First Kara visitFollow

Let me preface this by saying it's basically a brag post. But, it's also a post to thank the druid community for all the great information I've gotten. Anyway...

Last night, I went into Kara for the first time on my druid. I just dinged 70 last Friday. Fortunately, since it's an alt, I benefitted mightily from having a LW'ing main to get the Heavy Clefthoof set, the Stylin' Purple Hat, and the Belt of Natural Power almost immediately. I have studied Emmerald's list extensively. So, yesterday I sat at 18.7k armor and about 12.7k health, with 415 defense and 37% dodge. I felt I was quite undergeared for Kara, but when the RL asked my stats and I told him, he didn't have a problem. For sure, it helped that I was going in as an off-tank with a well-geared main tank and a decent group overall.

We managed a nearly full clear. We couldn't do Nightbane because no one had an urn. We one-shotted every other boss. I only died once the entire time...on Prince. I didn't realize quickly enough, as a melee, I needed to run out during enfeeble. I've done the fight as a hunter and a holy pally, so it was a duh moment.

Overall, it was a great time. My nerves settled down as the run went along. I realize I have a ton still to learn. There are times when playing melee is very confusing...I'm used to staying in the back. But, overall, I handled everything that I was asked to handle, including tanking multiple mobs simultaneously. A couple errant swipes, but nothing fatal since I held the mob anyway. But, I do need to fix that. I'm sure having a well geared competent group made a huge difference, but I think I held my own just fine, especially considering it was literally only the 5th instance I've ever tanked in.

20 badges, new gloves, and a Violet Signet. Yay! I'm now sitting at 20.7k armor and 13.9k health.

I definitely still have a lot of work and practice to do, but it felt good to do well.

Anyway, no real point to the post, just sharing. And, thanks to all my fellow druids for all the great information I've picked up here and elsewhere.


ps. Here's my armory, since I finally remembered to log out in bear. My immediate goals are PvP bracers, Earthwarden, and an Alchemists Stone. I need to enchant things too, I just haven't wanted to enchant gear that may be replaced quickly. I also can't afford to lose the +Def armor kits quite yet. I'm only 347/350 defense, lol, that's how fresh I am. I have plenty of work to do still.

Wow, congratulations. Honestly I wouldn't have thought you'd be anywhere near ready to even offtank even the early bosses in Kara with those stats. I would have told you to bump your armor by 4,000 and your health by 1,000 before walking in the friggin door! Either I have an inflated sense of what's required to get into Kara, or your group was more than "decent overall."

For context, I have around 27k armor, 14.5hp, 35% dodge, uncrittable. A few nights ago a guild I know lost a tank right before Netherspite. I've only been in Kara few times and have never tanked past Maiden because my guild is ubercasual and I rarely have time for instances letalone raids. I'd read up on the Netherspite fight on wowwiki, though, and have been told I'm geared for it so I told them I'd do my best if they talked me through it. I dropped in, figured out the beams/fight and followed the instructions I was given, and we downed him...but I died late in the process. I asked the very-well-geared and obviously expert druid MT if he had noticed why I'd died (to see if I'd messsed up somehow) and he told me that I'd done everything just right -- I was just a little undergeared. Then I hear that you go cruising through and past that action with 10k less armor and 2k less health. WTF. Maybe I sux. : /