Organizing a group for Karazhan

[larissa]

I'm in the midst of looking into organizing a group for my first foray into Karazhan (probably won't happen for a good couple of weeks still). I'm trying to judge what the group make-up should be, and more importantly, how well geared the group should be.

I'm not asking for specific numbers or equipment, but sort of a general idea of the readiness of the players. Should we be mostly in level 70 instance gear/D3 sets?

Currently, the potential group will be:

Discipline Priestess (myself) - main healer
Protection Warrior - main tank
Protection Warrior or Holy Priestess - Either offtank, or second main healer
Feral Druid - dps/offtank, or second main healer
Shadow Priestess - dps/secondary healing
Mutilate Rogue - dps
Rogue (unsure of spec) - dps
Fire Mage - dps
Hunter (unsure of spec at the moment) - dps
Open slot

The group would be a combination of guildmates and friends, so we have experience instancing together. My biggest concern is the healing side of things. I don't really know any actual healers beyond the Holy Priestess. If we get the Shadow Priestess, that seems like an aweful lot of Priesting going on. On the other hand, the only other one would be the Druid in healing gear, but I do not know if that would have any viability whatsoever. I don't know the Druid class well enough to know how well they can heal outside the Restoration tree. I'm also not sure of the availablity of the other Priestesses, so that could jumble the group even more.

So, view on the healing situation, and what to fill the last slot with. Is there any glaring hole that I am missing?

I'm going to start approaching them tonight, and get a better idea of who will actually be available for the group (and with whom, in the case of the one player with two level 70s). If all goes well, we'll probably spend the next week or two gearing people up, and probably farming for enchanting materials so I can buff people up.

Thanks for any insights,
~~~Larissa

[rgirty]

Two priests would be great as healers, the shadow priest would just be a bonus as they will be able to shackle and provide a good amount of hp/mana back to the group.

A prot warrior and feral off tank or warrior off tank is enough to get you started.

It sounds like you are good through moroes. You'll probably have to add a paladin to do maiden, but you can read up on all those encounters all over the web.

It sounds like you have a good start, my guilds problem is priests. we have a lot of dps and few healing classes.

[DraedynLei]

It sounds like you have a good start, my guilds problem is priests. we have a lot of dps and few healing classes.

Join the club :) We want to do Gruuls but I think you need like 9 healers and we only have about 6 that are properly geared for that kind of thing. Even with two full groups going to kara a week, out of those, only 4 primary healers are going with a secondary.

@larissa, we usually go with 2 main healers and an off healer for the times where we have to tank two mean mobs at the same time. As for a lot of priestess, well the encounter is mainly undead so having shackles can't be that bad right?

[larissa]

Two priests would be great as healers, the shadow priest would just be a bonus as they will be able to shackle and provide a good amount of hp/mana back to the group.

A prot warrior and feral off tank or warrior off tank is enough to get you started.

It sounds like you are good through moroes. You'll probably have to add a paladin to do maiden, but you can read up on all those encounters all over the web.

It sounds like you have a good start, my guilds problem is priests. we have a lot of dps and few healing classes.

I was thinking it was fairly solid. But I know what you mean, there is a definite lack of healers in my guild/circle of friends. We have a Holy Paladin in guild, but he's rarely on, and though 70, is not very well equipped. The Holy Priestess I know I believe is made more for her guild, rather than as a character she plays often, so would mostly likely be committing that character to guild runs. Which leaves the poor Druid as my second healer. She's been picking up solid healing gear (was grouped with her when she got Epoch Mender, the Prismatic Gloves, and Vestia's shoulders, and heard she got the Jeweled Boots, plus some various other gear that I don't know the names of). I just don't know if +heal will make up for the lack of Restoration talents.

Anyway, I'll know more in a few days, and have a better idea of what the group will look like.

@larissa, we usually go with 2 main healers and an off healer for the times where we have to tank two mean mobs at the same time. As for a lot of priestess, well the encounter is mainly undead so having shackles can't be that bad right?

True enough!

Just for me, variety is the spice of life ... and besides, with my luck, we'll just end up getting Paladin and Shaman drops if we dont' have either in the group. :laughing:

