I’ve been using the Cata TW dungeons this week to level us some characters and I’ve done some at 70 and a fair few from mid 50s up. And it’s fascinating to see just how different - and frequently frustrating - each of these instances have been.
I’ve be interested to know if my experience is common or if any of you have any thoughts on it. My first thought was to wonder just how much research those unfamiliar with the instances did. Most people seem to feel that mechanics are irrelevant in ‘old’ dungeons but if you have new players and people making silly mistakes, mechanics can mean quite a lot.
Blackrock Cavern: most of the mobs fights are pretty easy but there are a couple of points where a little attention to detail makes it go more smoothly. First boss, some people know what to do about the chains and some don’t, and many don’t realise that you need to get away very fast from the boss because he can one-shot you. Watched a druid charge through the Elite mobs, apparently not knowing the Big Guy takes them out for you. Naturally, the druid died. The second boss, some try to intercept the beams, many don’t, and either way can be a mess. The boss can be downed without the beams being intercepted correctly but it just takes longer. Another tank took on the third boss without first killing the elemental mobs, which did not end well. Again, it tastes of a bit of attitude, that its an old dungeon and you can dance through it without the need to pay attention.
Stonecore: Ozruk seems not to be quite the disaster fight it used to be but Ive had tanks try to rush to it and not bother to take out the last set of side mobs and then get annoyed when people pull them when trying to move away. Again, its impatience mostly from the tank. One tank ran ahead to the last boss, despite the healer and two other people being killed and having to run back, then complained they werent with him. Situational Awareness -10. Again, not too hard a dungeon and annoyance is more supplied by silly players than difficult fights.
End Time: Can be difficult if people don’t pay attention. I am often surprised nobody knows the trick of zoning out and in after the lava fight but just swim through it. I tried to tell parties but nobody paid attention. The mechanic that most players weren’t aware of was the Sylvanas fight with having to clear a single path. But I’m guessing most people pick up on that pretty quick after dying to it. And Murozond was very easy, with the Hourglass.
Lost City of Tol’vir: Another fairly easy dungeon. Its difficult to get it wrong but it can be made a bit more awkward by tanks and melee who run ahead towards the 2nd last boss dragging everything with them and make it fun for slower classes. But otherwise I found my times in went pretty well.
Vortex Pinnacle: There are mostly small irritants about this one. People not melee’ing those swirly ball things so others dont get knocked off the ramp. People not knowing about the portal at the start that can make a death run back a bit easier. Usually the last boss is dead before he even makes his little triangle, and static cling can still be a killer but generally I found it pretty straightforward.
I quite enjoyed my time in this TW and levelled up a few characters in just a couple of days, so anything that does that without too much of a headache is pretty good I reckon. 