Life in Group 5 – A Resto Shaman Blog
A resto shaman perspective on raiding


In The Spotlight

Ra-Den Killshot (sm) Uncategorized

Tier 15: Reflections on the Journey

It was at 2:30am ET on last Wednesday morning that Tier 15 came to a close for the members of Promethean’s raid team. On the heels of an absolutely heart-wrenching 1% wipe the night before, and after an exhausting 6-hour full HM clear, Ra-Den finally kneeled down in defeat to the glorious sounds of nerd [...]

Twin Consorts with Constellations How To

How To: Twin Consorts Constellation Running

It all started with a seemingly innocuous whisper one evening … “You know, Method had their Resto Shaman do constellations on Hard Mode Twin Consorts”. At the time I laughed the idea off, thinking it was just the playful banter of a DPS wanting to push a little bit higher on the meters. (Oh those [...]

mists-of-pandaria2-battle-sm Philosophy

Perspective and Optimism in the Face of Class Balance

“Balance”. It’s a word that inspires both optimism and pessimism in a community focused on measuring the contributions of its players. The optimists, through naiveté or iron resolve, look at class balance and see the potential for an even playing field, a world where “bring the player and not the class” is decidedly within reach. But the [...]

WoWScrnShot_022513_170110 Guides

The Patch 5.2 Summary for Resto Shaman

It seems like just yesterday that I was finding my way through Pandaria, leveling up through a world of new zones and getting acclimated with our newest tools. But, here it is on the launch of the second tier of the expansion, and I can hardly believe that it’s been over 5 months since we [...]

Shaman_Tier15(human-female) Numbers

Resto Shaman Tier 15: New Design, Old Problems?

(With only a proposed 3 weeks until patch 5.2 hits and the Throne of the Thunder is unlocked, I’m not sure the topic of this post is going to be entirely relevant but … what the hell, I spent time writing it so I’m just going to get it out there just in case it [...]


 
 

 
Pandaren-Monastery

Wherein I Make a Point About Delayed Raid Release

There is a common argument when it comes to raid nerfs, and it’s actually one that I agree with—the value of your kill, at whatever time you make it, shouldn’t be impacted by the people who come before or after you. This ...
by Vixsin
8

 
 
Mists-of-Pandaria-Art-2

MoP’s Solutions for the Problems of T13

It’s been over eight months since Dragon Soul opened its doors in the Caverns of Time, seven months since a Korean guild burst onto the world stage with the first kill of HM Madness of Deathwing, and six months since the pow...
by Vixsin
11

 
 
SkyTown

Spread Raid Healing: Resto Shamans’ Bane

If there’s anything I’ve discovered over my years of blogging, it’s that we authors can be a volatile bunch, dedicated and sometimes overly devout to the causes that have in some way shaped our experiences in ...
by Vixsin
42

 

 
 

Minipost: HPS Data for Tiers 11, 12 and 13

One of the great things about the proliferation of meters and online parsing tools, like World of Logs and WoW Meter Online, is that they provide a great archive of player performance over time. It’s easy to pull up a parse o...
by Vixsin
12

 
 
loadscreen-deathwingraid01-large

Paradigm Shifts of Cataclysm: Healer Edition

It was an expansion that “changed the face of Azeroth”, that gave life where there was previously none and snuffed some out, while also altering entire landscapes. But, in addition to the geographical changes enacted as par...
by Vixsin
3

 
 
SuccessFailure(2)

Failure: The Misunderstood F-Word

The pattern of events is easily recognizable in any raiding scene—a player dies, several more follow, a wipe occurs, and the fail shaming starts. Sometimes, (all too rarely), you are presented with an even-mannered assessment...
by Vixsin
5