Haffleheim Black is my Captain toon, and he’s given me so much joy this month and last. I’ve had a blast playing him in group content. When I first started playing the Cappy, it was such a boring grind and it made me doubt if I’ll ever reach a point in time where I’d be having fun with this guy. Now at 85, I’m having no regrets. I relate players who play their captains well to football teams that possess star catalyst players. In football, or soccer if you will, every team has it’s ‘Number 10′, the playmaker. They dictate the game, pulling the strings and offers that something special to get the job done. I see captains in the exact same way. We make good groups play that extra bit better ; we push DPS a little higher, we heal when we need to, and if poop hits the fan we definitely have a few skills to try and save the situation. Reading the forums, class guides and class round-tables only gave me a little info about what to expect but nothing compares to the experience of actually going out and learning how to play my captain in group situations. And so that’s exactly what I’ve been doing with him. I’ve been joining PUG groups a lot lately in the hopes of actually acquiring some decent gear and gold drops. At the rate I’m going with my cappy, I definitely consider him my main toon now.
He’s not where I’d like him to be yet in terms of gear and virtues. Which brings me to the other thing I wanted to talk about, virtues and it’s importance in end-game. A recent heated debate on Riddermark’s GLFF channel told me all I need to know about what it actually takes to get into PUG raids. Virtues are key some say, as they give you that extra bit of mits when it matters most. Others say bugger virtues, it’s how well you know your class, and if you’re a decent and well geared player. The minority in that discussion said player attitude is the deciding factor. A player who is willing to listen, learn, and take in constructive criticism will be well received in raids, regardless of having the experience or gear. Personally, I feel it’s a well balanced mix of all three factors. My first PUG raid for example ; Way back in 75 land I responded to a raid PUG hoping to get my Champ his ToO locks. My virtues were meager at best in the 9-10s. I was pretty decently geared. Full Draigoch teal armor and crafted Theodred jewelries. I knew it was a far cry to get in and that the leader who was inspecting me would go “meh”. So I told him the truth, that although I had no experience in the ToO raids, I was willing to listen and learn. I know how play my champ, and would do anything that was asked of me. I urged him to give me a try. So he did, and it went pretty smooth for my part. That’s one way of getting in raids lol. What about you folks? What do you think is important in cementing your place in raids, Kin or PUGS? And are Virtues all that important?
Finally, back to my cappy and the future. Right now, all I want to do is farm GB/Annuminas/Dale/School/Library for Seals, gold drops, and hopefully get my Erebor raid locks before a new update. Oh that reminds me, just a couple of days ago, I joined a PUG ‘speed run’ that wanted to clear out all 3 GB instances. At first glance, the group had a tank and a healer. 30 minutes into the runs, the tank was pulling everything he could and the healer was traited for DPS. That was a high octane run that I’m not going to forget soon. By the end of the run, I left the group upset. It wasn’t how I like to play the game, rushing through everything. But now I think back and have a lot to thank those players for. I realized that in those high adrenaline moments where fights are chaotic and fast, I learned how to adjust my playing, adapt to the situation and it really did test my knowledge of my class to the limit. I came out of that experience a better player.
I love coffee break chats. I get to ramble for the sake of rambling. So till I experience more stuff to write about, happy gaming everyone.