~~~Larissa

[Valshenna]

If you're going to have two warriors going, I wouldn't recommend having them both be protection specced. It's a bit redundant. You'll want a protection warrior to tank the bosses, but for trash and stuff any properly geared warrior will do just fine (or feral druid or paladin). The advantage of having a non-protection warrior as your second tank is that when not tanking (as in for bossfights) they'll be able to do a LOT more dps than a protection warrior would do.

Healing-wise, it would be really good if you can find a second main-healer that is both geared and specced for the job. Feral druids in great gear make great back-up healers, but are a bit on the weak side if they are going to fill a mainhealer role.

[Astross]

Ideal Group Make-up:

Tanks:
Prot Warrior - Main Tank
Feral Druid - Off Tank/DPS

Healers:
Priest
Paladin (Holy of course)
Resto Druid/Shammy/Another Priest or Pally

DPS:
Shadow Priest
Mage
Warlock
Rogue
Hunter

[earindur]

what i find works best:

MT prot warrior.
OT fury warrior.
Main healer paladin.
secondary healer holy/disc priest
third healer resto druid.
rogue
hunter
mage
shadow priest
warlock

[moopy]

If you're going to have two warriors going, I wouldn't recommend having them both be protection specced. It's a bit redundant. You'll want a protection warrior to tank the bosses, but for trash and stuff any properly geared warrior will do just fine (or feral druid or paladin). The advantage of having a non-protection warrior as your second tank is that when not tanking (as in for bossfights) they'll be able to do a LOT more dps than a protection warrior would do.

..or a feral druid. Full of Win and Awesome, so they are.

[swaldman]

As others have said, I wouldn't ideally take two fully prot warriors. WHen you only need one tank it's a slot that could be dps or healing, and when you do need two tanks the second generally doesn't get hit quite as hard (except perhaps for the trash after Curator).

MT2 should be a hybrid-spec warrior, or a tankadin, or a bear, IMHO.

[moopy]

The bear, when not tanking, is another combat rez and innervate too- which is great thing to have.

[earindur]

plus the bear goes MIAOW! for dps :)

[moopy]

Absolutely, very nice melee DPS- and when DPSsing, able to step out to innervate/CR etc. It's also nice to have a spare decurser too.

[ocellaris]

Main healer paladin.
secondary healer holy/disc priest
third healer resto druid

This is the setup we did last night (I was the Druid). Also we had a Shadow Priest in the group as a mana battery which I would highly reccomend. Heals were pretty much overkill, I used almost 0 consumables, the only time I used a potion was on accident.

[swaldman]

This is the setup we did last night (I was the Druid). Also we had a Shadow Priest in the group as a mana battery which I would highly reccomend. Heals were pretty much overkill, I used almost 0 consumables, the only time I used a potion was on accident.

*giggle*

Yes, we had a clumsy healer going around with a Flash of the Titans active for an evening last week..... :grin:

[liquidicem]

I would highly recommend 3 main healer for a new group in Kara. Once you begin to get it on farm you could step that down to 2 healers and some off specs, but in the beginning you will want 3.

As others have pointed out, your gonna need more than 6 healers for 25 mans in the future anyways, so you might as well start gearing them up.

Good luck!

[Telmar]

*giggle*

Yes, we had a clumsy healer going around with a Flash of the Titans active for an evening last week..... :grin:

Yep, Im the rogue with flask of fortification on, in alot of our kill shots :P

'dammit, didnt click shift again'

Its an expensive hobby :(

[lofta]

2/3 healers - at least 1 priest. 1 tank, 1 offtank. DPS can be flexible.
Shadow priest is great for regen.