Timed COS - Mana issues

[Zzyzxx71]

OK for those of you who have or had this on farm - how the HELL do you deal with mana issues?

I run warrior/4 Shammies and the ONLY variable that's absolutely causing me complete and utter hell as far as that timer is MANA. I GNAW through these pats, the bosses are jokes, I have positioning down to a science for each and every set.

The issue is MANA. Stopping and drinking is killing me. The best I've done yet is downing the 3rd boss with around 3-4 minutes to go.

I'm so close I can taste it.

Suggestions?

[nomenquis]

OK for those of you who have or had this on farm - how the HELL do you deal with mana issues?

I run warrior/4 Shammies and the ONLY variable that's absolutely causing me complete and utter hell as far as that timer is MANA. I GNAW through these pats, the bosses are jokes, I have positioning down to a science for each and every set.

The issue is MANA. Stopping and drinking is killing me. The best I've done yet is downing the 3rd boss with around 3-4 minutes to go.

I'm so close I can taste it.

Suggestions?Don't kill the zombies, let them give you mana via water shield. And drop mana spring, always! Also thunderstorm every cd if specced for it.
I've not needed to drink in a long while when running 4x shaman.

[Gares]

Pretty much same as above poster but also if you have a resto like I do, once in awhile I use Mana Tide Totem as well (usually after bosses)

[Hachoo]

I can do this entire instance without drinking (if I have to) with a DK + 4 elemental shamans, here is my tactic for mana:

#1 - drop 4x mana spring totems before starting to kill anything
#2 - when moving to the next wave, always use 4x totemic call to get back some mana from the existing totems
#3 - use 4x thunderstorm EVERY time its up (I just use it to kill zombies and if theres no zombies around use it anyway for the mana)
#4 - drink after the first boss, and drink again while you're waiting for arthas at the town hall (after you kill the second boss run straight to the town hall and drink in the doorway) - both of these times you'll be stuck waiting anyway, might as well regain mana
#5 - refresh water shield whenever needed - DO NOT FORGET

As long as you have decent mp5 gear this should be more than enough to get you through. If you still have trouble with mana try to avoid using chain lightning - stick to just lava burst and lightning bolt - chain lightning sucks up mana like crazy.

[Zzyzxx71]

I can do this entire instance without drinking (if I have to) with a DK + 4 elemental shamans, here is my tactic for mana:

#1 - drop 4x mana spring totems before starting to kill anything
#2 - when moving to the next wave, always use 4x totemic call to get back some mana from the existing totems
#3 - use 4x thunderstorm EVERY time its up (I just use it to kill zombies and if theres no zombies around use it anyway for the mana)
#4 - drink after the first boss, and drink again while you're waiting for arthas at the town hall (after you kill the second boss run straight to the town hall and drink in the doorway) - both of these times you'll be stuck waiting anyway, might as well regain mana
#5 - refresh water shield whenever needed - DO NOT FORGET

As long as you have decent mp5 gear this should be more than enough to get you through. If you still have trouble with mana try to avoid using chain lightning - stick to just lava burst and lightning bolt - chain lightning sucks up mana like crazy.

#1 - I've been using mana totems at the start, but healing as a safeguard for the shammies as the fights get harder - will go all mana and give that a shot
#2 - Check
#3 - Wasn't specced that deep into it, will be respeccing tonight due to this and other reasons
#4 - Check
#5 - Check


Guess I'm not that far off...

[Bovidae]

TS is the key.

The mana regen is my most important reason for using this talent. Even after ankhing, I rarely drink, because TS combined with water shield will bring me back up enough to continue on.

[Kicksome]

Yeah, not using TS is your problem.

[rulemaker]

Well i have done my first Time Run yesterday and had about 2min. left

my shamans never drop below 40% mana

I always refresh Watershield between waves and i always use

/castsequence magma Totem, Mana Totem

TS can be a good way to fill up your mana or if you have an resto, set up manatide on bossfights.

[Catamer]

I haven't done the time heroic mode but last night I did my best non-heroic yet and I just wonder if it wouldn't work for heroic. ( I was running a 79 alt through the instance )
as you enter the main part of strat (after all of the talking BS) you can go to where the walkway Tee's off, there is a room to your left on the far side.
if you get inside of the room before all of the talk is over, you can actually repair from a guy in this room. he runs out after everyone is turned into a zombie.
I back my shaman to the back of this room and have my pally pull everything to the room, the first couple of groups are near this room anyway.
I have found my pally can run out the whole length of CoS , hit with avenging shield at max range and run back to this room.
Nobody is out of mana because I only use mana totems. and they can eat or drink while the pally is running around ( although I've never had to eat or drink with this setup )
the fight in the room is much easier than outside of the room, everything is in range and I even get to use maga totems.
The room idea works so well, I just wonder if you couldn't setup inside of the Inn where stage 2 starts and pull to there instead of the room I used, saving a little time later on.
============
on the second stage, I run infront of the NCP setting up totem prior to the portals opening, this is a huge benifit to be setup before they open.

[emesis]

haven't done the time heroic mode but last night I did my best non-heroic yet and I just wonder if it wouldn't work for heroic. ( I was running a 79 alt through the instance )
as you enter the main part of strat (after all of the talking BS) you can go to where the walkway Tee's off, there is a room to your left on the far side.
... <snip>
I back my shaman to the back of this room and have my pally pull everything to the room, the first couple of groups are near this room anyway.
... <snip>
The room idea works so well, I just wonder if you couldn't setup inside of the Inn where stage 2 starts and pull to there instead of the room I used, saving a little time later on.


Only the first spawned group has a predictable location; the rest are all random IIRC. Sometimes you'll be running back and forth from town hall to market square and back :-(

[Zzyzxx71]

Being the sucker for punishment that I am, I used all the advice given in this thread except for respeccing - I determined I had some behavioral/practical issues that needed practice - Thunderstorm would have been cheating IMO until I'd learned my lesson regarding mana management.

I'm proud to say that tonight I made it to the midpoint of the gauntlet with 2 minutes to go. Being that close was the motivation to finally respec and work Thunderstorm into the equation. With no DPS changes hopefully I can imagine a drake within a few runs.

/crossfingers.

[Dorffo]

i was to the point where I was consistently able to hit the gauntlet with 2-4 minutes left, and would generally panic and do something silly at that point - so I bit the bullet and flasked the team up, and finished that run with 2 minutes to spare :) Now just need to do it 4 more times!