ad finem Black Temple...

Archived news

Moderator: Officer

User avatar
Palin
The Professor
Posts: 16604
Joined: Mon May 14, 2007 5:16 pm
Contact:

ad finem Black Temple...

Post by Palin » Tue Feb 05, 2008 6:36 am

Following our successful progress with RoS and Shahraz, Spike Flail entered Black Temple this week with our eyes on the prize. Following a speedy full Hyjal clear and Najentus, we pushed ourselves deep into Black Temple on Wednesday night, downing Bloodboil for the third time and repeating our previous week's kill of RoS. With two days of progression ahead of us, we entered refreshed on Sunday and quickly one-shotted Mother Shahraz and set up to make attempts on Illidari Council.

Council proved to be an interesting fight, but not necessarily a challenging one. Even with most of the raid watching the Superbowl, we still managed to master the pull and dodge the AoEs long enough to overcome the shear attrition that makes the fight difficult in any way. In four pulls(counting the instagib first pull where our Mage didn't get BoP'd), they lay at our feet, and Ely Dan himself awaited us.

Image

Krispy having a sentimental moment by himself. The poor boy was so happy to finally see Illidan that he couldn't hold back his emotions, and needed a moment to compose himself. Simply heart-warming.

Image

Image

Image

With about an hour and a half left of raid time, we decided to take some shots at Illidan to get a feel for Phase 2 and some early experience. While we waited for one of our FR tanks to log on, we went over the strats and watched the last few minutes of the SuperBowl. (Suck it Roty!) Once everyone was back in the game and we had our setup worked out, we pushed in a few solid attempts at learning, and managed to get through the crux of Phase 2 in a little over an hour, ending the night with 1 Flame down and another at 55%. Since the common opinion seemed to be that Phase 2 was the fight, we were confident in our ability to kill him the next night.

Image

Come Monday, we again entered Black Temple invigorated and confident, but this time with our eyes on a completely different prize. The past eight months of raiding had led up to this point. The hours of research put in by our Officers to perfect our strats, setups, and raid leading; the endless cycles of attrition and recruiting; the dedication put forth by our core as we went through bumps in our roster; and most importantly, the time, effort and focus put in each night by our Raiders had all led us to this point in a game that is more than a simple hobby to the majority of us. We walked into Black Temple last night with one clear goal; to clear the last of endgame content Blizzard has given us, and subsequently prove to ourselves that we could compete with the top guilds in the world.

As attempts began, as we had assumed, Phase 2 was mastered relatively quickly, only offering a few bumps here and now due to silly mistakes. Within the first hour, we familiarized ourselves with the Phase 3 and 4 transitions and spent the rest of the night perfecting the nuances of them. Problems such as spreading out enough, spreading out too much, phase transition pickups, and tank instagib were all overcome in ideal fashion. Each attempt that we pushed him into the Phase 3 and Phase 4 transitions, you could feel the raid becoming more confident in their positions and knowledge of the fight's intricacies. A raid leader couldn't ask for a better attitude for a progression fight.

Image
Image

Despite the increased improvement, we were plagued with small mistakes that kept preventing us from getting ourselves deep into Phase 3 and 4 again. Small positioning problems in Phase 2, or a tank instagib during transitions kept eating away at the little time we had remaining. As the last hour crept away, it was becoming obvious that the shadow of doubt was creeping up in everyone's mind, though no one wanted to say anything. With a little less than an hour left on our Flasks, we got into Spike Flail's proverbial "zone," and focused, leading to two very solid attempts into Phase 5.

Image
Image
Image
Image

With less than four attempts remaining on our Flasks, we utilized the knowledge and experience we had learned from the long night of attempts to execute near perfect Phase 3 and 4s, and pushed Illidan into Phase 5 and the kill...

Image
Image
Image
Image
Image

Of course... we couldn't have done it without our trusty [itemico]Six Demon Bag[/itemico] [item]Six Demon Bag[/item]!

