Raid Mystic questions

[Loki9s]

<DIV>I've been reading the boards as much as possible as I level but I have to admit i'm still lost on a few things and due to personal preferences from everyone there is alot of contradictory info out there so I was looking for some help. Just leveled my mystic to 60 last night but haven't been playing him all that long and as I get closer and closer to 70 I will be doing much more raiding. So my questions are these.  Stackability, St wards and group wards don't stack with defilers correct? What about buffs?  If an MT isn't capped in one of the three is Avatar or Ancient Ava worth the use? The guild i'm in has a very good defiler and from what I gather defilers are more apt to be in the MT group because of the raw HP gains vs our sta gains on max characters, so does not being in the MT group make OB useless? I thought I had more questions than that but i'm at work and sadly must get back. Any other raiding tips/suggestions would be highly appreciated!</DIV>

[Eepop]

<blockquote><hr>Loki9s wrote:<div>I've been reading the boards as much as possible as I level but I have to admit i'm still lost on a few things and due to personal preferences from everyone there is alot of contradictory info out there so I was looking for some help. Just leveled my mystic to 60 last night but haven't been playing him all that long and as I get closer and closer to 70 I will be doing much more raiding. So my questions are these.  Stackability, St wards and group wards don't stack with defilers correct? <font color="#ff0000">Right, although shamans probably have it easiest with our specials in raids.  Either wards are being dropped quickly, which means you probably wont overwrite the other....or the other wards are holding, in which case the MTs health will be stable. So short answer no, long answer:        If the tank's health is dropping, do not be afraid to throw on a single target ward. And never forget, Defilers do not get Torpor, and its castable crossraid, so keep it up as much as possible. </font>What about buffs? <font color="#ff0000">This is kind of a case by case issue. Foretelling/Portent - I think can both be put on a target, but its highly inefficent, as the target gets the hp value from the defiler and the pp value from the mystic. Just spread the love to another char.  Defiler buffs melees, mystic buffs casters. Runic Aegis/Abhorrent Shroud -  the mitigation portion of these buffs do NOT stack.  That said, the regenerating wards do stack because mystic is vs physical and defiler is vs magical.  Both should run these. Umbral Mettle/Malevolent Efflux - Really only worth running one, just use whoever is better upgraded, or whoever has conc left over from </font><font color="#ff0000">Foretelling/Portent. Spirit of Mammoth/Rapacity Defiler should definitely be running thiers.  If its hard content, and your tank has room for more stamina, sure run yours too.  The str never stacks though.  Usually not worth it running it for members if it doesnt help the MT as non-fighters get less benefit from stamina than fighters do.</font><font color="#ff0000"> </font>  If an MT isn't capped in one of the three is Avatar or Ancient Ava worth the use? <font color="#ff0000">Sta, yes. Str, perhpaps. Agi, only if there is no other fighter or scout in the MT group that could get more out of it. (likely candidates are Dirge and Paladin, which both often have spread out  stats.) </font> The guild i'm in has a very good defiler and from what I gather defilers are more apt to be in the MT group because of the raw HP gains vs our sta gains on max characters, so does not being in the MT group make OB useless? <font color="#ff0000">Im guessing you mean obberron.  Short answer: Yes. Long answer no, it can be used in some situations when the MT drops and a fighter in your group gets aggro.  But you cant use it cross raid, so its usefulness is quite limited.</font>  I thought I had more questions than that but i'm at work and sadly must get back. Any other raiding tips/suggestions would be highly appreciated!</div><hr></blockquote><div></div>

[Loki9s]

Thanks E, That was exactly what i needed! Any tricks of the trade I should get a jump on learning?<p>Message Edited by Loki9s on <span class=date_text>08-16-2006</span> <span class=time_text>12:41 PM</span>

[Eepop]

Which group will you be in for raiding?  Tactics vary between the MT group and non-MT groups. <div></div>

[Loki9s]

Definatly not the MT group, at least until I level a bit. So probably MA group or a melee orriented DPS group.

[Thatdumbg]

Just some quick tips off of the top of my head before I go to work:A single-target ward protects for a second or two. Your DPS debuff does the same for every hit for a minute-twelve (The same could be said for just about any debuff you have). Never underestimate the power of your debuffs. Learn to situationally change up your debuff order depending on the fight, and after your initial casts/coverage try to space them out so that you don't have to refresh more then one at a time.Casting orders and routines: Try to get the feel for recasts on torpor, ancestral aegis and rejuvenating rite. Work your routines around maximizing the use of these spells (this ties in to debuff spreads as above).Another thing on debuffs: some classes have similar effects. Coordinate with them (mainly shaman and dirge I speak of here) to get maximum debuff coverage on a mob in the timeliest manner. This includes having more then one mystic on a raid, and situations where there is more the one mob that HAS to be debuffed.Bolster: Blow it just before the pull on big mobs... but if you are in the water for whatever reason, make sure your tank's feet are still above the ground to make sure he's swimming... in general make sure it won't interfere with his positioning (corners, etc).Torpor: A very valuable tool. Use it often, avoid using until the mobs/tank are in proper position in case the tank has to move. On wierd knockbacks, etc, be prepared to cancel it. Do you have 2 mystics in the raid? Hotkey tells to each other when you cast it so you can keep it up continuosly.Prophetic Aegis: Don't forget about it, as unlike group wards (which divide the protection amongst the group), each person in the group will be protected for the amount listed against noxious effects.Ancient Balm: Even if you aren't in the MT group, on certain fights you might want to blindly cast this when it's up. This helps the MT priests stay on top of the cures (which are more important in T7 then ever). Check with your MT group priests to find out when you should be using it.Achievement points: If you end up being an everday raider, and know shamanX in your guild also is, try to coordinate and talk with them to vary your abilities. There are potent abilities for raiding in multiple lines, so having them all covered is a good thing. Maxing strength line is practically a must.Umbral Attendant: If you are going to rely on this spell for group healing (as its potential is awesome), make sure the other priest (if any) in your group know about it so that they let it take effect (i.e., so they don't blow power healing the group to full before it's had time to take full effect).Buffs in general: Suit them to your group. There might be times where more foretellings will suit your group better then casting some of your mainstay concentration buffs.Hope that helps you out, I'm sure there is lots of other great advice out there.<div></div>

