A Revisit of Ask Mr Robot

I wanted to reiterate just how useful Ask Mr Robot is to players of all experience levels.  If you haven't checked out my post Product Recommendation: Ask Mr Robot, I would urge you to take a look at it. In that post, I gave some links where you can go to download the addon, and I gave a brief instruction on how to use the program through its parent website.

This is a program that I think will impress you, if you're willing to spend the in-game gold to follow it. The first time I used it on my shaman, I saw a considerable difference in his DPS. I've never been a big user of addons, but this has quickly become one that I like, use, and now recommend to others.

The best part, for me, is the fact that I don't need an account and I don't need to pay to use the addon or the website. I prefer being anonymous, as evidenced by the alias I write everything under.

If you prefer seeking advice for what gear to upgrade, there is a "Valor Upgrades" section on the website. The information is mostly just a general guide of what type of gear you should upgrade first. It is not nearly as personalized as the "Optimize Your Character" section, but if you're seeking some general advice on valor upgrades you might consider giving it a read.

Finally, a word of caution, if you use the website to optimize your character, the gear it lists may be outdated if you just got new pieces. So, check to see if it has your new gear listed.  If it doesn't, press the "Update (from armory)" button and then check again.  If it still hasn't updated, then that means the World of Warcraft Armory hasn't registered your new gear.  You may have to log out of the game to get the Armory to update.

Past Blog Summary

Over the course of writing this blog, I've found its easier for the older content to fade into the background, simply because its older, and not because its worse. So, what I'd like to do is organize some of the links to past posts and point out ones you might be interested in reading.

About Whomp is simply my reason for doing all of this. I sincerely think too much attention is paid to the hard-core crowd, and too little information is out there for players who don't want to dig for it.

Getting into a Flexible Raid and General Raid Information: Siege of Orgrimmar are geared towards players that are really just beginning to dip their toes into raiding. If you've done only a few raids, or you've only done Looking for Raid groups, these posts will help you to understand the basics of what flexible raids entail and how you can join them. The information is very basic, but it can be useful to people who don't know it.

Then, if you're looking to improve your skills as a player and your effectiveness in raids, I would recommend you check out Review: Icy Veins and The Importance of Surviving.  These posts delve into the more complicated aspects of playing World of Warcraft, such as rotations, talent makeups, and DPS rankings, as well as group expectations and personal skill improvement.

Finally, if you're looking to expand your knowledge of the World of Warcraft community, or you enjoy when I rant about the bad behavior of others, you can check out Analysis of Another Blog: WoW Insider and 4 Signs You're Becoming Elitist.

I hope this helps you find something that interests you.  Any comments you may have are appreciated.

Check out the Articles

Recently, I've written a few articles that I thought you might like to look through.  You can find them in the "Articles" section of the navigation bar.

The first, "Suggested Reading:  Noxxic" details how the website "Noxxic" can help you build your knowledge on how to play your character and build a foundation on which you can expand.  I feel if you don't know your character, then you're essentially going into a fight only partially equipped.  So, I would recommend that you read this article before anything else.

The second article I've written is the first in what should be a series of raid boss articles. "How To Raid Immerseus on Flex" should describe the Immerseus fight by breaking it down into the boss, the layout, the positioning, and the abilities he uses.  Then, I wrote separate sections on how each role would look at the fight, so that it feels somewhat personalized.  I tried to be concise and straight-forward without overloading you with information.

The third article I plan on writing should address the problem of bad raid groups or not getting any group invites through suggestions that will help you increase your gear level, select better groups, and connect with other players, without endangering your privacy.  It should be in the "Articles" section tomorrow, so I'd urge you to check it out as well.

In the future, I will be writing more articles about the other bosses in Siege of Orgrimmar and posting them in the "Articles" section as well. As always, if you have any questions or comments, you can reach me through the "Contact Me" section of my webpage.

The Importance of Surviving

Lost in all the numbers talk of World of Warcraft is the very real fact that numbers mean nothing if you don't live through the fight. How many times do you see someone who is lighting up the DPS meters but is also lying face down on the floor. It has always been my assertion that helpfulness to the group is more important than the numbers everyone is so proud of displaying.

Sadly, Recount doesn't measure helpfulness. So, most people focus on the numbers, stand in the wrong places, and die quickly. This may be due to a lack of knowledge, but it can also be simply a lack of awareness.

