Lavandris - Aff Warlock - ACCEPTED

Character Name: Lavandris

Class: Warlock

Talent Spec: Affliction

Age: 21

Raid availability: Most evenings after 7. I am available during the raid times posted.

What addons do you use?: DBM, Omen, Xperl, Chatter, Dominos, ForteXorcist, Grid, OmniCC, Quartz, SexyMap, Tipsy

Do you have access to Vent?: Yes, with a working mic

What sort of tools do you use to plan your characters?: I use Wowhead’s tools, specifically the talent calculator and profiler. I also use Wow-Heroes and Be Imba to analyze my current gear score/rating.

Armory link: http://www.wowarmory.com/character-sheet.xml?r=Velen&n=Lavandris

A snapshot of my UI:


Wishlist from ICC10 normal:
-Head: Dark Coven Hood
-Neck: Pendant of Split Veins
-Shoulders: Dark Coven Shoulderpads
-Back: Lich Wrappings
-Chest: Dark Coven Robe
-Wrist: Ether-Soaked Bracers
-Hands: Gloves of Broken Fingers
-Waist: Cauterized Cord
-Legs: Dark Coven Leggings
-Feet: Pale Corpse Boots
-Rings: Cerise Coiled Ring & Ashen Band of Destruction
-Trinkets: Muradin’s Spyglass
-Weapon: Frost Needle
-Off-Hand: Scourgelord’s Baton
-Wand: Lana’thel’s Bloody Nail
(Yes, I do realize that some of these items drop from bosses that aren't available yet.)

What previous raid experience do you have?
Six months of Kara BC, Naxx, Uld and ToC. I’ve done full clears of Naxx, but haven’t made it to the final encounters of Uld and ToC. I’m a quick learner, though.

What guilds have you been a member of?
Currently a member of PreEminence, formerly a member of a much smaller guild (I can’t remember the name, it’s dead now). Also a member of Robert Paulson of Tortheldrin before I transferred to Velen.

Why did you leave your previous and current guild?
The last guild I was in fell apart. Several of the more active members weren’t happy with what the guild leader was doing with the guild, and we broke off on our own. That quickly fell apart as each member split off from that to do their own thing. I then joined PreEminence, which has been a fantastic raiding experience, but we’re simply not going anywhere. Raiding has become cycling the active players’ alts through the raids we’ve been doing forever.

Why do you want to join Shade of Arrows?
I’m looking for a group of friendly, mature, experienced players that I can have fun raiding with. I’m looking for a group that is serious about progression, but still manages to maintain a casual atmosphere. I’m looking for a group that is fair and helpful to all members, new and old alike. I strive to be this type of raider, and by all outward appearances, these are the sort of raiders I will find in Shade of Arrows, which is why I’d like to join.

Tell us about yourself, to help us determine if you would be a good fit here:
I love endgame PvE. It’s the reason I’ve stuck with this game since the release of BC, why I go through the frustration of horrible heroics pugs, and why I spend all my free time either playing or learning more about the game. In spite of my raiding conquests since then, my favorite WoW moment was that first run through Kara, working with a great group of people and taking down Attumen, on up to Prince. It’s that thrill and excitement that I keep looking for in this game, and that’s what I devote my energies to.
I take steps to make sure I support a raiding environment like that, too. When learning a fight, I try to learn everyone’s role (after I understand mine, of course) so that I’m always doing what’s in everyone’s interest (i.e., Don’t stand over here, the tank needs to kite X mob there, etc.). I also look at ways that we can improve our performance after a wipe. In short, I make my best effort to think like a raid leader, even if it’s not needed, to make sure things always run as smoothly as possible.

Thank you for applying! Your application is under review.

We would like to trial you. Are you available this weekend?

Yes, I am available for this weekend. During your normal raid times, I assume?

Yes. 6-10p. Please fill in your knowledge gaps about the seven current ICC bosses using our strategy forum prior to the raid. See you Friday, recruit!

Ok Lavandris, now it's time for the written exam.

-Which of your three specs have the highest damage potential at your gear level on a single target? What are the potential average dps values on a patchwerk-like fight for each spec? Link the information you base your answer off of.

-Please explain your decision to play as Affliction over the other two specs. What benefits are you bringing to the raid? What are you not bringing to the raid by playing that spec? Why do you think Affliction is the best spec for our 10 mans?

-What is your Affliction rotation on a single target? How about on 3+ targets? What pet is optimal for dps? How did you figure out your rotation? If you used guides, link those guides.

-What glyphs do you use? What glyphs would you use for the other two specs? Why?

There may be more questions to answer later. Good luck!

