Ad Hoc Karazhan Runs

Monday 20th August 2007 - Karazhan 7?

Now that the official guild runs into Karazhan have finished there has been a lot of demand to go back in because most people still need plenty of stuff.

I for one have a list of stuff that I want and have at least 4 items that I would put a priority on. (We have introduced DKP for Gruul and beyond and at the same time implemented a priority system for Karazhan.)

So, how popular is this unofficial Karazhan run. Well it is so over subscribed that a second group had to be created, so practically the whole guild is interested. Why have we moved on from Karazhan if most of the guild still need stuff? Who knows?

I didn't go on the first run of the week because I was farming motes of water for my healing enchant, but I bagged a place on this run to start with Shade of Aran and move on up from there. I was not too hopeful about this as we have wiped on Aran so many times recently, and this raid also is "unofficial" so you get the impression it won't be as professional.

I mentioned the prioirity system earlier and I had a long hard think about what to put my prio on.

It was either going to by Triptych Shield of the Ancients from the Chess Event or Breastplate of the Lightbinder from Terestian Illhoof.

I went for the Breastplate in the end.

I arrive at the Entrance and discover that at some point on the last run I hit revered with means I can upgrade my Violet Eye Signet.

Well, we actually started with Nightbane, as he is nearer the start. My first attempt on him was good, but all subsequent attempts have been abandoned so this will be interesting with this "guild pug". Well, we downed him first go. No loot for me here though.

And so, onto the Shade of Aran, again this hasn't gone well recently so I was a little wary, but the first attempt went very well. There had been much discussion about getting him to drink quicker so as not to coincide with the elementals, and we got him down pretty close this time but wiped. Second attempt and we got him drinking and I managed to switch over to Fire Aura before the sheeping and everyone survived. Resulting in us taking him down on the second attempt. He very kindly dropped Aran's Soothing Sphere which I rolled for on 2nd roll (so as not to lose my priority) against the 2 priests and druid and won it! I also got Medivh's Journal from him too for one of the quests.

Next up is the Chess Event, and I actually manage to get it working this time. Looking in the chest and Triptych Shield of the Ancients and some Battlescar Boots are in there. Typical, I should have put a prio on the shield but as it turns out no-one else had either. Not only that but no-one even wants to 2nd roll either of them, so I get them both!!

Prince Malchezaar is next. I have only tried him once and we wiped a few times at the end of the night, but I need him for a quest so we had better down him! Well, first attempt is going well, but at about 50% I get trapped between 2 infernals and drop dead, the group carry on for some time but wipe at about 20%.

2nd attempt and the misdirection must have gone wrong because the Prince runs up and one-shots a priest before the tank even gets close to him, so that was a wipe before we even start.

Attempt 3: Keeping it steady, keeping everyone alive and sensible placement of the tank to avoid too many infernals and allowing an escape route is working well. He's down to about 15% and a badly placed infernal threatens everything, the tank manages to reposition well and off we go for the kill. He dropped Adornment of Stolen Souls which is strictly a DPS necklace but it is an upgrade for Natasha's Ember Necklace but I missed the non-priority 1st roll and I didn't get it, then rolled on the 2nd roll but lost. Some guildies comlpained that I rolled at all because it was a DPS necklace, but it's still an upgrade for mine and our Karazhan looting rules say we can roll on anything now. The Tier 4 for Hunters, Mages and Warlocks dropped but StupidDorf wasn't here and TiceNits lost the roll.

At this point we have about 40 minutes to raid end time and the raid leader has a vote to decide on Netherspite or Illhoof. I want to go to Illhoof for my Prio item, but most people vote Netherspite.

So off to Netherspite, this time it is decided to utilise the green beam as well as the red and blue. Yahoo! the 2 priests will rotate in the green beam and I am back up. All is going well with only a few worrying moments when panic sets in on teamspeak that the blue beam isn't being interrupted anymore because the interrupter died, then they realise that I spotted this as it happened and had already jumped right into it. Shortly afterwards. Down he goes. My first Netherspite kill. He dropped Jewel of Infinite Possibilities and Pantaloons of Repentance, both of which I have better and i don't reallty want to wear cloth if I can avoid it!

At this point there is still 22 minutes to go so we are going for Terestian Illhoof after all!! Well, it started off well, although TiceNits bit the dust very early, but then a healer got shackled and my healing couldn't keep up with it and the chains didn't get dps'd quick enough, so with one healer down it was a struggle. I went melee to keep up Judgement of Wisdom on him (which I also did for subsequent fights) but he just seemed to stick at about 30% HP and after a time he enraged and wiped the raid instantly.

A vote is taken as to whether to give him another shot and we agree to go for it. The 2nd attempt goes pretty well, although TiceNits died at the start again in the first shackle, but we were still too low on DPS and he enraged again. Everyone agrees to give it a final shot even though it is 20 minutes after raid time.

Third attempt: TiceNits goes down again at the start, but this time gets a battle res and we now have enough DPS to burn him down before he enrages. Loot? Well not my Prioirity item, gutted. Xavian Stiletto and something else i can't use.

So, after some disastrous "official" runs recently we have cleared it on the first "unofficial" run. Not only that but the other group also cleared everything too!