Yesterday we continued our in-depth analysis of running instances by taking a look at some tips and strategies for combat. Today, we explore what to do when all your well-laid plans go up in smoke, and you and your party have become puddles of sticky goo lying on the dungeon floor.
Part Three – Wiping.
Wiping happens. Simple as that. In all likelihood, wiping is more common in PUGs and with people you don’t know as well, but seasoned groups can wipe also, especially now with all the new content available in Northrend, and the fact that most people are still learning the redesigned capabilities of their class. I have noticed three major phases of wiping, each featuring different things you can do to make your wipe recovery as painless and efficient as possible.
Phase One: “We’re Wiping!” This phase could also be renamed “Damage Control,” because in essence that’s what a pro-active group needs to do to minimize the impact of the wipe and get everyone back on their feet as fast as possible. The first phase of wiping is to actually notice the wipe and either take action against it, or determine what needs to be done to make wipe recovery as fast as possible.
Fighting the Wipe: This can involve an off-spec tank jumping into the fray as the main tank goes down, or an off-healer switching up their DPS for healing. Use any consumables you have at this stage, pull out all the stops on your special abilities, throwing your caution, like your mana, to the winds. There is usually no excuse for not going down fighting: any extra mob you can kill during a wipe is one less mob you’ll have to deal with when your party is ready to take on the fight again.
Fast Resurrect: If dropping a few mobs on your way to oblivion is not a possibility, at least make sure you’ve positioned your corpse-to-be in a location which is easily seen by your party’s healer. Dying under slain mobs or in hard-to-reach corners make it all the harder for your character to be resurrected, and sometimes even endanger the healer, who may inadvertently gain aggro as they attempt to reach you. If you do wind up dying in a bad location, a corpse run may be your best option.
As for the resurrection itself, soulstones, goblin jumper cables and shaman self-res abilities are a huge help here, but to make things even better, the last party member standing during the wipe can attempt to lose the interest of the aggroed mob (usually through Invisibility or Stealth) and then resurrect the party. Regardless of how you do it, if there’s one person still alive in your group after a partial wipe, no one should release their spirit until the “all clear” is given. Certain resurrection abilities require the spirit to still be connected to the body to work.
Phase Two: “The Zen of Corpse Running” The last thing anyone should do is lose their temper when wiping. Don’t fall into the trap of blaming someone for the wipe, though that can be very easy to do, especially on a repeat wipe when repair bills, and sometimes emotions, are running high. As you’re running your character back from the spirit world, take some deep breaths and consider how you can approach the problem constructively.
If you experienced a full-party wipe and you are not the healer, you should still make a good-faith effort towards corpse retrieval by releasing and running back to the instance. This is especially true after multiple wipes, when dungeon respawns may make it difficult, if not impossible for solitary party members to make it back to the wipe point unscathed. Perhaps the biggest faux pas of wiping is going AFK while your party-mates run back to their corpses.
Phase Three: “So What Happened, Exactly?” Before you reengage the fateful foe that sent your group on a quick trip to the spirit healer, analyze the situation: what made you wipe?
Unforeseen Difficulties
- Were there unanticipated adds?
- Magical resistances?
- Did the boss suddenly reveal new abilities?
Technical Difficulties
- Was there a problem maintaining tank aggro?
- Was party healing unable to compensate for damage taken?
- Was your DPS insufficient to burn the mob down?
- Were there line of sight issues?
Take the time to answer questions like these before you restart the fight. Your party’s probably not going to get anywhere if you just resurrect and hurl yourself back at the mob that wiped you without taking the time to rethink your strategy.
Stick with us for the final episode of our dungeoneering special – Part Four – Loot!
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