I made the joke that I was going to name every person who's been a part of our raid team over our eight month endeavorer and thank them, but that would take forever and fuck that. However, there's been a lot of people who've helped us get where we are, and I and the guild collectively want to thank every one of them for the portions of their lives they gave to help this guild as a whole progress into something we all can be proud of.

I mentioned this back on the Kael kill, but I'm going to do it again. We started at TBC launch as a small group of friends bored with the monotony of the FFXI endgame and looking for something new, with no intention of ever going this far. We were joined by great friends from Andorhal, and slowly formed ourselves into a respectable raiding guild. The going was not easy, we had a ton of ups and downs, and during a roster gap back in SSC we were inches away from throwing in the towel all together. Due to the great dedication from the guys who show up every day and give it their all, as well as the hard work and effort from our guild officers, we've pushed through every hiccup and hump that WoW attrition has thrown at us; from ninja transfers to other servers to mass schedule changes with new semesters. Each time, our core group of Raiders gave us the patience we needed to push recruitment and add fresh faces to the guild, who brought their own unique personalities and experiences to our small community and has shaped us into a completely different, but amazing group of friends than what we had originally started as.

Again we want to thank all of our members past and present who helped us get to where we're at today, even the ones who left us. :wink: We'd also like to thank our great friends in the other endgame guilds of Ner'zhul who gave us their support and well-wishes; we're glad to be playing on the same server with you and look forward to seeing you all in Sunwell. But mostly, we'd like to again thank our Raiders who stood by us through our highest and lowest times and had faith in us, the guys who came every day and gave it their all to push us to where we are. You all know who you are, and it's been amazing playing with you all the past few months, and I personally and looking forward to clearing Sunwell with you guys and beyond. Thank you again and congratulations to all, you deserve this win.

Spike Flail, February 4th, 2008: Black Temple cleared...

Image
Last edited by Palin on Wed Feb 06, 2008 2:48 am, edited 2 times in total.
User avatar
Palin
The Professor
Posts: 16604
Joined: Mon May 14, 2007 5:16 pm
Contact:

Post by Palin » Tue Feb 05, 2008 7:31 am

Jesus christ that turned out long. LEAST ITS THE LAST I HAVE TO DO FOR A WHILE AMIRITE. :D
Rain
Posts: 64
Joined: Sun Sep 02, 2007 4:40 pm
Contact:

Post by Rain » Tue Feb 05, 2008 10:30 am

When's the ticker tape parade? And f'ing great job guys.
Krispy
Posts: 319
Joined: Fri Sep 14, 2007 3:12 pm
Location: Jax, FL
Contact:

Post by Krispy » Tue Feb 05, 2008 12:10 pm

Damn you put in many of my SS's.

Most epic news thread to date, I laughed my ass off that you actually put that emo RP picture of me up, and of course....


SIX DEMON BAG FTW
Wii Friend Code: 5535 0772 7547 5819
Smash Bros. Brawl Code: 3995-6180-8214
Swole
Posts: 789
Joined: Thu Jun 07, 2007 2:41 pm
Contact:

Post by Swole » Tue Feb 05, 2008 12:20 pm

We appreciate the well-written app that you clearly put a lot of time into, but some of your gem choices seem more pvp-focused, if you were...

oh wait, wrong thread...

Great execution guys. The advantage we've had over 99% of all guilds as we've made this final push, is our total confidence in each and every raider. We've certainly had plenty of laughs, with Natty never fully understanding the mechanics of volcanoes or Midori attempting to escape by running straight into a corner, but we've been able to enter any fight that demanded perfect play knowing that we had the team to do it. With that said, please make sure to practice your Constructs before Wednesday.

With the job done, I now feel compelled to do a top ten list of things I've learned in my time in Spike Flail.

10. Midori bakes man cakes.
9. Krispy is an ass.
8. Healing watery graves isn't fun.
7. Blizzard forgot to put any melee trinkets in TBC.
6. A sheep has never been broken without it being the fault of party 2.
5. Our shamans never drop bad totems.
4. College is a craft (does anyone make us all geniunely laugh more than Payload?)
3. PoM is apparently pretty ok.
2. You can wipe on High King Maulgar and kill Illidan.
1. Usha isn't just my pocket healer in WSG anymore, and there's no one whose strats I trust more.

