Priestly Bubbles

My druid is now 71.  I'd like to get her to 80 in the next few weeks...but...no internet is kinda making that impossible.  Her dps is close to 1k now.  I suppose that's where it should be.  I just got kitty swipe and I haven't been able to try that out but til 71 I was irritated because I had no AoE.  It was a strange feeling.

Also, thought I'd share something amusing.  I don't know about other servers but there are a ton of crappy DK "tanks" on my server.  They all think that they can tank in their dps gear.  Frost presence makes me a great tank, right?  WRONG.  First of all, I've pulled aggro off of some of them...for casting a HoT.  (This was the tank not using Death and Decay on an AoE pull.)  Second, I don't have Nourish yet so I don't have a spammable heal.  And third, I don't have my comfort zone.  The beautiful, healthy shield.  I've attempted to cast my shield so many times I've lost count.  I've healed paladins and warriors successfully.  But both fail groups (since NR) have been DK tanks.  After that I'm begging to heal something else, so I can renew my faith in my druid healing.  Does anybody else see this happening?  Crappy DK tanks from 70-80?

One group that was especially annoying was a PuG UK.  Just a reg UK.  I was level 70 and they asked me to heal.  So I agreed.  I stepped into the instance, switched specs, helped the mage summon a table and opened my bags to switch my gear (my equipment manager hates life).  The tank had already pulled.  So there I was, attempting to keep him up with no healing gear and no mana.  The tank went down, as did the rogue and ret pally.  The mage and I managed to run out.  After running back in and rezzing the lazy ass pugs, I switched my gear and sat down to get mana.  The ret pally and DK tank then proceeded to get on my ass about not healing the tank.  I explained to them very calmly that I hadn't switched gear, as my main spec was kitty, and that I hadn't sat down to drink.  They quieted for a moment.
We cleared a few trash pulls, made it through the first boss somehow and got to the hallway with all the little ghouls and geists.  The tank pulled a large group and did not drop Death and Decay.  As soon as he started taking damage, I started my rolling hot "rotation" if you can call it that and pulled aggro with the first hot.  Needless to say, I died.  And yes, I did cast the Barkskin or wtf ever it's called.  So I sit for a second, waiting for the paladin to toss me a rez as it would be faster than me running back.  The paladin says "run back dude".  "It'd be faster for you to rez me," I reply.  "I didn't do the quest," the paladin says.  What?  Level 70 and you can't rez?  Are you shitting me?  At this point, I sigh quite heavily and start the long trek back.
I get back in, go into tree form, drink up and realize that the tank is already pulling several large groups.  Squishy DK tank in dps gear pulling several large trash groups.  I pop my cooldowns and try to save his ass.  The paladin begins to pull aggro and take heavy damage.  I cast a few hots on him and have to switch back to the tank rather quickly.  I'm spamming WG the best I can.  The paladin goes down and the tank follows, as I have to start healing myself from the aggro I'm pulling.  We wipe and I release and start contemplating whether or not I'm going to stay.
"Dude, learn how to heal," says the paladin.  At this point, I'm fed up.
"My main is one of the best healers on this server," I bristled, "do not presume that you know how to heal better than I do.  It may be a different class, but it's the same basic concept.  And I know how to spot fail tanks.  You, sir, have found one."  I normally never act like that and I'm ashamed to say that I did.  But this pug deserved me looking down my nose at them.
"Who's your main?" the tank sneers.  Eager to prove my point and make these retarded pugs realize who they're dealing with, I tell him.  Party chat is quiet for a moment.
"Ha!  Best healer on the server my ass!  Not in that gear and that guild!" he says.  I'm taken back.  Who on earth did he look up?
"Elitist?  In ToC25 and ToGC25 gear?  On ToGC25 Anub?  You're either retarded or in denial.  Either way, I'm done with this pug and done with both of you."  The tank doesn't say another word.  The paladin continues to tell me how fail I am.  I drop group.  The paladin whispers me so I put him on ignore.  And then the retarded tank for good measure.  About ten minutes later, as I'm sitting in Dalaran relating the story to my significant other, the rogue whispers me.  "Bad tanks are easy to find.  :)  Good luck in your next group."


