Attention Suicide Squad HM Group

Hey peeps,

I just wanted the get this out there for all you to read. I know we have to decided to give hard mode Ravagers and ToS a shot this weekend, and I want to make sure we are all prepared for it.

Biggest thing, naturally, is gearing up so we don't get squished like little bugs. I think it's amazing that you are all willing to work to improve. This week group finder Ravagers and ToS is Wednesday and Thursday, and Blubber and I thought it would be nice to get our group together for those days to run through together for gearing runs. It does mean it might be a little later than normal because he, Xxdeathxx, and Sirrezzo won't be home from work until 7PM server time. I know this might be a little harder on the east cost group members, so if you can't commit to that late, we can work around it. I'm sure there is always someone willing to set in.

I just need to know who needs what gear from these ops. For myself, I'm good, so that is one less person to roll against, but if we could get a list of who has what, we can see if we can split up the gear evenly when they drop.

And to prepare ourselves for the hard modes, I have pulled up all the dulfy guides for each class. While they are guides and what you do with them after reading them is up to you, I would really appreciate if you took the 5-10 minutes it takes to read them. (Even if you think you know your class inside and out. I have a pretty good handle on op healer, but still find myself learning new things once in a while.) Dulfy has everything from gearing tips to rotation tips.

Also, if you could study the HM fights for Ravagers and ToS, that'd be awesome too. I will still go over the major points before we start, but any bit helps. (I know Blubber has already been watching videos of it, which is amazing!) I will post up about the fights later in the week so I don't feel like I am overwhelming all of you with links right now.

Thanks!!

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] (Please read Avoxen's reply down below.)
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Naf'eesh: 3 pieces (has head, gloves, and chest)
Ted: Needs no set pieces
Tweet: 6 piece set, just needs belt, but will hold off.

Good luck guys!

I wanted to mention that the Annihilation Marauder dulfy guide is for the 3.0 update, and the rotation changed substantially with 3.2 (as in the guide's rotation is wrong, but the gearing/utilities stuff is still worth taking a look at).

As far as I know, the current annihilation marauder rotation goes something along the lines of:

Annihilate -> Filler -> Rupture -> Filler

Where your filler GCD's follow this priority list:
1.  Force Rend
2.  Deadly Saber + Force Charge
3.  Dual Saber Throw (WITH pulverize proc)
4.  Vicious Throw  (If rage allows)
5.  Ravage (clip the third hit so you're not adding in an extra GCD)
6.  Battering Assault/Assault if you wouldn't have enough rage for your next annihilate or rupture

There's a long drawn-out ramp-up rotation to get you to where your Annihilate is on a 6 sec CD, but I don't remember most of it, just keep these in mind:

• Check Force Rend and reapply it when it falls off.
  
• Rupture every 4 GCD's
  
• Annihilate on cooldown
  
• Don't use Dual Saber Throw without a pulverize proc
  

As you get used to the rotation you'll notice little things that help you keep track of DoT's, and you'll probably eventually find a ramp-up opener that works for you.
Happy raiding!
-Avo

Good job today guys, we made great progress from our 1st attempt to our last. Now we just need to clean up our execution and maximize our dps. Please don't be afraid to give some feedback and prospective. I personally only have a tanking perspective and welcome any feedback that could be helpful. Here's some things I think may help.

Tanks: We need to pop our defensive cooldowns as often as possible to mitigate incoming damage to help our healers, especially when debuff stacks start getting high. At some point depending on how our dps is doing we may need to go back to the standard tank swap mechanic but for the time being what we're doing is ok. Only reason I suggest this is having Kuci run in and out each phase cuts her time she could be dpsing, every little bit helps.

DPS: Please download Star Parse ([You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]). This will allow us get an idea of how our dps is doing as a group and what we can do to improve. Also working on dps rotation is huge. You can use the op dummy (ask in guild chat if you dont know location) to practice rotation and also gauge your dps when you have star parse on. Smashing on a dummy will give you an idea of your dps but more importantly gives you time to perfect your rotation. Anyone can pull off rotation on a stationary target but in the heat of battle with mechanics and switching back and forth between targets it's much harder to keep rotation, so having your rotation down to a science is crucial. There's plenty of info on dulfy about class rotation if your not sure on exact rotation. And we can help if someone has experience.

Healers: You're on your own, I have no knowledge of healing... LOL. We're staying alive so that's a good start. But we're gonna start pushing the boundaries a little more, so get ready.

Here's some things I think can help from what I saw in the fight and reading some more after.

-Rezo had the right idea earlier, I think we should assign someone to call out debuffs and run out as a group, this helps everyone just focus on their duties and one less thing to keep track of.

-We may need to push stacks up to 6-7 as a start to increase dps. I'll do my best to get adds into the red spear circle, that's huge damage that helps get them down.

-Any other ideas?

1. Starparse is really needed for everyone. By next week, I would like everyone to have it downloaded.

2. I will be pulling a few people aside today or later this week to talk rotation/gear/stats/whatever. I do not want anyone to take offense to this, I just want to help you help yourself improve. If you feel like you can improve on someone, please talk to myself or anyone in the group or Avoxen, who is always willing to help. Brush up on the guides posted up top.

