What is a beastlord's job on a raid these days?

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Joined: 05/16/2006

I have been reflecting over the past week or so noticing how much differently I approach raid mobs now, then as I did when I first joined a raiding guild (altered state) about 3 years ago.

3 years ago it was simple, MA called assist and I ran to mob and helped pound the crap outta it. On multiple mob inc, if I saw one beating on a caster, I would cast slow on it to pull it away (with attack off) and spam slow it hoping a mezzer would take care of the mob. After the mob were killed, would help spot heal.

Now a days, I've seen a change and not sure if I heading in the right direction on this.

Trash mob are dying so fast, I don't even have a chance to run up and hit them. Once assist being called, I send in Fido and toss a nuke or two on the mob. If I see a message of some caster (mainly a healer) getting hit, I target the caster and see if I can get a quick heal off.

On the Big Mobs we are facing now, if I do get to melee it is short lived cause of repositioning the mob, folks in group needing heals (other than the group tank---who the cleric is getting), see a heal me in say and /tar person needing the heal and popping it on them, occassionally having to /tar self and heal, send fido in again and start healing folks. What am I? A cleric? My total DPS has been reduced to what fido does and a couple of nukes I've been able to toss at mob between healing.

I hate wasted motion, so really don't want to run up to mob, swing two times and then have to /tar so and so needing heals, PoS and get the mob on target again swing twice more, /tar so and so again and heal them.

On the Rathe Council event last friday, I don't think I used my weapons at all til the call to kill the tank mezzes and only got to hit one of them since I was at stations 2 and 3 slowing the mobs and spot healing folks. And also got to go melee on the Avitar of Earth for a bit (where I was able to use all my offensive discs since I had no use of them earlier). I was able to nuke a number of times --- Yea! I'm a wizzy now!

Beastlords are really good DPS, despite what one of the posts said on the Monk Boards that Fulic linked. In AS when they started to parse the mobs, between the warder and the beast, we were in the top 10 in dps constantly and could've been higher had we not stopped occassionally to fero someone in the middle of the fight or spot heal a group member. I would imagine now in Keepers, I'm near the bottom of the DPS charts cause I just don't get to beat up the mob anymore. --- On the bright side, no one wants fero anymore these days so I don't have to remember to set up a fero rotation between 3 people (4 people if I don't forget to recast it the second it fades on someone).

I am just curious if I am missing something here. Am I doing it right (since I haven't really heard any complaints) or should I forgo the excessive spot healing and go back more to beating up monsters? Any ideas, comments would be welcome here to get me back on track (or even to <shudders> keep it the way I am doing it now).

Cykor

Which way to the nearest Pizza Parlor?

Faremoni Shadowdancer's picture
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Joined: 05/09/2005
What is a beastlord's job on a raid these days?

Well mister pizza... I think you have to much dough around your middle section if you think motion is wasted. Sticking out tongue

I'm not the raidleader and it's probably his question to answer really, but in my opinion, beastlords are probably the most hybrid and least specialized class you could possibly be... They do a bit of everything, buff, slow, nuke, even DoT or heal - smack on and of course the pet!

This means two things...

One: It's hard to give a beastlord a constant task to stick to since no matter what they do, there is a specialized class doing it better and they might be available to do that task instead that particular evening.

Two: at the same time, without specific orders from Omegga or group leader, you do have the freedom to use your abilities to do pretty much whatever you feel like. Feeling lazy? Sit back, send Fido and nuke now and then... Feeling energetic? suck up the pizzagut, run up and stay next to Meboom and start kicking and beating on things as soon as they within reach and Meboom roars for assist.

The few times I play my own beastlord, I enjoy that non-specialized class that they are. I do exactly what I feel like in the given fight, one mob at the time. Sometimes I just sit on my horse and fling a petheal and slow now and then, grinning to myself and watching the mobs slowly die in pain from pet lunching on them while I suck my lollipop or poke my nose.
Other times I buff myself for fight and rush up fighting them mano-to-lizzy just for the hell of it and because I can. Sticking out tongue
It really depends what mood I am in. Cool

One thing is for sure about beastlords tho - It's never wrong to have one around because they are always useful one way or the other!
I dearly wish I could say the same about rogues *sigh*. :shock:

 

*Yaaaawwwn* - Where's that dern coffee...