Sealing the Deal.

So yesterday we downed Thorim. No easy feat if you ask me & I am horrible at the heroic gauntlet part of the fight. It was a good thing they switched Erisym & me.

Final posting? I was out in the arena, pulling Dark Rune Champions out of the clusterfuck in the middle. First time, I was having problems with pulling them out because there was just too much aggro in the middle. & the mobs were doing some sort of shuttle run between the middle & me. Not funny. Not funny at all. & I got frustrated.

Then I was asked which seal I was using for the fight. So I said, “Seal of Corruption“, which has been my tanking seal for as long as I can remember. & the reply? “Try using Seal of Blood.”

NO.

Firstly, the healers are having a fucking tough time keeping everyone up with the massive damage from the mobs, plus the lightning orbs, coupled with Thorim’s flying Stormhammer. Oh, & they have to keep themselves alive as well. Why the hell would I want to inflict more damage on myself? & when I compare WWS, Corruption > Blood.

I’ve been reading forums on which seal is better for tanking & not one of them say seal of blood. When I’m tanking a heroic, & I know I’m going to be mana screwed, I switch between Seal of Corruption & Seal of Wisdom. & if it’s a slow smacking boss with AoE, I use Divine Sacrifice. & yesterday, when I was just supposed to DPS Thorim in Phase 3, I cast Hand of Sacrifice on the one tanking him at that moment. Knowing full well that I can take that kind of damage & there are AoE heals going around. Mana back + easier to heal the main tank for a while. Worth the sacrifice if you ask me. Heh.

Trust me, it’s not like I haven’t tried Seal of Blood, but I just don’t like the way it works. & at the end of it, I’m still mana screwed. So honestly, I might as well throw it away. Unless I seriously consider going Ret as my second spec.

I believe very strongly that a tank is there to PROTECT everyone. To make sure everything’s ok. & if you’re choosing to inflict pain on yourself just because of some ill-informed judgement (pun intended), by all means go ahead. But I will NOT follow in your irresponsible footsteps. I love my healers & even if they don’t know that I try very hard to make their lives easier, at least I do. & that’s enough for me.

I know it may sound really silly & all, but I believe it’s all about a balance. You need threat as well as survivability. There is no golden number, just what works best for you & your raid. It’s never a one man thing. It’s not about personal glory or fame. I tank because I want to. Because I love it.

I may not have the most threat or the most number of “OH SHIT” buttons to press, but I take great pride in knowing that I do my very best to make sure that no one dies from stray mobs. & I’d like to think that I’m good at what I do.

Shironeko, the add tank. Saving the raid, one mob at a time. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA. WTF.
P.S. I totally digressed! Anyway, after that, I did better on adds. & yes, I was using Seal of Corruption. Seal of Blood can go fuck the wall.

earth to shiro.

I’m level 80. & today was the first time I tried a heroic. & the first time I stepped into Naxx. We didn’t complete Violet Hold. I’m just too fragile to be tanking heroics, it was just really shitty. Did I mention the defense cap is now 540? Sure, it’s ONLY 50 points. I must have failed to mention that with every time you level, your defense rating DROPS?

Naxx, we cleared four bosses. Which is pretty awesome if you ask me. Really cool stuff. I was so excited yet totally freaked out at the same time. In fact, I was SO worried, I did EVERYTHING I could to push my defense rating as close to 540 as possible. Flasked & all, I got it up to 530. We must have wiped a BILLION times, but it was totally worth it. Worth EVERY SINGLE wipe. & I would have been more than happy to wipe until I’m dead broke. (Which is A LOT of wipes.)

We’re continuing tomorrow. I’m not getting any love from Blizzard. No loot…

Which means… It’s off to grinding rep to get rep pieces. -sighs-

I’m so apprehensive about tanking in another heroic. They really bring me back down to Earth. Time to pull up my socks & get better at what I love. Tanking.

I’m back. I’ve gotten better & I will continue to get better.

