As a relatively new level 70 Druid, I’m finding that I need more and more information to get around in Azeroth. I’ve been reading WoW Insider and Resto4Life for almost all of my little bits of “oh, cool,” while for whatever reason (such as being at work) I can’t play. I tend to use WoW Wiki for most of my dungeon running info, and Thottbot for my gear and crafting needs. What I don’t seem to have is a really good grasp of what other people in my groups can and should be doing. I’d like to have a more complete picture, and I hope that others will also find my discoveries helpful.
A brief anecdote as to why this is important after the break:
While running Mechanar yesterday with a PUG, I was with a Protection Warrior, a Protection Paladin, and 2 Survival Hunters. This was not an ideal group, but it was working out. While heading to the second boss, I noticed that neither of the hunters had their pets out. When I asked why their pets weren’t out, one answered that it was too much of a hassle and asked if I wanted to pay for all the food it goes through when it dies. I thought to myself, “Why no, but I also don’t have any interest in paying for your arrows.” The protection paladin offered that because the hunters were just doing crowd control that maybe it wasn’t important. I again stressed the importance of the DPS contribution, especially considering that the hunters were the only true DPS in the group. Fortunately, my fiance is a level 70 Hunter currently running Kara with the guild’s progression group, so I have some knowledge of what hunters are and aren’t supposed to do and I have a quick resource sitting five feet away from me much of the time I’m playing. After some more urging, the hunters got their pets out, and kept them out, and we actually finished Mech (though after the second boss our Protection Paladin had to leave and was replaced with a Warlock). If I had accepted the notion that survival hunters don’t need to use their pets, the run would have taken much longer (if we ever finished it at all), and the hunters and other members of the group would have gone on believing that a hunter in a dungeon without his pet was acceptable.
My goals are to learn and to inform. Do what you will with what I have to offer, but have your pet out when you’re in a dungeon with me.