I'd like to be able to do some raids as kitty dps just for funsies when I don't feel like playing a caster.  My priest will always be my main, but being a kitty is fun!

I hate the holidays.  I hate the traffic, the commercial-ness, and the spending time with family I don't get along with.  When I found out I was working Thanksgiving, I did a victory dance.  No lie.  Oh and I can't stand Christmas music.  It's a good thing I don't work in retail.

To make things better, I'm moved out and into an apartment with NO INTERNET.  Uhh I have raid tonight.  But my parents won't be too pleased if I stay here til 1 am.  Nuh uh.  So no raid...haven't raided in a long time actually.  Didn't get to raid Tuesday because my dad is...a wonderful person.  Didn't get to raid Thursday because it was yay...Thanksgiving.  And don't get to raid tonight because I'll be home alone in an apartment with no internet.  And all my neighbors are smart enough to password protect theirs.

To top it all off, I have a slight hangover and I'm pretty sure I fell last night as I have a bruise on my calf and a bump on the back of my head.  Yay crappy housewarming parties...

I've had several questions about the addons I use for my UI.  I thought I'd list them here with a description of each.



Satrina's Buff Frames
See the tiny buffs at the top left corner?  That is the highly customizable Satrina's Buff Frames.  I also have a small buff frame of my procs for SW:P to the left of my character.

Deady Boss Mods
This is the addon that creates the boss timers on the right side of the screen and the raid warnings in the middle.  A must have addon for high end raiding.

This is the circular mod in the middle of the bottom of my screen.  It does multiple functions including auto repairing, selling vendor trash, auto buying reagents, and much more.  I put my buffs and things I don't usually cast in combat on it as well.

Quartz
The cast bar above my mini map is my Quartz bar. Quartz takes into account latency and shows you where you can start casting again.  Your game may not have registered that you have already cast the heal but Quartz will.  Quartz is especially useful for DPS trying to get the most out of their rotation.

Bartender4
Bartender replaces your default Blizzard UI for clean crap-free movable bars.  You can resize them, turn them off or on, add more bars, etc.  Lots of options for your spell bars, micro bar, pet bar, vehicle bars, and bag bars.

VuhDo
This addon is the brightly colored bars on the right side of my mini map.  A lot like Grid, it's a healing addon that I also use for raid frames.  You can assign any manner of clicks, mouseovers and keybinds to any of the spells in your spellbook.  This addon also updates to include debuffs on boss fights.  Out of all of the healing addons I've used, VuhDo is by far the best.

Recount + RecountGuessedAbsorbs
Recount is much more accurate than Skada so I prefer it, even if Absorbs aren't included with healing.

WIM (WoW Instant Messenger) v3
This addon organizes your whispers by turning them into their own chat boxes.  It disables itself in combat.  You can make it so that each individual player is a different chat box or have them tabbed all together.

I remade my UI when I got my computer fixed so once again this is a WIP!

As you can probably see, I am working on my blog.  I grabbed a template from btemplates and stuck it in and then started using my own common sense to tweak it.  Some of it is starting to come back to me...but it's been a long time.  So for the moment I'm looking for:

• A gadget for WoW Armory like Sushi-cookie has.
• Font-found what I was looking for.
• Changing the font fixed my Darkspear symbol.

It's going slow at the moment as I remember how to do things but it's coming along.

I post way too often on here. And I just realized that I logged out with my fishing pole equipped. Oh how threatening my troll must look!