& to whoever said I can’t tank? Fuck you.

quick! pry the glaives from his hands!

We did it! We downed Illidan yesterday! Everyone did amazing. Everyone.

DPS was crazy! Illidan changed phases really quick & the parasites + shadow demons went down in split seconds. The healers, god-like. They did an awesome job rotating & supporting each other.

& yes, the tanks. Lihar was MT. Imzra & I were the FR tanks. Can you imagine? FR tank. FR tank for the Flames of Azzinoth. In Black Temple. Me. Tank. That. WOW.

I told Imzra that it’s a real honour to be able to tank next to him once more. Honestly, I missed tanking. I remember when I was healing, all too often, I’d run in front & fight the urge to taunt mobs off DPS. So yes, I traded my T6 tokens in for tanking gear.

I’m a tank. It’s what I set out to do & what I plan to do even after the expansion. I don’t mind healing if the need arises. But DAMN! I love tanking.

& man, I love my guild.

the beginning of the end/the end of the beginning.

Where do I begin.

So many things have happened since I last posted. New faces in the guild, some old faces decided to take a break. It’s two weeks before Wrath of the Lich King goes live & the recent patch, saw everyone becoming OP. & well, probably the biggest change, was me going holy.

Firstly, my holy gear… well, let’s just say I’m the only paladin wearing “a skirt”. I’ve got some ZA gear, some Kara gear, T5 shoulders & gloves. After the patch, my clown gear works out pretty ok. I’ve been healing for raids, heroics, & I’ve tanked for ZA.

Oh! Before I went holy, I did a ZA bear run. The LAST run before the patch. & I got the mount! FINALLY! & I managed to prove to everyone that I can tank that instance! How awesome is that?! Till today, I think I’ve seen ZA less than twenty times. So it’s quite an achievement for me. (Knowing what a blur sotong I am.)

Here comes the great dilemma. Holy or prot? I know we can dual-spec once Wrath hits, but the problem now is that I have two T6 tokens. & well, I’ve yet to trade them in for gear because I cannot decide.

Maybe I’ll just keep them till after Wrath hits. & ask the guild again. Do they need another pally tank?

the most exciting update!

Guess what I got!

Yup, you saw right. That’s Shironeko as a Death Knight. Check out her eyes! & it seems like she actually exhales some sort of misty thingy. (By default, your DK toon comes with this oh-so-mysterious hood. But I removed it of course. Heh. & the hideous cloak too.) The Lich King himself. With the impressive weapon.

So after creating Shironeko on the PvP server, I copied Shironeko the Protadin over to the PvE server. Levelling to 80! Did I mention I need to get 8-digit XP before I can get to 71? -rolls face on keyboard- OH THE AGONY!

afk.

I haven’t been playing a whole lot. I guess I’m just really feeling discouraged. I know chances have to be earned. But from running SSC/TK to MH/BT, & before I could really get the hang of SSC/TK, we’re not doing it anymore. & we’re not doing Mag either. Which means, I can’t get his head for the quest.

It’s neverending.

Maybe they’re right. Maybe I should have rolled DPS or just respec to heal. Why the fuck be so fucking stubborn about tanking?

Because I like it.

comparison.

Thanks to Naushan for the link.

It’s interesting to see the stats all lined up like that. So I know where I stand & what am I doing wrong just by comparing stats.

zul’aman.

I need a ring. More importantly, I need to improve.

So, I’m trying to get a ZA group going. (Not feeling particularly hopeful.)

Come to think of it, I’ve been feeling horribly discouraged of late. & the words, “It takes a different sort of person to be a tank.” won’t stop ringing in my ears.

So much for that sidetrack. Now, back to business.

I was told that ZA’s no joke. So in order to prepare myself for ZA, I am going to read guides. &…

Let’s hope it happens this weekend. -fingers & toes crossed-

it’s just a game.

It is just a game.

tankadin on WoW.

More reading.