Breakfast Topic: Fear is the mind-killer
by Matthew Rossi 
Mar 16th 2010 at 8:00AM
- If you are ranged DPS, do not be hitting the ranged mobs before they run around the corner.
- If you are a healer, please stand out of line of sight of the ranged mobs so that they don't start nuking you instead of running around the corner.
- Everyone just stay out of line of site until the mobs get here. Seriously. Do not run out to begin nuking until the mobs get here what the heck are you doing arrrrrrgh and then of course I need a new keyboard.
That's why I found this thread (especially the comments by Bornakk) so interesting. Are people just afraid of HHoR?
The initial comment Bornakk makes blames it more on laziness than fear, but I find the idea expounded upon later interesting, that it can be a combination of factors. The heroic I am most likely to drop and sit out the debuff is Heroic Nexus, because unless they'll let me tank it as fury in full DPS gear it is ridiculously boring for me to tank Nexus. Run around in a ring, mobs explode so fast you sometimes don't even get to target them, bosses that can be tanked by a mage because they die in like ten hits, healers can use drinking birds to keep up even a moderately geared tank, this is not an instance that holds up well to current gear levels. I'll sometimes just tank it while I read a book or eat something, but often I apologize to the group and drop, secure in the knowledge that they're in the queue now and will get a tank reasonably fast. That's how boring Nexus is.That being said, the same runaway gear that makes Nexus a snoozefest for me can make HHoR an absolute nightmare for a tank trying to gear up. I've done runs recently with two or three plate DPS in ICC 10/25 gear and a druid tank in iLevel 187 blues who just hit 80 - even after gearing up somewhat and having some epics can you imagine tossing new tank into the meat grinder of Divine Storms and Bladestorms ripping aggro off at a moment's notice? It's not always the instance that's scary, it can be the people you're running it with.
So how about it? Any instances you are afraid to run, hate running, or just hate PuGging?
Also, you can thank Adam Holisky for that image of Sting in his skivvies from Dune. He insisted. And he will kill me.
Filed under: Breakfast Topics
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 15)
Synchronizd Mar 16th 2010 8:06AM
That has to be the best line EVER. Thank you for the Dune reference.
ambermist Mar 16th 2010 9:31AM
I haven't even read the article and I got excited about the title. lol.
zandilar Mar 16th 2010 11:51AM
Personally, as someone who has healed it as a priest and shaman, I prefer being out in the open. The LOS issues most people seem to either ignore, or they get totally out of los for the healer. Thus you have to expose yourself to heal.
I generally prefer my priest above my shaman. Not only for the shields and pom.. but shackle. Those marksmen seem to have it in for me. One shackle and I am fine.. well at least until some dps decides they need to attack the shackle before the other mobs are down..
iHippie Mar 16th 2010 1:27PM
@zandilar
This. So much this. I hate standing in the stupid corner. Being a priest, it's so much easier to shackle one of the range. I can't imagine that Blizz designed that instance in such a way that standing in that stupid corner is the best strategy. Hell, most times I run it with a warrior tank and he does just fine picking up all the mobs when I force the group to stand out in the open. I hate that stupid corner so much....
andrew-isabelle Mar 16th 2010 2:28PM
Tanaris...desert planet
Pyromelter Mar 16th 2010 2:32PM
Funny, when I saw that title I thought of the Adam Freeland production Mind Killer http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iqoUDGJ4g2A&feature=related
Regarding HHoR, I love it. It's the closest thing to an actual raid level difficulty 5man we have. It's the only 5man my elemental non-healing specced shaman can't heal (although you are damn right i'll spam some chain heals or LHW's on party members if they are getting low). I agree with the above poster that being out in the open is a lot better (there is a crap ton of lag when you bunch up in that corner, and it's hard to see where you are with the camera and all that stacking of pixels). Especially if you are a warrior or a druid, the "hallway" method would be easier, running around collecting the mobs before the dps goes, but it seems everyone has settled on the alcove strat no matter what kind of tank you are.
Cor Mar 16th 2010 2:53PM
I would be surprised if Bliz designed that encounter to force us to stand in the corner. My guess is they designed it to try and get us to use CC again. The problem is the average player is more interested in being lazy and has been allowed/trained that way for so long they would rather drop the group then change. Also, CC is a skill that many have never learned or haven't used it in so long they are very rusty. Plus, great CC hurts your DPS rankings (and we all know Recount = Win!).
With CC and focus fire dps HHoR is not that bad.
What I fear is the average PUG player.
ROB13 Mar 16th 2010 8:05AM
Halls. Of. Freakin. Stone.
