Downranking and Gear Changeout for Easy Runs/Mana Conserve

[dunnark]

I hope this isn't already consolidated into one thread elsewhere, but there are many short conversations I'd like to turn into its own thread.

What changes do you make on easy runs where you take so little damage that you hardly get healed and therefor hardly get any mana regeneration? What spells do you downrank or never even cast just to conserve mana? Are there some spells you always downrank to conserve mana no matter the difficulty? Do you actually keep a set of gear that's got more int and more +spell damage and less defense/block/dodge for these situations? Do you request that others change their play style to over heal you or lower their threat so you can cast less?

Certainly changing out Devotion for Retribution Aura and using Blessing of Wisdom often are a start, but what other suggestions do you have?

Dunnark

[fuzzygeek]

Take off your pants.

[fuzzygeek]

No, but seriously, asking DPS to slow down just makes the run take longer. This is a bad thing. Overhealing doesn't give you any more mana, so it's pointless.

Downrank your gear, or build a simple +spelldamage set so you can downrank spells (specifically consc) a little without asking dps to slow down at all. Pull more mobs. (for example, We do the first room in SL in 3 pulls. I pull multiple columns of things in the 2nd room at a time. We clear inciter's room in 5 pulls when we're feeling adventureous.)

I tend to put on all my mp5 healing gear when I seriously outgear the instance. And yes, some of it is cloth. Your ability to do so does hinge on how good your party (specifically the healer) is -- but if you're really taking so little damage, wearing some cloth shouldn't matter much.

[Afraithe]

I would recommend spelldamage gear as much as you can, you will do more damage and hold threat better, as well as have bigger mana pool (spelldamage stuff usually has some int on it).

Don't be surprised if you do the most damage during a "normal" instance run.

[Dorvan]

One more vote for loading up on spell damage. It reduces downtime and increases overall party DPS. Of course with the right make up my preferred option is to keep most of my mitigation, do multiple pulls at once, and AoE everything down.

[Conneur]

I hope this isn't already consolidated into one thread elsewhere, but there are many short conversations I'd like to turn into its own thread.

What changes do you make on easy runs where you take so little damage that you hardly get healed and therefor hardly get any mana regeneration? What spells do you downrank or never even cast just to conserve mana? Are there some spells you always downrank to conserve mana no matter the difficulty? Do you actually keep a set of gear that's got more int and more +spell damage and less defense/block/dodge for these situations? Do you request that others change their play style to over heal you or lower their threat so you can cast less?

Certainly changing out Devotion for Retribution Aura and using Blessing of Wisdom often are a start, but what other suggestions do you have?

Dunnark

What changes I make?

On a regular 5-man I wear:

- 4/5 Righteous (all but gloves) w/ fully gemmed helm
- T4 Gloves
- Brooch off of Moroes (really nice spell dmg, stam, and int on it)
- Shadow Cloak of Dalaran
- Sha'tari Waistguard
- Vambraces of Courage
- Figurine of the Collosus & Dabiri's Enigma (awesome oh sh!t buttons in AoE tanking)
- Battlescar Boots (honestly just don't have lower besides Boots of Elusion)
- Crystalforged Sword
- Platinum Shield of the Valorous (don't have a spell dmg shield yet)
- Any ring, I try to mix up a little def ring set with spell dmg/mp5


Basically, in my 5man set I have 9500 or so health unbuffed, 7k mana, just over 400 spell dmg, 485 defense (i can jump that if/when needed). But, it's extremely easy to maintain threat plus I generally use max rank holy shield, max rank consecrate between mana regen and alot more mana.

The only thing I do switch out on a longer fight are judgement of wisdom and consecrate (rank 1). Once I've popped one or two max consecrates, if I'm not trying to get a good giggle out of the dps'ers, I'll mana conserve my AoE.

[Gracerath]

I do what everyone else is saying and swap in more spell damage/int oriented gear. Like t4 gloves in favor of iron maiden gauntlets, a spell dmg shield over tank shield, etc. I'm considering using a spell dmg trinket over my pocket watch/colossus figurine but sometimes I get overzealous when pulling and they come in handy

My spell damage is pretty abysmal even in my "threat" gear which I'm still working on but even with a SSC geared lock spamming seed of corruption, with Salv I have no issues with threat. Sure I have to drink after every pull but I do that anyway and we mow down 2-3 packs of mobs at a time. Shadow Lab is particularly friendly to AEing save for the part by the first boss with 3 casters at each pillar and of course shattered halls.

I think with wrath of air totem I was pushing a bit over 400 spell damage and that was plenty.

Personally I'd rather wear my good tanking spell dmg gear and AE down several packs at once and then drink for 30 seconds than wear suck ass gear while trying to AE down all the packs and give my healer a hard time cause face it, you are probably going to drink anyway even if you take a lot of heals.

[Xanatos]

I'm lazy to shuffle my gear around too much so I throw on one or two spell damage gear and tank larger groups at the same time.

Tanking 11 mobs in SH gives you pretty good mana back from heals.

[Sabindeus]

I swap in my Dr@pe of the Righteous instead of Devilshark and my Brooch of Unquenched Fury for my Barbed Choker. And then also equip my 3 pieces of T4. Extra int and spell damage ftw.

[mirkodeluxe]

I have a separate set for 5-mans that include everything but the D3
shoulders which I havent seen dropping yet desptite being exalted..
I just go for uncrittable with about 10K unbuffed and somewhere around
3-400 spelldmg.

But there are basically two options imho - downrank gear or tank more mobs.
Caster mobs can be annoying when you go for massive aoe tanking, but on the other hand you wont be taking much damage from melee mobs so I think it pretty much evens out if you just get decent aggro on the
casters.

Personally I switch around, sometimes I use the raidset and take multiple groups and sometimes when there are too many casters I go for normal
tanking in a spelldmg-low mitigation/avoidance set.

[elsydeon]

actually taking off one's pants isnt that bad of an idea

but instead of running around in a bikini bottom, maybe clothie spell dmg pants? less armor means more heals and clothie stuff has loads of int and spell dmg on it compared to tank stuff

[Crusherus]

I just tend to double-triple pull to make up for the lack of damage. Max spelldamage gear isn't a bad idea either. Just make sure your healer is awake and paying attention and you'll do fine.

If that doesn't work... Take off your pants.

[cerealkiler]

well, since my guild is halfway through ssc, we already dont' bother go gruul or mag unless we are shot of just 1-2 ppl for ssc. My standard raiding tanking gear uses

brute-cloak of the orge magi http://thottbot.com/i28797
Merciless Gladiator's Lamellar Shoulders http://thottbot.com/i31996
dragonheart flameshield http://thottbot.com/i28611

and of course, the continuum blade that's been with me since 70..those pieces give me 284 spell dmg unbuffed, which is not bad...gets to about 300 fully buff in raid.

[Candiru]

Use petrified lichen guard with a felsteel shield spike, more damage and agro and you take more damage as its got lower blockvalue.