So, I wanted to direct you to a post I found most interesting because it stresses the point that a character who survives a fight is helpful to the group, and someone who doesn't is relatively useless, regardless of the numbers.

Hamlet, the author of this post, asserts that not dying is a skill, that can be improved. Survivability should trump all other concerns, because if you don't survive, nothing else matters. He then goes into thorough, almost philosophical, detail on how to improve that skill.

I would recommend a read through it, because one of the surest ways you can be an asset to your raid group is to make sure you're always one of the last ones to die.  In fact, I think you should take pride in how long you survive a fight, not just in your ability to do a fight.

If you'd like to see the post, click here.

Analysis of Another Blog: WoW Insider

When I was glancing through other blogs that deal with raiding and World of Warcraft, I found the "WoW Insider" blog and website to be quite interesting.  They are run by a group of 27 different authors with considerable World of Warcraft experience.

The style is quite humorous and engaging, with many pictures and videos to keep the interest.  In fact, I found their post "WoW Moviewatch:  Stuff WoW Elitists Say" especially funny because we have all been in situations where people flaunt their experience and/or skill over us. Those of us with some experience can easily fall into the trap of flaunting as well.  Its a cautionary tale on what to avoid.

They seem really plugged-in to the pulse of World of Warcraft, with up-to-date news about what is going on in World of Warcraft now, and about the changes that the upcoming expansion, Warlords of Draenor, will bring.  I also like the "WoW Rookie" section because it tailors to the casual or inexperienced player, rather than assuming everyone who reads has completely dedicated their lives to World of Warcraft.

There are only a few drawbacks.  The number of authors means there are very few ties between each individual post, leading to a somewhat disjointed blog.  Also, some of the sections are considerably outdated.  For instance, the "Ready Check" section is about raids that are now 2 years old, which erodes away at some of its relevance.

Overall, I'd recommend this blog for those looking for where World of Warcraft is going in the future.  The information will not make or break your performance in World of Warcraft, but it can be fascinating and humorous if you enjoy reading about the game in your spare time.

You can find this site by visiting http://wow.joystiq.com/.

4 Signs You're Becoming Elitist

We've all encountered them, and I personally think we've all been them at some time. The elitist is that player in World of Warcraft who has seemingly done everything with both hands tied behind their back, blindfolded, and hopping on one foot. You've done something, they've done it better and faster. Like the 1-up person, only with a game. So, here's a short list of indicator signs that might be telling you you're drifting into elitist territory

1.  "Noob" or "newb"
Do you constantly refer to the people as "noobs" or "newbs?" If so, its quite possible you're straying into elitist territory. These words carry a heavy undertone of resentment and the general feeling that you are looking down on someone.

2.  "Yeah, that's easy" or "I've solo'd that!"
This is probably the biggest reason why elitists are like 1-uppers. What does this statement really mean. When someone says they're having difficulty doing something, only to have someone else say "yeah, that's easy," its like saying "you suck, and I'm awesome." This is actually a really easy thing to say without thinking about it, but the message you send is loud and clear.

3.  Referencing Past Expansion Packs
I'll admit it, I'm guilty of doing this one quite a few times. When the phrase "well, back when I played in..." comes out of your mouth you're doing one of two things. You're either reminiscing on old times, or showing how experienced you are. Most people say they're reminiscing, but, truth be told, they've got their chests puffed out in pride while doing so.

4.  Linking Meters
So, you're minding your own business, playing World of Warcraft,when suddenly a list of 10 names pops up in guild chat. What a surprise, the guild-mate who linked his DPS meter in guild chat is at the top or near the top of the chart. Like a good guildie, you congratulate them, only to find yourself staring at another DPS meter 30 minutes later. Why do they feel the need to link them?  For the congratulations of course, and that should be a word of warning right there.

Review: Icy Veins

The internet is filled with websites that give raid advice and class advice for the World of Warcraft. Http://www.icy-veins.com/, or "Icy Veins" is one of those websites.  It has been recommended to me on several occasions as a resource for understanding raids and classes better.  Personally, I find its layout and descriptions both good and bad.