I get that god forsaken instance about 10 Times a day. Why? I don't know. That damn instance led me leaving the game for a month, because it's so freaking boring.
Olania Mar 16th 2010 8:32AM
Agreed. I have three 80s, and I swear I get HoS on at least one of them every day. Old Kingdom shows up several times a week as well. But at least with both of those you can skip most of the bosses, and most groups that just want thier two frost emblems are more than willing to get in and get out.
But my biggest hatred was Oculus. It was hellish before they nerfed it, and boring after they nerfed it. And right when the new LFG system went live - I got it every single day for about two weeks straight. I was bail, wait the timer, re-queue - and get it AGAIN. It stopped doing that thankfully... right around the time they added the reward bag and I WANTED occ for a chance at the mount. LMAO
Neyssa Mar 16th 2010 8:43AM
I read a comment somewhere on WoW.com that you can extend the lookout of heroic dungeons, thus reducing the chance that you will land in that as random. It is still possible, but less likely. I have not tried this yet but it seemed like a good idea.
VSUReaper Mar 16th 2010 8:58AM
QFT - I would rather have Occulus than HOS 6 times on 6 toons. At least in Occulus, there are extra badges and a chance at a drake. HOS has got to have one of, if not the worst boss encounters in all of wow - tank a ton of adds with no rage until the very end. Never matters what I do, I'm always struggling to pick up enough rage to grab that next pack until the very end where they come fast enough, and the golems are coming often enough that rage isnt an issue.
Hell, I was grinding out badges for my last piece of heirloom (I have bought literally ALL the others) and I got HOS 4 times in a row... on one toon. I told the group what had happened, I left, and didnt log on for the rest of the weekend.
Random is random, and I should get a reward for killing that place so often.
Anathemys Mar 16th 2010 9:30AM
I HATE Occulus, but not for the reasons you would think.
I hate that so many people hate it enough to drop group right at the beginning. Most times, upon zoning in, I will say "YES! I love how this place has EXTRA BADGES and EXTRA LOOT and how it got NERFED TO THE GROUND AND MADE IT SO EASY, A CAVEMAN COULD DO IT!!!" but this seldom works...
ARGH!
cendrekai Mar 16th 2010 9:47AM
I generally hate any instance that has the word "hall" in it. If does not matter which one.
Blacksheep Mar 16th 2010 10:22AM
omg, I get HOS every time, I'm not kidding. On my main, I've gotten HOS every time I've done a random for two or three weeks now. I run them every other day, or once every 3 days and it has literally, no joke, been HOS every single time. My guild thinks I'm cursed because they only get it when I'm there. If I get it again, I'm going to contact Blizz and make sure I'm not bugged or something.
HHOR? I don't even remember the last time I got one of the new dungeons and the last time I got HHOR was probably in January or December. Again, I do not kid, I'm not sure what is wrong here as I have a 5400GS so I'm not gear limited or anything. I think Blizz needs to account for previous dungeon run or something in it's random finder.
nerdrage Mar 16th 2010 11:16AM
-Oculus- notice that? 1 f**king c >< *nerdrage*
Alexander Mar 16th 2010 11:49AM
@ nerdrage
There also happens to be one C in "dick" as well, champ.
Tyr Mar 16th 2010 11:48AM
Halls of Stone ain't that bad tbh... Halls of lightning is more annoying; there's always one melee dps who dies 2/3 times because he doesn't understand the concept of whirlwind/cleave abilities.
On my tankadin, I loathe VH. That whole instance seems to be designed around spawning mobs 2 seconds after my divine plea runs out.
wyzim Mar 16th 2010 1:45PM
Halls of Lightning is a long instance but you can do only 2 bosses in Halls of Stone, so it is pretty fast. You can do H HoR in front of the altar(hall you enter the instance in), and ask dps to either follow the order according to type of mob(priest -> rogue -> mage or w/e) or pick tank's current target(switch with the tank).
Kloptops Mar 16th 2010 10:46PM
@Tyr
I really can't recommend getting 1 or 2 INT trinkets enough (the 45 emblem one & ToC 5 normal are what I use). I'm usually sitting at 44k HP self buffed with them. Divine plea dropping off means nothing, spam consecrate till your heart's content.
I also recommend spec'ing into seal of command, it's made tanking heroics fun again for me. This is after having 4 lvl 80's (3 tanks, 3 healers, 0 dps...).
ct Mar 16th 2010 8:08AM
DTK, because between four 80's, I get it the vast majority of the time. For instance, looking at my armory info, DTK last boss kills, about 150. Any other random boss, about 15-20..and it is like that for ALL my 80's. WHY?!