Shinigami
Saturday, 28th May 2005, 08:29
Found this on the US Raids and Dungeons forum. Full thread can be found here (http://forums.worldofwarcraft.com/thread.aspx?fn=wow-dungeons&t=44732&p=1&tmp=1#post44732)
10 tips for end-game instance training
From this forum, I sense many guilds or raid groups are encountering a hard time with Molte Core and Onyxia. This thread was NOT written to teach you how to beat a specific boss, because that's something you have to find out on your own. This thread is for the raid leaders on how to train your raid group, how to make the transition from Strath/Scholo/UBRS to Molten Core and Onyxia. There will be surely a lot of controversies in my post. All comments are welcome.
The tips are ranked in order of importance.
Tip 1: Eng-game instances are NOT casual. Everyone must listen, pay attention, and carry out the orders.
You can have 3 ppl slacking a bit in a UBRS and it's fine. For MC/Onyxia, don't even expect that. For some encounters, like Lord Kazzak and Baron Geddon, 1 person who doesn't pay attention is way enough to ruin the whole thing. No matter which way you communicate, either raid chat or voice, make sure EVERYONE is listening.
Tip 2: Record the raid, and uninvite those who are not ready yet for end-game instances.
I'm sorry to say some players in this game are not mature enough to participate in end-game instance. Either they can never take something very seriously, or they are too young to think like a soldier in an army. The leader should assign one person to frap (video record) each boss fight and keep a detailed battle log. You should leave space for people to learn from errors, but if some person just keeps making mistakes, don't hesitate to kick him out. Do it in a polite way, because it is to the benefit of the whole raid group.
Tip 3: Do some research before fighting a boss and assign a person with good speaking and typing skills to explain the encouter
Nearly every boss in MC can be killed by using one strategy and ONLY that strategy. People have created variated versions of strategy, but the basic idea is the same. The leader should do a comprehensive research on that boss before starting the raid, and make sure the strategy the right one. There are many online resources, and you can also join a PvP server as a level 1 and seek help (someone might help you, but no guarantee). Before the encounter, give everyone a detailed explanation of what's going on. Cover everything. AND MAKE THEY ARE LISTENING. Be ready to boot anyone at anytime who's not listening.
Tip 4: Require members to download addons for end-game bosses
There are several addons around there that are extremely helpful for end-game bosses. I know there are the "CQ" series for MC bosses and Onyxia. They are available from www.curse-gaming.com. They are extremely small files, and you can get it in a snap even with dial-up. I can't tell you how useful these addons are. You have to try them yourself and you will never regret. Make sure everyone in the raid is equipped with this addons, and if some are not, follow Tip 1: "here's a portal to Ironforge for you."
Tip 5: Schedule all major raids with date, time, and how long
As I said before, end-game instances are not casual; they are time-consuming and ought to be a part of your life. A typical MC raid lasts from 3 - 5 hours, and the leader'd better "make an appointment" with the guildies. Post a message of the day for the upcoming raids, so that members can arrange their RL events accordingly. Also state how long the raid will last approximately, and emphasize YOU DON'T HAVE TO COME IF YOU CAN'T STAY THAT LONG. You can find out people start to get frustrated when people keep saying "thank you for invite guys, i gtg, gl!" The leader should also keep an eye on those who afk a lot. Good end-game players also farm during the day to get potions and things for the upcoming raid (I always farm herbs before the raid to make mana potions, and I drink a lot of them). This may sound harsh. But again, end-game instances are not for everyone. It is a game, but it is also a commitment. I do respect those who have RL commitments and can't devote themselves to MC etc.
Tip 6: Never expect to get a boss on the first try. The golden key to end-game instances: keep trying and never give up.
If you raid beats a boss on the first try ever, that means either the boss is too easy or you guys are too good. It's a truth that no matter how well you teach the raid group on a boss, people learn the most from real encounters. The first try is no more than letting people get used to the graphics. And if you find out someone who's pissed and even says something nasty because of wipes, it's time for them to use the Ironforge portal. I know stories in which a guild failed about 30 times on Onyxia and finally got her. The beauty of end-game instances is "if he's a boss created by Blizzard, he can be killed, if you keep trying."