The positive part of Icy Veins is in how thorough it is.  It goes into detail about every fight and about what each role and class can do during each fight.  It has lists of the abilities that each boss will use and what those abilities do.  It also gives an in-depth description of the boss's health, as well as the health of anything else that will enter the fight.

The strategy and layout sections are relatively straight-forward, though it is hard to relay the layout of a room without pictures to go with it.  Finally, there is a section at the end for what to do when the same boss is being raided on heroic mode.  This means that most of the information you could need on a raid boss is accumulated all on the same page, making it a one-stop resource.

However, I also find the information a bit overwhelming.  The pages make for an awful lot of reading, meaning the chances of remembering all of it will be slim.  Also, the information they give is clearly written for raids that are more difficult than flex.

The assumption that the website makes is that if someone knows the mechanics of a normal or a heroic raid, then they should be able to do easier raids.  This is actually a fairly intelligent assumption, since there are very little mechanical differences between flex raids and normal raids. The only differences between flex and normal are in the group makeups and boss health.  For instance, Icy Veins suggests 2 to 3 healers for a 10 man group, and 5 to 7 for a 25 man group, but flex raids can have anywhere between 10 and 25.

Therefore, I would recommend this site to experienced raiders looking to raid normal and heroic raids, or individuals that enjoy reading thorough descriptions of the fights they want to do. Overall, I'd give this website 4 out of 5 stars because it clearly has a lot of information to offer and only a few drawbacks.

Product Recommendation: Ask Mr Robot

Getting a character ready for raiding in World of Warcraft usually breaks players into one of two categories.  There are those who want to build their characters organically, and those that want to do all the research they have to in order to make the best character they could make.

Between gems, enchants, and the reforging, there is room for personalization in your character's statistics.  There is nothing wrong with building a character the way you see fit, or building a character to be the best mathematical version of itself.

Regardless of where you fall in these opinions, there's a product that my guild and I have used to bypass the tedious research involved in optimizing a character. 

Its an addon program called "Ask Mr Robot."  It makes recommendations on how to gem, enchant, and reforge your character's gear in order to maximize his/her performance in the game.  It brings the sophistication of hard-core character research to even the newest of player.

This addon can be downloaded  through its host website http://www.askmrrobot.com/ or from http://www.curse.com/addons/wow/askmrrobot. It is very useful in-game for providing optimal suggestions on how to build your character's statistics.

If, for whatever reason, you don't feel comfortable downloading this addon, you can go to the website 

http://www.askmrrobot.com/, and access the program there.  There is no payment required or account that needs to be made. 

All you have to do is go to the website and select "Optimize Your Character".  You simply put in what country you're in, what server you play on, and then input your character's name.  The page it will give you a list of all the gear you have, and lists of which gems, enchants, and reforges you should have on each piece.

The only caution I will give is that it may end up being expensive in-game.  There's no money required to use the addon or the website, but the changes Ask Mr Robot will ask you to make may require hundreds or thousands of in-game gold to buy the gems, enchants, and reforges.  The first time you use it to adjust your gear will be the most costly, then you should only have to update your gear when you get new pieces, and this should be much less expensive.

If you're dedicated to getting into some raids, I would highly recommend downloading this addon or checking out this website because the Ask Mr Robot program is a very useful tool in maximizing your character.

Getting into a Flexible Raid

Flexible raid groups are more complicated to get into than looking for raid groups.  You will not be automatically put into a flexible raid group.  Instead, you will be put on a list or "queue" and groups will choose whether to invite you to their group based on what role you fill (tank, healer, or DPS), the class you play, and the gear level you are listed at.  I will introduce how to get on that list so you'll better understand how to join other groups.

The best way to access the flexible raid queue is to press the "o" button while in-game.  This brings up a menu with four tabs on the bottom, the last of which is named "Raid."  Once you click on this, you'll see a button at the top named  "Other Raids" (see left picture), which is where you'll find what you're looking for.

The menu this button opens (bottom picture) has a lot of options, but the flexible raids for Siege of Orgrimmar are listed under the heading "Mists of Pandaria Raid (Flex)".  You can select the role(s) you wish to take by checking the shield (tank), positive sign (healer), or the dagger (DPS) at the top.  Then, all you need to do is check which flexible raids you wish to queue for and press the "List My Name" button when you're ready.  If you wish to attach any notes to your name, you can type them into the bottom of the window before listing your name.


