Hariel the Mage

Boredom before an expansion

Hariel — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 20:22:56 +0000

We’re experiencing the boredom before an expansion in full force. We have many members who are enjoying the summer and not playing very much. We didn’t have a big number of raiders to begin with and now half of them haven’t signed on in a couple months.

Those who are still around are finding other ways to entertain themselves besides raiding with the guild. For instance, they’re raiding with other guilds. I just hope we don’t lose anyone because of that. Others are leveling alts, working on achievements, going for Loremaster or griefing Horde unfortunate enough to not be skilled.

What are you doing to pass the hours before Cataclysm?

Leading a guild

Hariel — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 23:21:01 +0000

For me… It’s the easiest thing ever. OL has been around for 3 years and continues to grow. We have our ups and downs but way more ups than downs. Our membership is completely organic with people joining and leaving all the time. Our leadership has also seen its share of the rollercoaster ride. Overall, it’s apparent that everything works well.

Our main goal is to provide a family friendly environment where everyone respects each other. It’s not required to like everyone else, just respect them. We are not a hard core raiding guild and promote real life before the game. We have tremendous officers and veterans who take care of almost all of the leading. They are all great raid leaders, event organizers, and general spirit boosters. We’ve always made the promotion to one of these positions a very special honor. Everyone in these positions has earned their place based on their personality, not their skill in game or length of time they have played.

Because of how our leadership was chosen I have been able to focus on real life and not feel like I was letting the guild down. I knew that I left the day to day environment in extremely capable hands who uphold the true values of the guild. For most who join the guild, this is why. We’re all just a bunch of good people who enjoy playing a game.

Cheers, OL!

The DPS of the Mage

Hariel — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 23:01:27 +0000

I recently read a forum post that I very much agree with. The mage in Pre BC times was a utility character that was used mostly for crowd control and vending machine fodder. When BC came out people still thought the mage was usefull until one pally decided to wipe a raid by pulling and tanking the next 4 trash pulls. To his surprise, he survived with ease and became the new super tank. With a pally tanking, keeping an ugly and angry orc polymorphed is nigh impossible. So, for a while after this discovery mages usefulness was quickly forgotten and raids started looking at us with a new eye. A very judgemental eye.

New DPS requirements evolved and every mage out there scrambled to get the gear first or spent hours farming mats for flasks. If you weren’t in a hard core raiding guild and handed epics for showing up and succumbing to the vending machine title your DPS wasn’t going to gain you access to the gear you needed. I sat by and watched Blizzard nerf warlocks (again and again and again to no avail, they’re still OP), buff boomkins to such a degree that was laughable and bounce hunter DPS around until settling on the only class that can top damage meters by setting autoshot then LEAVING THEIR COMPUTER TO GO COOK DINNER.

Eventually, mages found their DPS and were able to hold a respectable position on the meters. You’d be shocked if a mage was on top only to find out later he had on 3 legendary items. Some time went on and we were happy. Then the death knights came out. When they started competing with the pallies to tank the most number of mobs possible the pallies decided to try out their own DPS. This made the mages cry again as the pallies started topping the meters and pushed us back down.

So, back on the bottom of the meters just above the healers (most of the time), we mages forged on. Northrend provided new opportunities and excuses for us to have low DPS. We leveled, hoping to find new gear that would prove Blizzard didn’t think of us as their red headed step children. Alas, we’ve pretty much stayed in the same spot. Unless you’re a hardcore raider you won’t get enough gear to really top the meters. We do have hope in the Argent Tournament. Let’s just watch that one play out and see if any mages can wand their way to the top of the meters like a hunter.

Mage resources

Hariel — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 17:59:07 +0000