WoW Moviewatch: Cataclysm Heroics Are Hard
by Michael Gray 
Jan 3rd 2011 at 12:00PM
They're not impossible. However, the heroics do require things like a smattering more crowd control, more coordination, and definitely more time than Wrath heroics. It's definitely feasible and not too bad when you get a group willing to work together, but boy, has it been a bit harsh for some people.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 4)
Jasteus Jan 3rd 2011 12:04PM
OMG lol yes!
Sumanai Jan 3rd 2011 12:11PM
GO GO GO GO GO!
cracks me up every time! :D
Larith Jan 3rd 2011 12:16PM
AWESOME !!!
Birk Jan 3rd 2011 12:24PM
Amazing haha
-Birk
Greg Jan 3rd 2011 12:25PM
That pretty much sums up why I decided to take a one year wow break yesterday; that and the loss of tree form as a full time healer form on my beloved druid.
As much as I hated the fact that Wrath was too easy- I didn't have to put up with impatience and lazy players as much as in this expansion. Oh- and Vashj'Ir. That zone pretty much made me uninstall 10 minutes after arriving.
I'm very sad to leave WoW. I know in the year I'm gone, it will get a lot better. And the players who really shouldn't be playing, won't be. Maybe I'm one of them. See you all in a year!
thebl4ckd0g Jan 3rd 2011 12:35PM
Don't let the door hit you in the rear on the way out.
The "I'm quitting WoW" replies never get old.
Worc Jan 3rd 2011 12:35PM
I wasnt too fond of being sent to vashjir instead of hyjal, and the extreme shock of water combat was made much worse by the constant spawning of mobs due to the hundred people there on launch. I don't blame you, but everything has a learning curve. I gave up taking til I knew the fights.
Gossamer Jan 3rd 2011 12:36PM
You know, I really appreciate your attitude. The game as it stands now is not for you, and you've made the choice to remove yourself, rather than complain and argue and generally be a pain. That's rare, anymore. It's okay to not agree with the direction the game is headed, but attitude is everything. Thanks for keeping your opinion free of drama, and I hope you come back when you find the game more appealing again. I think a lot of the problem with heroics currently is the influx of idiots, and that should die down as time goes on. Till then, enjoy your WoW free life!
nomoremisterniceguy Jan 3rd 2011 12:46PM
dude you played a druid and you didnt like vash. That doesn't compute. That was probably the most epic starting area ever.
Matthew Jan 3rd 2011 12:47PM
Exactly what do you expect is going to be so different a year from now? PUGs are still going to be PUGs, tree form is probably still not going to be permanent, and Vashj'ir is still going to be mandat- wait, no, you don't have to do a single quest there unless you choose to.
The only real difference will be that in a year, most people will outgear the heroics and they'll basically be cakewalks, right? If that's what you're betting on, citing *others* as lazy and impatient players is pretty bold.
Scooter Jan 3rd 2011 2:41PM
Your upset because of a zone where after 10 quests the only difference in game play is you don't fall anymore?
It seems arbitrary but I suppose there is a bit more to it. Have fun and we'll see you when you return.
Utakata Jan 3rd 2011 3:02PM
Accept he's not quitting WoW, thebl4ckd0g. But taking a break from it. I suspect he's doing that hoping the PuG playerbase will learned2adapt by the time he's finished his break. Though I'm not sure he has to wait that long to do it. I'd say give it month to 3 months, see how things are then. /shrug
Greg Jan 3rd 2011 3:12PM
Didn't mean to hijack this post *apologies. But now that I see I'm being downranked, I kind of feel the need to respond here.
@thebl4ckd0g: I didn't = )
@Worc: Definite learning curve point- setting my hearth to VAshj'Ir (for faster quest turn ins) was a mistake.
@Gossamer: Thanks for the support = ) I don't plan to live totally WoW free. I'll still be active participant on the WoW Insider, Arena Junkies, MMO Champion, and Official Blizzard forums. I'm also considering an interesting WoW-related side project- now that I have more free time.
@Matthew: Excellent point! Exactly what do I expect to be different? In short, me. Right now, I'm not in the proper frame of mind to accept all these changes to the game, so I need a break. It's a little more complicated than that, as I have a personal 'one year waiting policy' about emotional events.