Ah, I was wondering when the "answer complicated questions about your spec" part would come up

Which of your three specs have the highest damage potential at your gear level on a single target? What are the potential average dps values on a patchwerk-like fight for each spec? Link the information you base your answer off of.
-The most reliable data I can find is this and this.
I personally have never heard of anyone getting above 8k in single-target situations, but perhaps I'm inexperienced (or too skeptic of the braggers in trade). I've bought nearly all of the Triumph gear I can, so I'll consider the ranking of these specs accurate for my gear level. I personally have seen myself doing 4.5-5k with you guys in ICC. I've raided with a Demo lock in ~T8 gear doing 3kish and a destro lock in equivalent gear doing a little more.

Please explain your decision to play as Affliction over the other two specs. What benefits are you bringing to the raid? What are you not bringing to the raid by playing that spec? Why do you think Affliction is the best spec for our 10 mans?
-When BC came out, I decided to give locks (and blood elves) a try. A friend advised me that Affliction was the best for leveling, and it's grown on me since. In BC I managed to work up something of a prejudice against Destro locks: If I wanted to 2-button spam fire spells, I would have rolled a mage. Since I've come back for WotLK, I've gotten some flak, especially in heroics, but I stuck to my guns and studied. I now consider myself quite skilled as an Aff lock, and it's what I have the most fun playing.
Benefits: In equivalent gear, I believe without a doubt that I am able to put up better numbers on bosses than Demo or Destro locks. Super-dots also give me a unique position to maintain most of my dps in high-mobility situations (Ony flight phase, etc.)
Drawbacks: Pathetic burst On fights like Saurfang or other fights where single adds need to be dropped quickly, I have a handicap.

What is your Affliction rotation on a single target? How about on 3+ targets? What pet is optimal for dps? How did you figure out your rotation? If you used guides, link those guides.
-Single target start: Life Tap, Shadowbolt, Haunt, Corruption, Unstable Affliction, Curse of Agony, spam SB (Drain Soul at <25%). Dot priority: Haunt, UA, CoA. Getting of the start cleanly and keeping the rotation tight is the priority. After the first rotation it's a game of watching my DoT timers and filling with SB/DS.
AoE: Seed of Corruption, tab, SoC If there happens to be a kill order, I start a single target rotation on the primary target, put up Corr/UA/CoA on the second, then UA/CoA/SoC from there.
Pet: Felpuppy, hands down. Improved Felhunter and Shadow Mastery are too easy to take to double the pet's dps. The interrupts are useful, as well.
I've been learning my rotation for a while, and got it down pat right before 3.2. The DoTs and You thread has been especially helpful. My own trial and error filled in the blanks.

What glyphs do you use? What glyphs would you use for the other two specs? Why?
-I use Life Tap, Haunt, and Quick Decay. For Affliction, these are basically no-brainers. Life Tap is one of the best for any spec, and a 3% buff on a major dot is fantastic. Before 3.3 I had glyph of CoA, but QD turned up good numbers, so I switched. It also suited my playstyle: I like having more haste for a tighter rotation, so QD was perfect for me. Any other glyphs either buff spells that aren't even on my bars, or are pvp-oriented.
I have a limited knowledge of the other specs, but if I were playing Destro I would go with Conflagrate, Incinerate, and Life Tap, mostly because of the raw damage buffs. For Demo I'd go with Life Tap, Metamorphosis, and Felguard. Of course, these may vary based on the exact spec I was using. If you'd like for me to go into more detail, I can.

Also, I wrote up a thread on Affliction for my current guild. They deleted it from our forums (despite the fact that they liked it; I think they're mad that I want to leave >.>). It's sort of an "Affliction for Beginners." Would you like me to post that on these forums, as well?

EDIT: I found a dps calculator of sorts at maxdps.com. If it's accurate, in my current gear I'd be putting out a whole 1.2k less dps.

YOU'RE INVITED! Here are some things you need to understand before making the acceptance:

First, you won't be guaranteed to be in for any raid during your initiate period or if your attendance is below 87.5% per month. We have a plump roster in the Tank and DPS departments and all those people can't fit in to 10 slots each raid. But everyone plays a key part in our guild and we are a TEAM. That means that even if you aren't in for one, two, or even three raids in a row your presence is needed and appreciated and you are as much a part of our successes as anyone zoned in to a dungeon. Without the flexibility of our plump roster, we have and will find ourselves in need of pugs to fill 10 slots on any given raid night when enough members have real life restrictions that prevent them from logging in.

Second, you will be an initiate rank for 1 month.

Third, by the current rules of the guild you will be guaranteed a raid slot if your attendance is 87.5% or better each month after your initiate period. Your loot priority will be elevated as well. But be warned that if we find ourselves with too many raiders to fit in to a 10 man raid, this policy may change to fit the situation.

If given those points you accept our invitation, we welcome you.

I most graciously accept. This is exactly what I was looking for in a guild, and I'm glad I was able to be what you were looking for as well.

Now I just need to find you on sometime >.>

Neat! Welcome aboard, sir!

Welcome

Welcome!
I apologize I have not been able to play for the last few weeks. Hope to meet you soon.