Recent Achievements
The Coin Master
When I was waiting for a raid to fill up, I would fish in the Dalaran fountain in a feeble attempt to get my achievements. Well a few days ago I noticed I was only a few coins off so I started fishing there at random times during the day. Yesterday I had only one left. I sat for five minutes and caught it! Anybody who does this achievement and appreciates lore: read each of the coins before you sell/throw them back in. They're very interesting! Also from now on I carry Archmage Antonidas' coin: Grant me the strength to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can and the wisdom to know the difference. Ah yes, after getting the achievement, I received a mail from Jepetto Joybuzz with a little gift:
Titanium Seal of Dalaran

Higher Learning
While I was packing last night, I sat my character in front of the spawn point for the last book I needed. I happened to look over once and there it was! I got a mail as soon as the achievement popped up from Rhonin. It was a letter congradulating me for mastering the different types of magic. I also received a book, The Schools of Arcane Magic - Mastery. The book teleported me to a hidden room in the Violet Citadel! It's Archmage Vargoth's own private study! For such a talented mage, he's rather slow at leveling…but anyway, I showed him the book and he allowed me to keep it but he also gave me a little gift. A Kirin Tor Familiar!


DRAMA
On a more serious note, my guild is having the first bit of drama in a LOOOOOOOONG time. A hunter commented on a hunter app's thread calling him out for gemming incorrectly. A DK (a raider that I respect for his passion for raiding and his good attitude) created a thread in the General Discussion forum of the guild website calling out that hunter for challenging the app's gems when the hunter himself doesn't have a Greatness card or his max enchants. The DK stated that his post was not necessarily directed at the hunter raider but all our raiders. He just noticed the hunter and that's why he made the post.

Here's what I don't understand. You put in all this time and effort to get into a raiding guild. You want to do hard modes. Yet you don't gem/enchant/gear your toon to the best of your ability?

I desperately wanted to play a priest again after my alliance friends quit. I wasn't particularly enjoying my hunter since I was BM and the pet I enjoyed was crappy dps. My guild needed healers at the time and I knew priest well so when I offered to level a priest for Ulduar, they agreed to help. It took me a month to get her to 80. The very first night I got to 80, Ulduar had been out a week and my guildies were anxious to get in, lack of healers or not. I had six epics when I dinged 80 so I was ready to go! Crappy healer or not, I helped my guild down some of the very first bosses in Ulduar. A few weeks later I had access to all the best enchants.

My point is that I was vying for best geared healer a few weeks after I hit 80. Not necessarily from my guildies' help, but from my own passion for the game and for raiding. So how is it that we're in ToGC and we have raiders that still don't have their Hodir shoulder enchant or their head enchant? And better yet, those guildies get offended when they're called out. Mind=blown. But it gets better, these specific raiders are on a lot during the day, even on offnights. I just don't get it...and I wonder why we get behind all the other guilds on hard modes...>_<

Finally happy with my UI





I'm looking for someone who knows html! I need a template for my blog! Anything based on trolls and priests would be great! Please get in touch with me if you're interested!

Damn good job Elitist! We wiped to the dark shield (again) the very first attempt so the guild leader announced over vent "I personally don't think the idea Nym had is an exploit. What do you guys think?" I sat quietly waiting, hoping they would take my advice. A few people were adamant we should do it the "right" way. But most of the raiders challenged these with "what is the right way for any specific boss?" Finally the argument "it's either this or we rely on luck" won. They decided to take my advice.

Right before every single ability, they switched to the one who would be casting the heal (inside the shield) and started spamming interrupts. When the dark shield appeared, the heal had already been interrupted. We downed them in one attempt.

To me it seems so easy. So easy that it must be an exploit. But without the exploit, we have to rely on luck. And if luck isn't with us...ugh.


Moving on, we didn't have enough well geared tanks to attempt Anub. Our main tank is with his family due to a death in the family and another was out enjoying a football game with his wife. So we called the raid early and on a good note! :D


I almost forgot to mention which strategy we used for Twin Valks! We did the door strat because we are very melee heavy and our healers are our strongest point. Everyone went dark, except for one tank and one soaker. Our soaker kept us alive and we only got maybe one or two of the light orbs (which we could easily heal through).

