troll Hunter

• Skinning: 450
• Leatherworking: 424
• First Aid: 450
• Fishing: 392
• Cooking: 400

<Unemployed> had their first ‘official’ Naxxramas raid last night.  I obviously didn’t go, since I’m not near 80 yet and I was out seeing Quantum of Solace, so I missed the action and how it went.  But seeing the roster of who had signed up to raid on Tuesday and who actually went has brought up some concerns I’ve had.

There were about 16-17 level 80 characters signed up with hopes of raiding with the guild last night.  This is understandable, since just a couple of months ago, we were having 25+ people sign up for raiding regularly, and we’ve gotten several new recruits since our BC raiding days.

But Naxx is only a 10 man raid.  Which means once our 25 raiders get to 80, only 10 of them will be getting to raid each night.  We could possibly build a second group if we have proper class balance, but even then, that means at least 5 people are being left out each raid night.  And I think there is a limit to how often people would like to be told to go run heroics instead, since eventually that’s not what they’ll be wanting to sign up for.

One of the things I have been most excited about is getting into the new raids and being present for some more guild first, feeling like I’m part of a team who works together 3 days a week.  Although I’m not a raid leader and I don’t really get to hear about the decisions the leaders make about who gets to go, these are the only possibilities I can see coming to pass:

1. We run 2 groups, 1 of the ‘top geared heavy hitters’ and 1 of the people who took too long to get to 80.
2. We swap around groups, alternating which people are in which group, thus causing problems coordinating people and strategies since there are no solid teams, and leaving people disappointed for being benched at the last minute.
3. Raid nights get split up, and we have two groups running different days, so those with multiple 80s can get in on the action every day of the week, and people don’t have to deal with being benched when they are sitting there waiting for invites at raid time.

I can’t really say which option I think is the best.  They all have pretty big downsides, and I do not look forward to any drama to come.

I understand that the guild wants to do what’s best for the guild as a whole, and that a lot of people are focused on progressing as quickly as possible.  Which means, since it is taking me a couple more weeks than everyone else to get to 80, I may not get much chance of raiding with the people I want to, or with the frequency I’d like.  It’s likely I’ll be the 5th hunter in <Unemployed> to reach level 80, which makes my prospects of getting into a 10 man raid pretty grim.  But my concern is not just for myself, I don’t want any of our raiders feeling left out.

I’d like to say, I do not regret my decision to take things slow in Wrath.  I’m really enjoying each level and the experiences I’m gaining through them.  I’m glad I focused on school when it was necessary, and spending my weekends with my dear Dwarf Hunter are much more important than rushing to 80.  I just hope my decision doesn’t cost me in the end.

I can’t be the only person who is flummoxed by the math here.  I’m sure there are other guilds who had 25 raiders who are returning and looking for more of the same intense progression and action.  It’s a tough decision, and I do not envy any raid leaders who have to make it.  How do you take 25+ people and stick them into a raid that only fits 10 (or possibly 20)?

Brajana – Level 78 Troll Hunter

• Skinning: 450
• Leatherworking: 424
• First Aid: 418
• Fishing: 392
• Cooking: 400

Since I’ve hit 77 and I can fly again, I decided that it is time to get my leatherworking on.  Coincidentally, last night Tharaks (on his 78 mage, Trimk) proposed we do some AoE grinding.

Boy was it fun!  We headed out to the Basin and we’d get on our mounts, we’d each head in a different direction, meet in the middle and AoE down 6 or 7 mobs at once.  Even got him some herbs from the flower mob thingies!

I picked up about 120 [Borean Leather], which isn’t that much when you make it heavy, but with the leather I’d already picked up from questing in Sholazar, it was enough to get me from 413 to 421!  I made a couple [Bag of Endless Pockets] for Raks and another guildy, and went and picked up a couple new patterns.

I put my giant list to use and figured out what upgrades I wanted to have ready for when I hit 78.

I spent another hour farming [Icy Dragonscales].  They drop more than I was expecting, and I had 40 pretty quickly.  I decided to make [Dragonstompers] now, since they only require level 77, and then once the servers are back up after today’s extended maintenance I’ll farm some more so I can craft up my [Eaglebane Bracers].

Oh, and I need to figure out where to farm [Eternal Fire] for my [Virulent Spaulders], no way I’m paying 120 gold for 2 of ‘em!  I was a little flummoxed about whether the upgrade was worth it, because new shoulders will break my T5 healy pet bonus, which I love to bits and pieces… but I figure I can always keep my [Rift Stalker Mantle] on hand for when my pet might be taking serious damage.

Brajana – Level 77 Troll Hunter

• Skinning: 450
• Leatherworking: 422
• First Aid: 413
• Fishing: 392
• Cooking: 400