The best example I can give is that I once raised a days-old kitten rejected by its mother. We were very close. My wife told me how he'd sit by the door for hours while I was out of the house. Sadly, my little buddy died of pneumonia at 6 months. After that, I decided not to adopt another cat/kitten for one year. I believe a healthy distance from any emotional event is important to gain the proper perspective before jumping back in to similar situations.
Whether or not quitting WoW was an emotional event is kind of moot. It was a significant part of my life. It's provided many hours of diversion and fun. Participating in a very demanding high-end raiding guild improved my analytical and organizational skills. Finally, and most importantly, WoW helped me stay connected to my wife, and friends while I spent time in different parts of the world.
Deciding to cut ties with a game that has had such a significant impact on my life necessitates a change in my mindset before I can return. In my estimation, one year is an appropriate amount of time to achieve such a change.
@Scooter: I will have fun!
Apologies for the wall of text!
CaryEverett Jan 3rd 2011 5:10PM
I didn't like the tone of your original post, it sounded really whiny, but your second post immediately changed my level of respect for you.
I'm guessing you just had a bad bit of wording. You seem like an upright fine chap, and I hope you enjoy your break. Everyone needs to take a break sometime or another. Burnout isn't fun. I usually take about 3 months of break time per year.
Bronwyn Jan 3rd 2011 5:32PM
I don't get what is with all the Vash'jir hate. I hear people complain about it all the time and I just don't understand why- I loved it!
Although, one thing does occur to me.. how many people play without their enemy health bars turned on? I hear complaints about polymorph: cat being too small as well and I guess I never understand it because I always play with health bars on so I just click on the red bar. Maybe this is part of why people hate Vash? I imagine things would be hard to find without health bars.
Malozing Jan 3rd 2011 12:27PM
You tell him! haha.
skatersrule99 Jan 3rd 2011 12:31PM
I love it!!!! learn to play at the level the game requires or /uninstall stop whining until you get your way. I'm a casual player that works 30-40 hours a week and has a family to take care of and I still don't want blizz to nerf these heroics. they are actually fun again instead of boring badge grinds like wraths were.
madeofrain Jan 3rd 2011 12:35PM
I established pretty quickly that Heroic's were off limits to casual non guild players like myself..I'm totally fine with it.
You should get out exactly what you put in.
I have no problem with CC or learning tacs for a boss..But as this vid so graciously pointed out some folk have jobs and a family.. Running a cheeky HC in Wrath was a 40 min spin, Cata heroics take two and a half hours inc wait time in the dungeon finder.
I'm sure there are plenty of folk that wont even blink about committing their entire evening to this, they join guilds, schedule their work and home lives around the game etc, but that's just not an option for everyone.
There's still plenty in the game to keep me subscribed and enjoying myself. The RPG elements and story lines have been great!
While it may be easy to take offense at the generalization of casuals as lazy,greedy twots as depicted in this vid, I just wanted to assure you we're not all like that!
N-train Jan 3rd 2011 12:54PM
I agree with this. I *LOVE* Cata, I've been playing WoW for 3 years now and have been having more fun in the last month than I have in all of that time. That being said, being a casual player and one of the only heroic-rdy 85s in my small guild, I feel, for the first time, moderately left out of content here.
If I want to even attempt a Cata heroic I have to block out at least two and a half hours, which simply isn't feasible for me a lot of the time, even pre-made vented runs take at least 90 minutes. I'm okay blocking that out for raid, but heroics were nice because you didn't have to work around other people's schedules and were reasonably puggable. I don't mind having to work for rewards, and I enjoy the challenge that Cata heroics have presented, but I really don't like having to block out so much time to do them, and even then its a gamble on who/what classes you get in the LFD. Get VP without an elemental CC? SFK without a second interrupt? You're more than likely dead in the water before you start.
I'm not complaining that Cata heroics are hard, I like that they're hard and I recognize a lot of the difficulty comes from them being new and fresh, but frankly they're 80-90% of the time not puggable (inc stories of how ppl one-shot Grim Batol in a pug with no poly), which just leaves me left out.
Not all casual players are QQers who just want their free epicz kthkbai, but I think there is something to be said about heroics being not very casual friendly.
Noselacri Jan 3rd 2011 12:59PM
It took you 40 minutes to do a heroic in Wrath? No wonder it takes you 2.5 hours in Cata...