[Banditman]

Torpor stacks.<div></div>

[Thatdumbg]

Err... thats not quite how I meant it.Keeping it up continuosly as opposed to stacking it gives it a greater probability of full efficiency (which nets more healage for both of your power pools) and provides better coverage to a tank over the fight. Efficiency like that has the potential to give you that tiny advantage... and 24 people grabbing for those tiny advantages can make a fight succeed where it would normally fail.<div></div>

[jbremer]

Wards dont stack but like some1 previously said the ward over rides the other one maintaining a ward on the tank...downside to this it is a waste of power if anything set it up for you to be running your single target and the defiler grp ward... or vice versa if the raid ldr puts you in mt grp...since most guilds use defilers in the mt grp i got aicient avator for master2 choice givin a melee class the buff (they often aruge over it) If OB is oberion Barrier i barely use it outside of a mt grp unless there is another healer in the grp with me then i might try to get it off on a dps class that take damage alot, it dont get cast that often kinda sad for such a good spell to be put to the side but im not stunning myself for one person and let the rest of the grp get hit cause i am stunned when im a solo healer in the grp..

[Thatdumbg]

<blockquote><hr>jbremer wrote:<div></div>Wards dont stack but like some1 previously said the ward over rides the other one maintaining a ward on the tank...downside to this it is a waste of power if anything set it up for you to be running your single target and the defiler grp ward... or vice versa if the raid ldr puts you in mt grp...<hr></blockquote>    I disagree. In a raid, it is commonplace for a single-target ward to drop within a half a second (if not faster) of it being applied, due to the sheer amount of incoming damage. Two or maybe even three or four (depending on the fight) shaman can spam single target wards with minimal efficiency loss due to overwrites. However, if you are in the MT group, and the tanks health is very high (greenish), its probably best to use a group ward if you can spare the time (which you somewhat touched on later in your post).<div></div>

[Eepop]

<blockquote><hr>Eepop wrote: <blockquote><div> Stackability, St wards and group wards don't stack with defilers correct? <font color="#ff0000">Right, although shamans probably have it easiest with our specials in raids.  Either wards are being dropped quickly, which means you probably wont overwrite the other....or the other wards are holding, in which case the MTs health will be stable. So short answer no, long answer:        If the tank's health is dropping, do not be afraid to throw on a single target ward. And never forget, Defilers do not get Torpor, and its castable crossraid, so keep it up as much as possible. </font></div></blockquote><div></div><hr></blockquote>I thought this made it clear enough, guess not.<div></div>

[Thatdumbg]

    Not really, I think my post and quote were aimed at power efficiency. =P<div></div>

[FelixDomesticus]

<div></div><div><blockquote><hr>Loki9s wrote:<div></div>Definatly not the MT group, at least until I level a bit. So probably MA group or a melee orriented DPS group.<hr></blockquote>I was 4 levels below others healing in MT group (66 vs. 70). Still I am topping healing parse due to nature of wards. True, I die easier, but still so far raid leader has always moved me to MT group. And so far no-one has complained about my healing abilities (yes, all my heals + wards are adept3 or better).EDIT: Bolster is uber for hard pulls like nameds. Get it to as high level as possible. Adept3 as minimum is a must.</div><p>Message Edited by FelixDomesticus on <span class=date_text>09-03-2006</span> <span class=time_text>11:37 AM</span>

[Banditman]

You would actually heal for more outside the MT group because you'd be alive instead of dead.The MT group typically takes a lot more punishment than the other groups on the raid.If our only Mystic was not L70 I'd put him in a different group to protect him from all the nasty things that happen to the MT group and ensure that Wards kept coming and debuffs were always running.<div></div>

[Loki9s]

<DIV>I stay out of the MT group, we have a very well equiped Defiler and she's an excellent healer, i'm still fresh to the raid warding scene and my gear is mickey mouse when compared to hers, there's no question there she's a much better candidate. Plus i'm not quite 70 yet. </DIV> <DIV>On Butcherblock, you can regularly find Bolster M1 on the broker for under 5p so I snagged that superfast. The only thing i'm really having a problem with is my lvl 70 spells, but I imagine thats the case on every server.</DIV>