We just dpsed the light shield, but every time DBM warned of a special ability dps began spamming interrupts until they were sure it wasn't the dark shield. We healed through Light Vortex (which isn't easy as a priest mind you) and both the holy priests and I cast our CDs on ourselves right before it went off so we could stay alive to heal. My rotation for Light Vortex went Pain Suppression (myself), Inner Focus+Divine Hymn macro, Desperate Prayer (or Healthstone) and a Prayer of Healing to get us back up to full. It helped that all of the dps used their CDs and healthstones during the vortex. And the two holy paladins used their Divine Sac+Shield+Aura Mastery to keep us alive.

With that strategy, it was easy as pie. I'm starting to think it's not an exploit and here's why: guilds have been doing it that way for several weeks now. If it was an exploit, it would have been changed in a hot fix already. That's my logic and I'm sticking to it!


Random Tidbit:
Perhaps I will post a picture of my new tiny nerdcave if I can get one off my phone. It's such a precious little apartment for such a good price!

Finally I remembered to take a SS in raid.

Notice that I hit a lag spike right before I took it. Well, that was our Faction Champions down last night. Now we're banging our heads against Twin Val'kyrs. But it does feel like we're getting somewhere.

I broke my 258 cherry!
Sandals of the Mourning Widow


On the Subject of Gemming
When I first started perusing the priest forums, I was surprised at how many priests attacked my gem choices. At first, I started doubting myself. Am I doing it wrong? But my arguments always made sense to me, so I didn't change. I did some research and realized that I'm not alone in how I gem so I felt more secure.

As I continued to browse the priest forums, I began to notice that most Discipline priests who posted there got at least a few trolls telling them they're gemming wrong. I began to realize that there is no "right" way to gem for Discipline.

Gemming preferences change depending on spec, healing assignments, raid setup, and other reasons. Discipline is so versatile that they can fill in almost any role. Obviously a shield spammer wouldn't gem the same as a tank healer. This is why I find it ridiculous that I am challenged by both tank healers and shield spammers on how I gem, since I am a raid support healer.

The most common argument I get against my gemming is the argument that "PW: S doesn't crit". That would be your shield spammers talking. Here's my argument: I don't just use PW: S. I am a raid support healer. I want all of my Discipline talents and abilities to be utilized and so gemming a little crit to get me to almost 45% raid buffed insures that I have Divine Aegis, Inspiration and other crit based abilities constantly around the raid. Over 35% self buffed crit means that you're neglecting other stats so I regem to reflect that as I get gear.

I run with some very talented healers and after adding my absorbs I end up in the top 1-3 for most fights. Plus, we hardly ever wipe on fights due to a healing issue. I know most people condemn "well it works for me!" and I agree with them…partially. When it works for you in hard modes, that means it works. Most hard modes leave little room for error. When you consistently down several hard modes a week, you're doing something right.

I guess the whole point of what I'm trying to say is this: if you can back up your reasoning for gemming/gearing/speccing a certain way and it makes sense, don't change because some one else says to. A shield spamming priest picking up crit because a raid healing priest said so would make that shield spamming priest that much less effective. If I gemmed straight spell power, I would probably have mana issues and I wouldn't get as many Divine Aegis procs or Inspiration procs. Never underestimate a Discipline priest's crit!

My reasons for my gems:
I gem enough Intellect to be secure in my ability to not go oom. Just enough. Any more is a waste. Reason? That should be obvious. This makes me very self sufficient, never needing an innervate.
I gem enough Crit to get my crit in between 30-35%(ish). Any more than that gimps my spell power. Reason? Divine Aegis/Inspiration procs. More absorbs.
The rest of the slots I gem spell power.
I ignore blue sockets because I don't need spirit or mp5. I can get much more use out of Int/Crit/Spell power.

