How do YOU learn new dungeons?

12/16/2010 5:17 PMPosted by AtavianTrial and error?
Hope someone else has been there before?
Study online sites?
Watching encounter videos?

My personal approach -- which is by no means canon -- is a healthy combination of "trial and error," "study online sites," and "hope someone else has been there before." While I prefer not to spoil the visual experience too much, if I'm about to take on more difficult content (like a new raid boss, for example), I'll sometimes watch encounter videos, too, just to make sure I'm as prepared as possible.

Trial and error is certainly my favorite method, though (provided that I've some base understanding of the encounter). I feel that I'm able to learn more by making mistakes, wiping, analyzing what went wrong, and then trying something new rather than simply walking into a dungeon and knowing all the mechanics outright. I can get a better feel for what I should be doing and, perhaps more importantly, what I shouldn't be doing -- which I think makes me a better player and a more groovy person all around.

Again, that's just my personal preference, and the idea of wiping more than once may not always mesh well with the other players I group with -- especially if they have a greater understanding of an encounter than I do. If that's the case and they're able to just tell me where to go and what to do, I'm happy to defer to their wisdom, even if that means I don't get to learn the fight the way I prefer. For me, running dungeons is all about working together, and -- hey! -- I can always go and wipe with my friends some other time if I'm really jonesing for a repair bill. :P

Halls of origination is by far my favorite heroic so far. ITS HARD but when i get a good group its so much fun. Every boss ahs a different strat. very exciting.

And you get to fight on camels! Not only are they adorable, but they're incredibly functional, too (you can actually cast spells while riding around on them). :)

12/17/2010 2:50 PMPosted by Dandraffbal

I don't mean to be disagreeable, but I disagree. Yes, they are adorable and I initially liked them, but as a World of Warcraft player and upholder of "leet DPS", I cannot, in good conscious, say camels are functional in that dungeon.

I embrace your disagreement with both love and acceptance. :)

In the end, mounted camel combat may not always be most the functional choice for an individual player; however, having a healer that can cast spells on the move is certainly something that's functional for the whole group. That's more or less what I was trying to say, not that you were somehow "doing it wrong" by declining the dromedary's assistance. It's definitely your choice to make.

It would be nice if I could cast Shadow Fiend and get some mana back while on the Camel.

I just discussed this with our encounter designers and, while it's not really intended for Shadowfiends to restricted while mounted, there are technical limitations that prevent the use of most pets when in a vehicle.

Ultimately, though, the camels are there as optional interactible flavor and aren't really an enforced part of the encounter -- like, say, the drakes in Oculus or siege vehicles on Flame Leviathan. If you feel the drawbacks of using a camel outweigh the benefits, then you're absolutely welcome fight to Earthrager Ptah on two feet instead of four. :)