Also, melee DPS is hard.
May 6, 2009 at 11:25 am 15 comments
Our holy-turned-ret-turned-holy-turned-ret-turned-holy-again-adin (no, really…) ended up DPSing the first half of last night’s Ulduar 25 — and thoroughly resenting it.
Because, you know, he’s been so adamant about being a full-time raid healer that the suggestion that he break out his moth-eaten dual spec for the first time since the last time we ran anything (including to The Filthy Animal for our pre-raid supply of Code Red: Kungaloosh) came as a complete and unwelcome surprise.
So, in the interests of compromise, I volunteered to DPS for a few bosses so the paladin could heal.
… Have I mentioned that I am the single-most spatially inept person I have ever met? I get lost everywhere. In Karazhan. In Naxxramas. In the Dalaran Bank.
I’m not exaggerating: I swivel my camera, and I get lost.
So what happens when I charge into melee range, (attempt to) flit around the boss to DPS from behind like my tank insists that I do, and — /whimper — swivel my camera?
You guessed it: I get lost. ;.;
Note that that this also happens every time I try to run out of the whirlwind, falling debris or [insert force of nature here] nova.
I just can’t seem to orient myself in melee range — which is fairly ridiculous, given that I’m a female Tauren and often the largest thing in the room next to the boss.
So, for me, melee DPS looks a lot like this:
You are out of range.
You are out of range.
You are out of range.
You are facing the wrong way.
You are facing the wrong way.
You are out of range.
You are still out of range.
Damn it, Elle, what are you doing in Feralas? The boss is in Ulduar!
The fourth or fifth or (I don’t know…) fifteenth time I got iceblocked because I couldn’t figure out how to get where I was supposed to be from where I actually was (“Hey, since when we have to run to the Conservatory of Life to escape Flash Freezes?”), the paladin took pity on me and my 3.2k DPS:
“Hey, Elle. Why don’t we both heal this one? I think DPS has it covered.”
Okay.
* * *
On a related note, with competent DPS, you can successfully heal Razorscale 10 as enhancement, even if your disc priest is wearing a fishing pole. Not that we would know … right, Annah?
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Fel Fire 
1.
Leah | May 6, 2009 at 12:04 pm
to say that I’m intimidated just now would be a huge understatement. if you can manage 3.2k dps while being out of range half the time??? something that takes me a serious effort as elemental shaman… (granted – my gear can use some serious improvements, but nonetheless…)
2.
Elleiras | May 6, 2009 at 12:20 pm
Our raid is pretty well geared at this point. With the exception of two rerolls and the new enhancement shaman (not me), everyone is in full Naxx25 gear with a handful of Ulduar epics. A few already have 2pt8. And, of course, we’re running a stacked 25-man raid with all of the consumable- and class- buffs you could ask for, including three paladins for blessings and shamans and druids of all three specs for the various totems and auras.
An enhancement shaman is the one class/spec in the game that can benefit from ALL available raid buffs — caster and melee alike. So most of my DPS isn’t me; it’s my raid buffing me. 🙂
Also, I’m not sure how Recount works. I was at the very bottom of the meters on overall damage, but my actual DPS was comparable to some of our other (albeit lesser-geared) raiders. I don’t think the DPS calculation takes into account uptime the way WWS does.
3.
Light | May 6, 2009 at 12:27 pm
Why not switch over to elemental?
Side note, I hate melee and I will never play melee unless I absolutely have to. Melee is only fun in PVP.
4.
Elleiras | May 6, 2009 at 12:29 pm
Because enhancement is fun. 🙂
Also, I want to heal … so if I totally suck at my dual spec, I probably won’t get asked to DPS very often. /devious
5.
Karthis | May 6, 2009 at 1:07 pm
You’re nuts – melee dps is downright visceral compared the the “pew pew pew” static ranged dps routine.
Movement intensive fights are especially amazing as a melee DPs… Heigan is a blast, and Hodir is downright pure distilled awesomeness.
6.
