In this installment we talk about how to prepare for a new boss, and how limited attempts should be restricted to hard modes only.

Gathering intel for new bosses is important.

With the release of Patch 3.3.2 tomorrow comes the unlocking of the Frostwing Halls. Valithria Dreamwalker, Sindragosa, and the Lich King await. Do you attempt them blind or do you do your research?

I understand the argument that some people will have, saying that it's more fun to attempt a boss blind. Of course it is. When everything is a mystery and you have to problem solve your way to a kill, it's a great feeling. When you finally score a kill and you don't know what kind of loot to expect, that's can be an even better feeling. But those days are long behind us; ever since Conquest posted their guides on Molten Core, and thottbot data-mined boss loot.

When only factoring in normal bosses that aren't tied to limited attempts, I'm all for attempting a boss with little to no information. That however changes with hard modes and the limited attempts mechanic. I'd rather not handicap my raid when everyone else is doing their research.

Our usual approach to a new boss begins with a few of us gathering intel and posting information relevant to the specific boss in our private forums. In order of importance, the intel tends to be:

1. Data-mined abilities.
2. PTR kill videos and well written guides.
3. Forum posts which may or may not contain useful information.

Even if most of the intel isn't great, it still gets intelligent discussion started between guild members. More information will often be added to the thread by individuals after experiencing the fight. Even if the boss is killed, we will post information on how to optimize the kill for future encounters.

Limited attempts are great for hard modes. They're unnecessary stress otherwise.

I'm a huge fan of limited attempts when done right. It helps guilds who want to raid on a reasonable schedule keep up competitively with those that have much more time on their hands. It comes down to raiding quality instead of raiding quantity.

It starts to cause problems when you consider those playing on really high pop servers. The chance for lag is extremely high during prime time, and it makes the less confident guilds readjust their raiding times around it. Thankfully, my guild is no longer in that position. We left our old high population server behind us for greener pastures, and we're extremely glad we did. The only lag problems we have to deal with these days are our own ISPs. (Curse you Comcast!) If you're still playing on a high pop server, consider making the move like we did. If your guild can survive the transfer, it will be well worth it.

The biggest issue I have with limited attempts is how they affect normal modes. Would it have been so difficult to put a counter on only the hard mode versions of the wing bosses, leaving the normal modes alone? This isn't just a cry for the casuals. It affects everyone, even the most hardcore.

Let's look at two situations for your typical hardcore progression guild:

Situation 1: Let's say that you have been making amazing progress on the hard mode of Blood-Queen Lana'thel and it's also the only limited attempts boss you've tried. You've had to burn almost all of your attempts on her to get to this point. You have 1 attempt remaining and your last attempt was a 1% wipe. Getting this kill could mean a world top 10 kill for your guild, and your guild usually only places in the top 100.

Although you're pretty confident that you can one-shot every normal mode boss, bad luck or bad play can happen occasionally. You worry about the risk of attempting other bosses when you're so close to an important kill. You then have to make the annoying decision of progression vs loot at this point. Most people, myself included, would agree that the former choice is the right one, but it's not a fun choice to make for anyone involved. Everyone loves getting new loot from a farm boss. So when the worst case happens and you try Blood-Queen one last time and wipe, goodbye loot for the rest of the week!

Situation 2: Now let's look at the same situation, except normal modes aren't affected by a limited attempts counter anymore. You'd still be required to make the difficult decision of what hard modes to burn your attempts on, but you can now run through the entire counter with your mind more at ease. You know that even after you expire all of your attempts, you can still go and clear the rest of the dungeon on normal mode for loot. You can then come back the following week with more gear to attempt the hard modes with.

The second situation is infinitely better for every raider, from casual to hardcore. The point may be moot in the future, but the present situation is what's important.

Parting words.

Here's to hoping that the hard modes prove very challenging. If the normal modes are any indication, they will give even the most tested raiders extreme difficulty on release. Cheers to Blizzard for the release of Icecrown Citadel. This is shaping up to be a great raiding dungeon and a good finish to Wrath of the Lich King.

Next: Road to Arthas: Chapter 5

Previous: Road to Arthas: Chapter 3