Ran SM instances, have some advice, also cheap place to buy BC upgrade?
So, since I've already paid for 4 copies of vanilla wow for my RAF clones, I can't get in on the awesome $29.99 Battlechest deal at Target. I'm trying to find the BC upgrade for $19.99 somewhere, but the cheapest I can find it is $27 or so. I'm not willing to pay over $100 just to upgrade my 4 clones to BC so unless I can find it for $19.99, I guess I'll stop my 5 boxing at 60 (not to mention WotLK will be $40 x 5 = $200!). So if anyone has advice on where I can get BC upgrade for $19.99 that would be awesome!
Aside from that I just wanted to provide some advice and "lessons learned" while running my first set of instances (that actually count anyway... I ran SFK at 25 but everything except the last boss was grey). I'm running 5x elemental specced shamans.
First I ran SM Library at level 34. I wiped quite a few times on trash pulls until I learned you have to be more careful multiboxing then you can be in a regular group. I had to make sure to kill EVERY mob that was anywhere near where I was pulling...the rooms off to the sides where the hallways curve in SM Lib is a good example - normally we ignore these groups, but I pulled one of the 2 man groups in the last hallway heading up towards Doan and he ran every so slightly towards that room and triggered all 3 mobs - caused a wipe.
Once I figured that out, the second lesson (and even more important) that I learned was always pull mobs as far away from other groups as possible. Case in point in Library, the rooms towards Doan that have 2-3 groups of 2-3 mobs each in them, I leave my clones completely outside the room, then I put down some totems, run in with just my main, hit one with a LB, then run back out and fight them outside the room. This gives plenty of time to "reign in" runners as needed. I wiped once in one of those rooms as well, fighting just inside the room, the runner ran back into the room and aggroed 2 more groups of mobs - no hope to survive there.
Doan wasn't as easy as I expected but I downed him with only 1 shaman dying...figures he dropped both illusionary rod AND robes of doan, 2 things that never drop when I'm actually in the instance with a single character that needs them.
So then I ran armory at level 35 and Cathedral at 39. These were actually easier than Library for me, as I think I was more used to it and I had corrected some macros. I have created a couple extra macros that I think are helpful.. the first is a macro for shaman 4 and 5 that stops casting, then casts lesser healing wave on shaman #1 - good healing for the tank when bad things start happening without wasting casting time on all 5 shamans. The second is a rotating earth shock macro - good for taking down runners and also for interrupts rotating. I might make a rotating frost shock macro also to use for the runners instead, or for aggro bouncing.
Herod wasn't a big deal, once I realized he was immune during his whirlwind (never ran SM armory before without a 70), I just kept backing away while he did it, then spammed LB when he was done, and used my emergency heal macro as needed. I had my 4 clones planted at the top of the stairs and my main downstairs. Once his disciples came out I had a problem though, none of my shamans had any mana left...I managed to gain back enough to drop some magma totems and killed his disciples with 2 left alive. if I had been better prepared (mana pots anyone?) it would have been easier...I need to buy some mana pots for emergencies.
So this brings me to the cathedral, where I learned about an ability I've had since level 1 that I didn't even pay attention to that is AWESOME for boss fights... its called Blood Fury. All of my shamans are orcs so they all have it. Well I realized I had it about 2/3 of the way through cath. Cath is really easy btw, much easier pulls - just make sure when you enter the actual cathedral you leave your clones outside and just pull groups 1 at a time back outside. Drop earthbind totem and make sure all the mobs right outside the cathedral are dead.
So, getting back to blood fury. At this point I'm level 39 and I have bound Blood Fury to a key on all 5 shamans - it is AWESOME. I kill Mograine in 3 volleys, before he even reaches me. So I'm at full health when Whitemane comes out and resses him, so I drop a bunch of magma totems and start spamming chain lightning and lightning bolt, killed mograine again and whitemane before they could hardly hit me. No healing needed, nothing.... I will be using blood fury on ALL bosses (and large pulls) from now on. I also hit 40 after SM so now I can use the elemental talent that gives a 100% chance to crit on next attack - I can see LB + blood fury + that talent could take a boss from 100% below 50% in 1 volley... I'll try it in Uldaman tonight or tomorrow on the last boss and see how it works.
Oh yeah and the "Into the Scarlet Monastery" (H) quest gave me 21,600 xp for turning it in - almost 1/3 a level, insanity! I love RAF!
Anyway hope this helps some of you. I look forward to doing more instances that DON'T have runners.