Karthis | May 6, 2009 at 1:07 pm
And by “you”, I mean “Light”.
7.
Light | May 6, 2009 at 1:12 pm
I always play some sort of ranged or magic user in every RPG I’ve ever played.
Nothing like chucking lightning bolts or fireballs at something and have it die before it knows what hits it.
8.
Elleiras | May 6, 2009 at 2:07 pm
… Unless you spend the fight pretending to be a mage (and by that, I mean, “on ice”). QQ.
9.
Tart | May 6, 2009 at 12:50 pm
*snerk* This is the exact reason why I am scared to go Retadin as my dual spec on my tankadin. I am so utterly failtastic at melee DPS that I’m amazed I can make it through an instance tanking (but I think it has more to do with the ‘stand here and soak damage’ aspect of tanking than anything.. the thought of tanking Sarth scares the bejesus out of me. I can only imagine the wipes!)
Well here’s hoping you don’t have to dps TOO ofter 😀
10.
Lewis | May 6, 2009 at 2:09 pm
Don’t feel bad. I tank, and when I flip specs and go Arms, I’m out of range half the time. Mobile fights are not my friend. And if you REALLY want to screw with me being able to position properly on a fight, be it tank or DPS, Noggenfogger me. Or run me into CoS or Old Hillsbrad where I’m not a gigantic Panzercow, but a runty human. Or even put me on my orc DK. Changing races completely breaks my ability to get set properly in melee and I don’t know why.
11.
BobTurkey | May 6, 2009 at 3:54 pm
That exactly my experience too.
I finally got targeting sorted out in melee range (focus tank and targettarget) but yeah getting turned, around disorientated and generally lost in melee range is normal for me to.
Doesn’t help that my mouse occassionaly races to the top right corner of my screen usually resulting in my stairing straight up in the air at a 90ish degree angle to where Iw as facing a second ago. One day that mouse will die!
Funny thing is as a healer I have excellent raid awareness. *shrugs*
12.
Tara | May 6, 2009 at 5:26 pm
DPS = Damage Per Second. The point of it is that it only takes into account the damage you’re dealing while you’re dealing damage. So while you were in range and hitting your target you were doing 3.2k dps, but your actual damage done to the target was low because you were out of range so much. Someone pulling 2k dps but hitting all the time (cough, ranged, cough) will show up higher on total dmg meters.
I was an enhance shaman all through BC raiding and only went resto (where I’ve stayed) at the beginning of WotLK. With the entrance of dual specs I’ve done a tad bit of enh raiding and gotta agree, it’s hard. You might want to try the command that lets you pull your camera way back, that helps me get positioned better. But OMG, stormstrike, lightning bolt, BOOM is so much fun.
13.
Kayeri | May 7, 2009 at 9:56 am
I feel your pain…. I’m healer… always been a healer, even leveled all the way to 80 that way! And don’t cringe, either, its not as bad as everyone seems to think it is…
But now my little rogue is 78 and has been running instances as a full member since 68 and melee dps IS hard… I’ve had the out of range issues and the turned the wrong way issues, not to mention how do you change targets fast issues and “Come back here, stand still where I can kill you!” issues and other such things that come to the noob melee dps-er.
I’ve also had to learn about hit rating… healers have no clue about hit rating.. 🙂 There’s also all those other things… expertise, and armor penetration… If it werent for our raiding rogue being ready and willing to mentor me, I’d be floudering… 🙂
But it’s STILL fun! 🙂
14.
Tigerfeet | May 7, 2009 at 10:47 am
I tanked 10-man XT on Tuesday in a cat spec, but shhhh, it’s a secret >_>
15.
Fear.Win | May 7, 2009 at 5:13 pm
“You are out of range.
You are out of range.
You are out of range.
You are facing the wrong way.
You are facing the wrong way.
You are out of range.
You are still out of range.
Damn it, Elle, what are you doing in Feralas? The boss is in Ulduar!”
Lol, this made my entire day. Thanks.