A return to stability?

After the mess of patch week madness last week and despite the finals-week chaos of this week, we managed to get in a regular six hours of raiding and killed 7 bosses this week. I was hoping for a full set of previously killed bosses (11) but I'll take what I can get. The good news is, we managed to stumble on a couple of good folks through PuGing again. Despite my last complaint about Moon Guard PuGing - we do also run into very good players.Our guild began as a rag-tag PuG group back in February of 2010, after all.

Have I mentioned how happy I am that LFG is trying to build server-groups before expanding its search? It is fantastic to see familiar names and faces when I hit that Random Heroic button. So, after the current round of recruitment, our roster is a bit over-full, which makes me happy and comfortable. I like knowing that if someone can't make it, I have an option or two to fill in that slot.


Of course, we're bursting at the gills with healing druids and Thistle has had to revert back to her Holy Priest for balance purposes (I am so grateful for her flexibility in this regard) and her husband is maintaining a Heal spec and gear as well on the side, which helps out greatly like last night when she had to take the night to finish a paper. I knew this week would be difficult but I'm pleased with the end-result in which we showed the new guys how we do all the fights except for Cho'gall and Throne, which in itself is worth more than any number of kills.

The next time I go for a power clear, it'll be a lot faster and I'm happy to have a solid core of experienced and educated players, with some decent gear. A lot of us are closing in on that magical 359 iLevel number and the DPS digits are all averaging into the mid to high teens across the board which makes me smile.

If we can get through a 10-boss night with 2 healers before 4.2 drops, I'll throw a (virtual) party and buy all the drinks. But for now, I'm just glad for a return to stability.

Speaking of 4.2 have I mentioned how much I like the new Paladin set? Good grief, is it sexy. I love Paladins in skirts, and absolutely adored tier 10, but the tier-bonuses actually make me want to chase them, for both Protection and Retribution. Extra damage at 2-piece? Okay, fine, but the 4-piece is where it shines.

15% increased Parry with Divine Protection? Yes, please. 15 extra seconds of Zealotry? Yes, please.

Finally, as we're going to be pushing progression again next week, have you heard the (under the radar) news that Al'akir now has a chance to drop the tier head and shoulders? We're going after him on Tuesday and if you ignored him after your first kill because his loot sucked (and I wouldn't blame you), you might want to go back and fill in those last few slots for your raid.