3. Everyone needs to get their defensive down. I mentioned Cloak of Pain (maras) and sorc bubble should always be up the second they are off CD. (I'm unaware of tank defensives beyond saber reflect and force shroud, but if you have it, use it - don't save it.)

4. Heals were good. We need to stack up more as a group to maximize our AoE heals. If you see the green circle of heals on the ground and aren't in it, stepping into it helps. I try to place it in the middle of everyone, but there is a range and if you are two steps out of it, that is two steps too far.

5. The tank swap was good. We kind of did our own thing, compared to the mechanics, and it seemed to be working well for us. After a few attempts, it went smoother. More practice on it will obviously help us improve.

6. If you want to take it to 6-7 stacks and run out as a group, we can try that. I'm a little worried that with two melee dps we will be losing out on their dps. However, I am open to trying this idea. I will try to keep an eye on the stacks, but at the same time, I want everyone to learn to look at their debuffs in case I get caught doing something else, like saving a tank.

7. I want to get to the point where we have only the two ranged dps on the adds. While bringing the adds to the outside of the circle helps, but at the same time we don't want to lose too much dps on the boss.

8. I thought I had something else, but I lost my thought. Keeping this here in case I remember and can come back to it.

I want to keep trying. I feel like this will help us improve individually and as a group. It challenges us to do better. If you have any questions, concerns, or comments, please feel free to find me in game or send me a mail in game. I also have email that you can reach me at (tweetcds@gmail.com). I just want to help our group grow and say we mastered this stuff!

Good points, Blubber and Tweet.

However, being mindful of your own de-buffs should be the way we go. Prior to even attempting Maliphar again, I would like everyone to make sure that their de-buffs are noticeably large enough to be aware of how many you're sitting at.

I know that I can also remain inside the circle a little bit longer, because I can reduce my AoE damage by 60% with Entrench around 5-6 stacks, so it's really only like I'm being hit for 2. Entrench accompanied by Shield Probe will mitigate a ridiculous amount of my damage received and make the healer's lives a lot easier.

The downside to my Ballistic Shield is that it has a 2 minute cooldown. It's really nice how it will increase healing received, but it's really useful for burn-phases when we all stack on the boss. The shield might also encourage people to remain inside the bubble and not realize they're sitting at 10 stacks.

Another thing that I recommend is that everyone should be getting the most out of their Utilities (skill tree). The level 60 HM stuff can be very situationally dependent, so I highly recommend everyone look over their Utilities to make sure they're getting the most out of them for that particular encounter. Dulfy guides will also help with this aspect. Field Respec is a great investment.

Rather than opening with my Orbital strike, I'm going to save it for when the adds are out to do more damage with my Corrosive Dart, Corrosive Grenade and Suppresive Fire combination.

Keep fighting the good fight, everyone.

If y'all don't mind me throwing in my two cents:

Blubber wrote:Tanks: We need to pop our defensive cooldowns as often as possible to mitigate incoming damage to help our healers, especially when debuff stacks start getting high.

This is a good idea, but it also helps to be mindful of when you're popping them.  Popping a DCD (defensive cooldown) with a long CD while you're sitting at 1-2 doesn't help as much as popping at 3-5 stacks, or if you're tanking adds with high stacks.
In addition, knowing which DCD's are best suited to what situations really helps as well.  E.g. Saber Reflect malaphar's spear (the red AoE).  Not only do you not have to bother with keeping the adds in while getting yourself out, you're doing damage to the boss.  I'd encourage the tanks to play with what DCD's and see what works with what, in addition to learning which DCD is generally best to use under what circumstances:  Does force shroud negate damage from malaphar's spear?  Can I saber reflect the Rapid Fire from Unit 1 on Sword Squadron?  Should I use Overcharge Saber or Deflection if I'm about to take a massive hit?  (Failed lurker cross)  What about a bunch of smaller ones?   (Both walkers are shooting you).

Tedvangelical wrote:The downside to my Ballistic Shield is that it has a 2 minute cooldown. It's really nice how it will increase healing received, but it's really useful for burn-phases when we all stack on the boss. The shield might also encourage people to remain inside the bubble and not realize they're sitting at 10 stacks.

Ballistic shield is just straight 20% damage reduction to everyone inside it afaik - is there an increased heals portion that I've never known about?

Blubber wrote:You can use the op dummy (ask in guild chat if you dont know location) to practice rotation and also gauge your dps when you have star parse on.

The dummies are on the Ziost Shadow.  Take the elevator to the Command Deck and head to the north area.  Picture in spoiler with my photoshop skills:

Spoiler:

Tweetie wrote:2. I will be pulling a few people aside today or later this week to talk rotation/gear/stats/whatever. I do not want anyone to take offense to this, I just want to help you help yourself improve. If you feel like you can improve on someone, please talk to myself or anyone in the group or Avoxen, who is always willing to help. Brush up on the guides posted up top.

Just to repeat Tweet on this - she's not wanting/looking to offend anyone.  If you're talked to, it's not because she's trying to call you out and make you feel bad.  It's because she wants you to play better so the group plays better.  The more individuals improve, the more the group improves, and the more fun harder content becomes/the less you wipe.  There's no "holier than thou" attitude here - we just want to see everyone be the best they can be.

Thanks for reading my walls of text, and have a great time raiding y'all!
-Avo

Nope, you're very much correct, Avoxen. Thank you for the clarification.