Tip 7: Teach the raid group on basic raid techniques and practice them.
Just like the basic techniques in football (block, pass, tackle), there are basic techniques for end-game raids. Some examples are rotation healing, off-tank, peeling, spam decursing/cleansing, conserving mana, OOC rezzing, assisting, switching target, letting-MT-get-aggro. Each class should know its corresponding techniqye by heart, and when the leader refers to these techniques, everyone knows what to do.
Tip 8: Make sure there's only ONE leader
Democracy should be celebrated in real life but not in end-game instances. A good raid group should have a good leader, and everyone else should obey without questions. You may have different opinions on the strategy, but you should follow the leader's orders until he/she changes his/her mind. Try not to question the strategy in public chat. Assume your leader has done a good job on researching the boss, and use whispers if you need to say something.
Tip 9: If your group still has problems with loots, you are not ready for end-game instances.
Looting policy should be crystally crystal clear before you take off. If anyone moans (to an annoying degree), challenges, dislikes the way loots are distributed, don't wait a second to show them where the Ironforge portal is. On this issue I have more to say. An experienced end-game player should care about more about the accomplishment than the loot. I'm not being superfacial, because this is why. If your group can kill Majordomo this time, chances are you can kill him everytime from now on. So, as long as you do your job well, you will get what you want sooner or later. On the other hand, if you keep whining and piss everyone off, your end-game career might end here. I assure you it will take you a long time to start it over again.
Tip 10: Ignore others. Focus on yourself.
It's possible that there are other guilds on your sever which are way ahead in end-game accomplishments. For outdoor bosses, you can do nothing, because there's only 1 Azuregos/Kazzak out there to kill. But for Molten Core and Onyxia, the leader should encourage people to ignore them. Every guild is different. Use disciplinary actions on those who keep whining.
P.S. I have put a lot of effort in writting these tips. I hope they could help you make your dream come true.
10 tips for end-game instance training
From this forum, I sense many guilds or raid groups are encountering a hard time with Molte Core and Onyxia. This thread was NOT written to teach you how to beat a specific boss, because that's something you have to find out on your own. This thread is for the raid leaders on how to train your raid group, how to make the transition from Strath/Scholo/UBRS to Molten Core and Onyxia. There will be surely a lot of controversies in my post. All comments are welcome.
The tips are ranked in order of importance.
Tip 1: Eng-game instances are NOT casual. Everyone must listen, pay attention, and carry out the orders.
You can have 3 ppl slacking a bit in a UBRS and it's fine. For MC/Onyxia, don't even expect that. For some encounters, like Lord Kazzak and Baron Geddon, 1 person who doesn't pay attention is way enough to ruin the whole thing. No matter which way you communicate, either raid chat or voice, make sure EVERYONE is listening.
Tip 2: Record the raid, and uninvite those who are not ready yet for end-game instances.
I'm sorry to say some players in this game are not mature enough to participate in end-game instance. Either they can never take something very seriously, or they are too young to think like a soldier in an army. The leader should assign one person to frap (video record) each boss fight and keep a detailed battle log. You should leave space for people to learn from errors, but if some person just keeps making mistakes, don't hesitate to kick him out. Do it in a polite way, because it is to the benefit of the whole raid group.
Tip 3: Do some research before fighting a boss and assign a person with good speaking and typing skills to explain the encouter
Nearly every boss in MC can be killed by using one strategy and ONLY that strategy. People have created variated versions of strategy, but the basic idea is the same. The leader should do a comprehensive research on that boss before starting the raid, and make sure the strategy the right one. There are many online resources, and you can also join a PvP server as a level 1 and seek help (someone might help you, but no guarantee). Before the encounter, give everyone a detailed explanation of what's going on. Cover everything. AND MAKE THEY ARE LISTENING. Be ready to boot anyone at anytime who's not listening.
