Raiding: Composition

Current Progression Goal:

     Raid Boss: T1D (considered defeated when A1C<9)

     Raid leader: Jason

     Tank: Veronica

     Healer: Cindy

     DPS: Anthony, David, Gregory

Boys,

Let's discuss RAID COMP.

In WoW there are 10 classes: Hunter, Paladin, Priest, Druid, Warrior, Shaman, Mage, Rogue, Death Knight, and Warlock. Each of these classes has three sets of skills and some are better suited for one thing over another while others are simply incapable of certain tasks. For example, you aren't going to get much healing from a Warrior yet Druids are capable of tanking, healing, melee DPS, and ranged DPS yet are often thought of as the master of none.

There are also several different races: Human, Dwarf, Gnome, Tauren, Troll, Orc, Blood Elf, and Night Elf. (I don't recall the Panda changes.)  Each of these races have its perks. I remember changing my Tauren to a Troll for the haste buff when healing was hard with the new xpac. I missed my Tauren stomp/stun, but the change gave me one more trick to pull out of my hat when things were going sour while healing.

We can't change our race IRL, but there are traits that we have in each of us that make use unique. Sometimes those traits are helpful and sometimes they are a limitation. Fortunately, when you are part of a raid team you seem to have more chances to show off that one thing that makes you better than others at a certain job.

Each class offers the raid a different buff. As a druid healer, I provided a 'Mark of the Wild' buff to each member that simply made everyone a bit better at whatever they were doing anyway. As a shaman, I put out specific totems that cast a buff for a limited time for a limited purpose. Combine these in a traditional raid group with the other buffs different toons provide, and WE are stronger than the sum of our parts.

So... now that we are planning our RL 2014 T1D raid,

what raid buffs will you bring?

Which of your weaknesses need to be covered with someone else's strength?

Which of your talents will we want to use for our strategy?

Finally, there is a common understanding among serious raiders that if the tank dies, it's the healers fault; if the healer dies, it's the tanks fault; and if the DPS die, it's their own fault.

Obviously, IRL, we are not killing off the DPS, but this is worth noting. If the raid leader, tank, and the healer all do their job and the raid still wipes... the DPS weren't doing their job. 

IRL, we've been wiping a bunch on the T1D boss. T1D is a very well documented boss. We have access to plenty of information about how others have defeated it, so the only reason we haven't downed it yet is because we haven't attacked it with a proper group doing their proper jobs. Your raid leader, tank, and healer are now on on their assigned jobs.

All eyes are on you...

GAMBATTE!

-mom