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All of the latest Mists of Pandaria newsBreakfast Topic: Performance anxiety
by Zach Yonzon 
Mar 16th 2009 at 8:00AM
Mind you, I'm a founding officer of this guild, but the tryouts apply to me just the same. I respect that a lot, as it means that our GM looks at everything from a performance persective and not just because this or that person is a friend or this or that person has been with the guild a long time. This gives me a lot of confidence for Ulduar. While most of the game now is pretty casual, I guess there are still a precious few aspects that put butterflies in our stomach. Would you agree? Let's say, being the healer in a PUG. Do you feel the pressure to perform? Do you feel like you're under the microscope? Or being the new recruit in an Arena team, do you feel like you have to come up with the numbers to keep your slot? Or how about when your guild is going after Immortal or Undying? As easy as the game seems now, what situations give you some form of stage fright?
Filed under: Breakfast Topics
Reader Comments (Page 4 of 4)
Kalaith Mar 16th 2009 12:06PM
I like healing,. but i get stressed even at the best of times..
When i first hit 80 i tried healing an instance we ended giving up and i didn't start healing again for months afterward.
Now im feeling alot more confident, still stressed, but the better kind where its like omg everyones dieing how am i going to keep them alive, and managing to survive.
For every 5man now, I dont even have dps dodge large attacks like hol, gundrak (posion nova) easier just to heal thru it.
(Paladin healer)
Cailleach Mar 16th 2009 12:16PM
Me? I have a funny little thing called PRIDE. PUG, alliance run, or guild run, I work hard to perform at my best all the time. If I slack, or just get unlucky, or am just 'off', I get cranky at myself. (Sorry, Mikey, Smiley, Elm, and Nex, for last night's AN:OK run. None of you should have died. BAD HEALER!)
I get free passes to all raid runs, sure (I'm GM - c'mon, of course I can go when I want to), but that just increases the pressure. I'd better perform danged close to flawlessly so no-one can ever say the guild is carrying me because I am GM. Also, how can I ever expect 100% from my fellow raiders if I don't set the example?
If we need to send only the highest performers to Ulduar, and I'm not one of those, you can be danged sure I will be on vent, looking up info as needed, and helping, but I won't be in the raid. Tryouts sound like a great idea for hardcore guilds, although we're more the 'sign up, don't suck, we'll get it done' type guild.
Cailleach
Saints Of Elune
US Eonar-A
shyama Mar 16th 2009 12:50PM
Oddly enough I find I heal better in PuG's than I do with my guild for some reason (except in HoL... I really really hate that place). I feel a lot less pressure to perform well because it's less likely that I will ever play with these people again and if they don't like my healing no biggie.
The guild I'm in is still relatively small and good chunk of us (myself included) are still getting geared up for raids. I am quite aware that I'm not an astounding healer by any means. After spending the majority of my time as an enhancement shaman I still have much to learn in regards to healing. My guild knows this, but I still feel pressure to do well. I'm one of only 2 of two dedicated, full time healers in our guild, and if I can't do as well as I expect myself to do I take it kinda personally (even after being told many many times by guildies that whatever happens, happens, no one really cares).
Dim Mar 16th 2009 2:21PM
This is a good article cause my guild was running Naxx. for undying and every boss was a whiteknuckle experience as a healer. But don't get me wrong it was great fun to add a new goal to all these fights. But that doesn't mean I want to do them all the time. But its nice when doing a pug to be able to say that you are undying, its like an instant invite.
Gigantor1960 Mar 16th 2009 2:34PM
As a Shadow Priest not to much pressure except for Instructor Razuvious. When we get there I always get a little nervous because all eyes are on us. Even though we one shot him no problem last week I still do not look forward to that fight next week.
The only thing that helps me focus is the fact that he is standing in the way of easy loot and that a'int happening. Raz must die!