Tip 4: Require members to download addons for end-game bosses
There are several addons around there that are extremely helpful for end-game bosses. I know there are the "CQ" series for MC bosses and Onyxia. They are available from www.curse-gaming.com. They are extremely small files, and you can get it in a snap even with dial-up. I can't tell you how useful these addons are. You have to try them yourself and you will never regret. Make sure everyone in the raid is equipped with this addons, and if some are not, follow Tip 1: "here's a portal to Ironforge for you."
Tip 5: Schedule all major raids with date, time, and how long
As I said before, end-game instances are not casual; they are time-consuming and ought to be a part of your life. A typical MC raid lasts from 3 - 5 hours, and the leader'd better "make an appointment" with the guildies. Post a message of the day for the upcoming raids, so that members can arrange their RL events accordingly. Also state how long the raid will last approximately, and emphasize YOU DON'T HAVE TO COME IF YOU CAN'T STAY THAT LONG. You can find out people start to get frustrated when people keep saying "thank you for invite guys, i gtg, gl!" The leader should also keep an eye on those who afk a lot. Good end-game players also farm during the day to get potions and things for the upcoming raid (I always farm herbs before the raid to make mana potions, and I drink a lot of them). This may sound harsh. But again, end-game instances are not for everyone. It is a game, but it is also a commitment. I do respect those who have RL commitments and can't devote themselves to MC etc.
Tip 6: Never expect to get a boss on the first try. The golden key to end-game instances: keep trying and never give up.
If you raid beats a boss on the first try ever, that means either the boss is too easy or you guys are too good. It's a truth that no matter how well you teach the raid group on a boss, people learn the most from real encounters. The first try is no more than letting people get used to the graphics. And if you find out someone who's pissed and even says something nasty because of wipes, it's time for them to use the Ironforge portal. I know stories in which a guild failed about 30 times on Onyxia and finally got her. The beauty of end-game instances is "if he's a boss created by Blizzard, he can be killed, if you keep trying."
Tip 7: Teach the raid group on basic raid techniques and practice them.
Just like the basic techniques in football (block, pass, tackle), there are basic techniques for end-game raids. Some examples are rotation healing, off-tank, peeling, spam decursing/cleansing, conserving mana, OOC rezzing, assisting, switching target, letting-MT-get-aggro. Each class should know its corresponding techniqye by heart, and when the leader refers to these techniques, everyone knows what to do.
Tip 8: Make sure there's only ONE leader
Democracy should be celebrated in real life but not in end-game instances. A good raid group should have a good leader, and everyone else should obey without questions. You may have different opinions on the strategy, but you should follow the leader's orders until he/she changes his/her mind. Try not to question the strategy in public chat. Assume your leader has done a good job on researching the boss, and use whispers if you need to say something.
Tip 9: If your group still has problems with loots, you are not ready for end-game instances.
Looting policy should be crystally crystal clear before you take off. If anyone moans (to an annoying degree), challenges, dislikes the way loots are distributed, don't wait a second to show them where the Ironforge portal is. On this issue I have more to say. An experienced end-game player should care about more about the accomplishment than the loot. I'm not being superfacial, because this is why. If your group can kill Majordomo this time, chances are you can kill him everytime from now on. So, as long as you do your job well, you will get what you want sooner or later. On the other hand, if you keep whining and piss everyone off, your end-game career might end here. I assure you it will take you a long time to start it over again.
Tip 10: Ignore others. Focus on yourself.
It's possible that there are other guilds on your sever which are way ahead in end-game accomplishments. For outdoor bosses, you can do nothing, because there's only 1 Azuregos/Kazzak out there to kill. But for Molten Core and Onyxia, the leader should encourage people to ignore them. Every guild is different. Use disciplinary actions on those who keep whining.
P.S. I have put a lot of effort in writting these tips. I hope they could help you make your dream come true.