I. BEFORE YOU PORT UP:
* Chat/Graphics filters:
/showspell off
/serverfilter on
PC names: OFF
NPC names ON
PC spells: SELF
NPC spells: ON
others misses, hits, OFF
damage shields OFF
clip plane minimized
particle effects OFF
bard songs OFF
About all you will want on is ooc, shout, groupsay, guildsay, NPC spells, and your spells (so you can see if they land. Sucks not to be able to see "A Cleric of Innoruuk is snared").
* Hotkeys: There are several you will want:
MAIN ASSIST: (to target the main mob)
/assist Maintank
/gsay Assisting maintank on %T!!
SECONDARY ASSIST: (when the main tank drops)
/assist backuptank
/gsay Assisting backuptank on %T!!
TARGET ASSIST: (for assist healing)
/assist
SNARED announcement: Mostly rangers will be snaring, but you may be called to help if they cannot land it.
/ooc %T is **** SNARED ****
DEBUFF: one druid will be responsible for casting Ro's Fiery Sundering on the mob.
/ooc Ro's Fiery Sundering (fire debuff) has been cast on %T!!
HEAL: your job is generally to be a backup – and sometimes a main – healer.
make a hotkey that announces it:
/gsay Casting Superior heal on %T!!
/say Casting Superior heal on %T!!
(you can tie the spellcast into the macro if you like as well; I usually don't)
II. PORTING TIME:
You will be ported into an L-shaped room. Stay away from the walls. Move forward until you are in the "corner" of the L, and again, stay away from the walls. Sit there. Everyone will be piling on top of everyone else. This is fine. Once pulls commence, meleers will move a bit foward towards the door, leaving a "hallway" for the pull team to pull into. You should be behind them. Stuff aggros heavily on folks who are medding. Be sure you have some tankage between you and them.
III. GENERAL INFO.
* Don't cast anything on the mob until the main assist has called the target
* Follow the Raid Leader's instructions to the letter, immediately. Pay attention. Don't go afk without telling people. Say it ooc so that everyone knows. Don't tune out that dialog box when fighting – you need to watch and watch carefully for directions.
* Never use AoE spells.
* Never sit near the walls. Stuff aggros through them.
* Don't even mem gate or evac. Unmem them. You won't use them. In case of a wipeout, the cheapest and cleanest recovery is to re-break with one or two groups with clerics that will rez people. If you get rezzed, it costs nothing and you lose very little xp. Re-teleporting costs another Hate stone.
* Never use AoE spells.
* Aggro management: As you fight higher and higher level mobs, they will take more and more offense to spells. The mobs in Hate really aren't fond of spellcasters. Wait until the mob is down about 10% before casting snares and about 20% before casting damage spells. Manage aggro – don't chain cast nukes; don't cast a big heal and immediately nuke; etc.
* In case of a wipeout, it is everyone's job to protect the clerics so that they can camp out. Heal them so they can camp; heal the chanters so they can keep stuff mezzed; heal the warriors so they can taunt off the clerics and chanters. Heal heal heal and yes, you will die, but you will get a rez. Once the clerics are camped, then you may try to camp out yourself. Don't gate. Don't evac. Camp. It is best not to /q, since a /q character is treated as an NPC and may get hit, feared, etc. You may come back to discover that you died and you have no idea whatsoever where your corpse is. Neither will anyone else.
* Never use AoE spells.
IV. DRUID SPECIFICS...
1. There are several types of mobs here that cast spells that you don't want to land.
Loathling Liches: look like specters and cast gravity flux. Players that are fluxed while outside of buildings tend to hit the roof and can aggro stuff from the second floor. This is a Bad Thing. If you are fluxed, say in group and ooc, "Grav fluxed." You will most likely be told to camp out, depending on where we are. Camp out and return asap. If someone in your group is fluxed and you heal/buff them, you will need to camp out too.
Clerics of Innoruuk: Cast CHeal on themselves, which is really kind of a pain.
Everyone will be trying to interrupt the spells: Meleers will bash, clerics and chanters will stun, and you should try to stun as well. The 34th level Velious spell Fury of Air works if you can land it. The clerics will tend to do this when they get down to about 1.5 bubbles of health, so you should try to nuke them down at this point.
2. SoW: DON'T use it, in general. Stuff in here can fear you and SoW will just take you further than you want to go. The exceptions are: Pull Team (Pullers need it) and when we are moving to a new camp site. This is true in Hate, and doubly so in Fear.
3. Buffs. Keep resists up. My standard buffs are: Skin like nature on everyone; Storm Strength on the myself and meleers; Magic, Fire, Cold resist; Group Chloroplast; and I damage shield the meleers. One hint with buffs, if you don't do this already: Buff yourself first...then you have a timer and you know when the groups' buffs are fading.
4. Snares. Usually there is a high level ranger who's job it is to do this, but keep snare memmed. If a ranger cannot land snare (if the mob is down below 50% and you haven't seen the snare message) it's your job to help. Bear in mind that on many mobs, enchanters will be pillaging enchantments and so snare may get dispelled if you cast it right off the bat.
5. Magic/Fire resistant mobs:
Spite Golems are TOTALLY IMMUNE to magic and are very resistant to other spell damage. They cannot be snared – don't even bother trying. They come pre-SoWed, so enchanters will pillage enchantment on them. This is a must, because if they run away at sow speed...heh...again, it is a Bad Thing. I don't believe I have ever landed a DD spell on them, though I know that wizards can (presumably with Lures). Don't bother wasting your mana. Damage shield the fighters, and be a healer. If we get multiples, they will have to be split tanked as they cannot be mezzed.
Forsaken Revenants (look like vampires from Mistmoore) – very magic resistant, though not immune. Rangers may require help with snaring. Be ready.
Ashenbone Drakes – very resistant, but not immune. Seem to be particularly resistant to fire and magic. I haven't tried cold. Ro's Fiery Sundering lands pretty easily at 53, doesn't land for crap at 48, and it is a very-low-resist debuff. At 48, I couldn't land any fire/magic nukes even after debuffing, but at 53 I can land most fire nukes.
6. Hmm...is this long enough yet? Well, one more thing. Raid isn't over until everyone is rezzed and ported out. Don't start porting until the raid leader has called the raid. Don't port out unless you have a full group or are absolutely certain that everyone is taken care of.
Copied for the original Guild Library, orinanly posted by Serani