Cam Mar 16th 2009 3:23PM
I have a fear of 5-man heroics. I'm an ok to decently geared Healadin and I still get nervouse when it comes to the harder 5-man such as H UP, H OC, H HoL, or even H HoS. I don't dout my performance in raids because I'm always #1 or #2 on the healing meter (i know the healing meters are not very accurate but it makes me feel good about myself :P ) but I still worry about whether I'll be able to do well enough for 5-man heroics.
I know I suck at arena, so I willingly accept that. I also only do arenas with real life friends so I'm not concern about numbers there.
Joe Mar 16th 2009 9:35PM
To be honest, the post by Zach is so sad in the grand scheme of things.
Eventually Ulduar will be just another raid like Naxx and this whole businnes of tryouts will be extremely silly in a few months. There is a chance that Ulduar will stay on the difficulty meter like BT or Sunwell but even so, guilds that pull together are the ones that have successful runs.
Also, it's a pitty that guilds that are selective about people are the ones that have difficulty scraping people together to do runs. That uber MT or Healer's work schedule changes and now you're short people. It happens every time.
Zach, since you're an officer, please take some advice. Screw the tryouts. Make sure all your guild mates are welcome to go. Include more people in your 25-man Naxx runs and start doing full clears in one night. Don't do elitist 10-man runs on off nights. Start putting together regular runs that include the entire guild.
The more qualified people you have in your arsenal the more successful the guild will be.
Zach Mar 16th 2009 9:37PM
Our guild runs two Naxxramas groups already. Why do you think we need tryouts for Ulduar? One group is better equipped and more dedicated to clear it. It's that simple. It has nothing to do with elitism but a focus on trying to clear the content as fast as possible.
The faster we get Ulduar on farm, the easier it becomes to bring more guildmates and eventually run two groups like we do with Naxxramas.
Noscy Mar 16th 2009 6:22PM
I think the most pressure I had felt in game dated back to BC, in Gruul's Lair and Black Temple specifically. Where two in particular encounters up invariably appointed my mage to tank status.
Every time we came to these encounters, I would be on edge because if you missed that all important Spell Steal it would be all over. The timing of their spell cast was always dicey, as they would be completing their cast as your buff wore off.
My previous tanking experience didn't come as close to being as stressful as mage tanking.
The Claw Mar 16th 2009 7:39PM
"Or how about when your guild is going after Immortal or Undying?"
As someone who managed to sink an Undying attempt this week, I have to say HELL YES.
I love the pressure of trying to beat a tough fight. Sarth-3D? Massive adrenaline rush, I really wanted to execute it perfectly, and sure there were a couple of attempts where I noobed up and ate a flame wave or something, but it wasn't the end of the world, everyone was making mistakes while trying to push their dps or healing to the limit.
But Undying? One screwup, and it's "better luck next week guys". Now that caused me performance anxiety, and not in a fun way. And I don't think this game has ever made me feel as bad as when, not having done Naxx for nearly two months (no point, was only lured back by the achievement run), my fumble fingers forgot how to play and made me die in the most embarrassingly noob way possible - the Heigan dance. :-(
tgcam Mar 17th 2009 4:46AM
i always feel a little nervous around people i don't know. especially when being a healer. DPS isnt as bad cause your one of 3, but when healing the group kinda counts on you to do your job well. i usually do dungeons inside my guild, as it's a friends and family kind of guild and they're more forgiving towards screw ups. im not bad at healing mind you but some people will go nuts on you over the littlest things, so i kinda feel like i might be getting judged on my performance from outsiders when puging.
Sarabande Mar 20th 2009 11:50PM
I get nervous just doing Heroics. One reason I run with friends is because they know my play style and are also willing to help me learn. PuGs make me nervous. But even with friends I still get stage fright. I want them to see me improving and hate to let them down.
A good friend said "You're afraid of dying." I said "No, I have no problems with dying - I do that all the time, unless it leads to us failing to take down a boss. I'm afraid of getting everyone else killed."