Didn't think it was possible as Discipline? Think again haha. That fight is made for bubble spam.
Anub'arak 10/10
Shep did in fact mess up that fight. Halfway through Phase 3, he says in vent, "oh shit it's phase 3 already?" So...he healed more than he should have been.
This is why I don't understand why most people think Disc can't heal Anub in ToGC. It's so amazing for regular and there's not much change in heroic, except that it's just more healing. So wouldn't the Discipline priest increase their "healing" output just as much as any other healer? Wouldn't they still be on top? I'm doing ToGC10 tonight. We'll see how that goes.

SO! Updates!
First, I got my application approved for an apartment that's closer to my job! I'm so excited! If this is the one I want, I sign the lease and can start moving in on the 24th. Today during lunch, I get to go inside the apartment. I'm sure it's big enough for my tiny amount of furniture. It'll just be Lil Nym and I for a few months. Josh (Cryssa) will join us later.

On my UI...
I got home from work yesterday and logged on to discover my UI was gone. I had to do things around the house before I could get to it, but I had to sit down and recreate my entire UI. It was not fun... It looks a little different now, but I like it. I forgot to get a SS last night; I was so scatterbrained. Also, I'm obsessive compulsive and I like pretty. I want all my fonts to match but I don't want them to be the default one. I'd like something that is pretty but is easy to read. Does anybody know if there's a way to choose the font I want and use it for everything? My addons included? Any information would be appreciated.

Well, I gotta get back to work before I get in trouble. Happy healing all!

I have to thank Sushicookie and Perfectalpha for suggesting Vuhdo. Eager to get away from the errors and bugs of Healbot, I grabbed at an opportunity to try a new healing addon that wasn't Grid/Clique. Basically Vuhdo is everything I love about Healbot but it's cleaner, has more customization and hasn't had a single bug yet. I tried it out last night while doing some heroic achievement runs and I absolutely loved it. I still don't know how to work half of it and I already like it more than the other healing addons.

Okay I was supposed to post a SS of it several days ago but I got busy. >_>
If everything goes through, I move into my new apartment on the 24th!
I will attempt tonight to post a SS, but I can't promise anything. I'm still pretty busy and now I'm on meds that are making me crazy...again...

I turned off my raid frames and decided to use my Healbot as my raid frames. I also turned off Decursive and I'm going to try out using Healbot for dispelling too. Well, here it is. Comments are appreciated.

Well done Elitist! Three attempts this week!

The fight took forever, but we stayed organized. And I stayed alive the whole time. And beat the dispel meter. Woo! Not much to say about this fight. We didn't change our strat, just reorganized and focused. We killed shaman first, then priest, mage, warlock, warrior, rogue, death knight, hunter, shadow priest and lastly the paladin. I think I mixed up some of the melee, but that was the general kill order.

We then started on Twin Valkyrs. I had to turn my graphics down for this fight. Standing in the doorway with all of our raiders plus all the orbs made me lag like crazy. But the strategy I keep seeing everywhere is the strategy that my guild is very skeptical of. This strategy says for the majority of the raid to not switch colors. For the opposite color vortex, a paladin has to pop Divine Shield + Divine Sacrifice and you have to have Aura Mastery. For the same color shield, you pop Bloodlust and all your dps cooldowns. Other than that, you just heal through everything. I'm going to research this strategy a little more, as I'm sure everyone else in my guild will.

So sadly FC didn't drop the BiS cloth boots, but it did drop my resto shammy friend's boots. So yay for her!

Here was my achievement for the weekend:
Mag'har of Draenor
It didn't take any time at all. Started at neutral on Saturday morning and spent a half day on the quests. The quests themselves got me to Revered. Then I just farmed ogres and their Obsidian Warbeads all Sunday while cleaning my apartment and doing laundry.
After getting the 8 Talbuks, I had 56 mounts. So I got my Albino Drake as well!

So! Next week, we should get down Twin Valkyrs! Or at least get somewhere on it. I also plan on seeing if we can get our Ulduar 10 hard mode group back together. And my achievement for next weekend:
Flying High Over Skettis