Each flex boss will drop either gear, gold, or a miscellaneous chest for each player that participated in taking them down, but they will only do so once a week.

However, the flex raids reset once you exit out of them. This means it is entirely possible to do the same flex raid multiple times in a day if you haven't beaten all the bosses.

For instance, you might queue up for Vale of Eternal Sorrow and get invited to a flex group. That group may only do the first boss before disbanding for some reason. You can still join another group immediately after leaving the previous one.  You may have to do the same boss over again, but you can still get things from the other 3 bosses in that raid.

Note that you do not have to start at the beginning of a raid every time, groups can invite you even if they're on the last boss, so it is good to keep track of which bosses you've done for the week and communicate with groups to see whether they're going to do the bosses you need.

General Raid Information: Siege of Orgrimmar

Siege of Orgrimmar is the highest level raid in World of Warcraft at this time.  It is basically a raid who's storyline revolves around bringing down the orc leader Garrosh Hellscream.  There are four different options of raid groups that can run it, and they are as follows:

• Looking for raid groups - these groups consist of 25 players and can be queued into without the need to form a group beforehand.  They're the most forgiving type of raid, since the game will actually buff you if you fail with a good effort.
• Flexible raid groups - these groups can consist of anywhere between 10 and 25 players.  The bosses will hit harder and do more things depending on how many players you add to the group.
• Normal raid groups - these "normal" raids come in 10 or 25 player form.  They're not recommended for groups that are less than 10 or 25 players strong, and they are more difficult than flexible raid groups
• Heroic raid groups - these basically follow the same format as normal raids.  They come in the 10 or 25 player variety, but they are harder than all other groups and require considerable skill.

I will be explaining flexible raid groups, or "flexes", in this raid guide because these are raid groups that require knowledge of the fights and because they are far less forgiving than looking for raid groups.  In addition, what you learn about flexible raids can be applied to normal raids when you're ready for it.

It's important to note that the name "Siege of Orgrimmar" is a bit misleading, because the game actually breaks the raid up into pieces for you.  You won't have to do all the raid bosses until you run normal and heroic raid groups.  The Siege of Orgrimmar is split up into 4 pieces for flexible raid groups, and those pieces are:

• Vale of Eternal Sorrow - consists of the first four bosses, Immerseus, Fallen Protectors, Norushen, and Sha of Pride.
•  Gates of Retribution - consists of bosses 5 through 8, Galakras, Iron Juggernaut, Kor'kron Dark Shaman, and General Nazgrim.
•  Underhold - consists of bosses 9 through 11, Malkorok, Spoils of Pandaria, and Thok the Bloodthirsty.
• Downfall - consists of bosses 12 through 14, Siegecrafter Blackfuse, Paragons of the Klaxxi, and the final boss, Garrosh Hellscream.

In the future, I will break down each boss fight, starting with Immerseus.  I will explain the setups and the strategies and give tips on what to look for based on the role you have in the raid group.  Hopefully this will make your fights easier and your raiding more enjoyable.

About Whomp

I've played World of Warcraft nearly since its inception in 2004.  From the original World of Warcraft to its current expansion, Mists of Pandaria, I have run dungeons and raids with the hardcore gamers and the casual players.  I've played a variety of different classes and races throughout that time, learning how to play all the different roles in the game. 

As a player that has seen the game from a variety of different angles, I have noticed a knowledge gap that exists.  Newer players or casual players are expected to know the fights of a raid instantaneously, which is an unrealistic expectation.  The in-game "Looking for Raid" feature only briefly introduces players to fights, without really teaching them what is going on.

This leads to players who have to either learn about the fights through experience or learn about them through research.  Trying to learn through experience means they will likely make mistakes that can turn a group against them.  The drama and the anger that can result from this is enough to make a player never try to raid again.  Learning through research means sifting through videos and paragraphs of information.  For those without a photographic memory, or those who don't want to take notes for a game, this is a turn-off as well.

Therefore, this site will serve as a guide for World of Warcraft raiding and strategy.  I will compile my knowledge as well as point out the best sources of information in hopes of making everyone's gaming experience better.  I believe that everyone can be equipped with knowledge that will make groups easier.  By doing this, World of Warcraft can be more enjoyable for all.