Great job guys, paw jobs all around.
What time is it? Broomtime
Retired Professional Getaway Whip
Image
Rozier
Posts: 357
Joined: Mon May 14, 2007 9:11 pm
Location: Omaha Nebraska
Contact:

Post by Rozier » Tue Feb 05, 2008 12:47 pm

Swole wrote:With the job done, I now feel compelled to do a top ten list of things I've learned in my time in Spike Flail.

10. Midori bakes man cakes.
9. Krispy is an ass.
8. Healing watery graves isn't fun.
7. Blizzard forgot to put any melee trinkets in TBC.
6. A sheep has never been broken without it being the fault of party 2.
5. Our shamans never drop bad totems.
4. College is a craft (does anyone make us all geniunely laugh more than Payload?)
3. PoM is apparently pretty ok.
2. You can wipe on High King Maulgar and kill Illidan.
1. Usha isn't just my pocket healer in WSG anymore, and there's no one whose strats I trust more.

Great job guys, paw jobs all around.

I laughed so hard i had people at work asking me whats so funny! LMAO thats great and at the same time i aggree.. well done /clap
Image

Image
Krispy
Posts: 319
Joined: Fri Sep 14, 2007 3:12 pm
Location: Jax, FL
Contact:

Post by Krispy » Tue Feb 05, 2008 1:06 pm

QFT Swole

This was the perfect thing to compliment my last days in the military. I came to this guild/server about 5 months ago, on the verge of quitting out of sheer frustration, ex officer tired and burned out from responsibility. I hava to say that out of the (now) 2 years that I have played World of Warcraft the last 5 months have more then made up for the year of frustration and responsibility I had on my shoulders in the 1.5 years before. I will do my best to return after I move back to Amish Country.

Seriously, I know not one bad seed in this guild (not even you Rozi). Swole and Actovision (Although assholes they may be) provided great laughs and convos

Basically I want to thank you all for tolerating my loud, asshole-ish, and (i assume) terribly abbrasive personality, I'm seriously astonished at how well I as accepted even though I may be one of the louder more outspoken people here.

Goddamn, WTB MORE SOBBY SPEECHESS PLZZ.
Wii Friend Code: 5535 0772 7547 5819
Smash Bros. Brawl Code: 3995-6180-8214
Xellos
The God-Damn Book
Posts: 1510
Joined: Sat May 19, 2007 7:59 pm
Contact:

Post by Xellos » Tue Feb 05, 2008 1:19 pm

God, you're all fucking gay.
Rozier
Posts: 357
Joined: Mon May 14, 2007 9:11 pm
Location: Omaha Nebraska
Contact:

Post by Rozier » Tue Feb 05, 2008 1:21 pm

Xellos wrote:God, you're all fucking gay.
says the pallidan!
Image

Image
Krispy
Posts: 319
Joined: Fri Sep 14, 2007 3:12 pm
Location: Jax, FL
Contact:

Post by Krispy » Tue Feb 05, 2008 1:31 pm

Xellos wrote:God, you're all fucking gay.
If you were there you would have felt the aura of man hormones going off as we killed him, and you couldnt resist it either.
Wii Friend Code: 5535 0772 7547 5819
Smash Bros. Brawl Code: 3995-6180-8214
Krispy
Posts: 319
Joined: Fri Sep 14, 2007 3:12 pm
Location: Jax, FL
Contact:

Post by Krispy » Tue Feb 05, 2008 2:03 pm

Some pics I whipped up since I just reinstalled Photoshop.

Image

Image
Wii Friend Code: 5535 0772 7547 5819
Smash Bros. Brawl Code: 3995-6180-8214
Ettoo
Posts: 634
Joined: Sun Nov 11, 2007 11:43 am
Contact:

Post by Ettoo » Tue Feb 05, 2008 2:11 pm

that is one of the best threads i have ever read. This one of the most skilled group of people I have played with. Great job last night. I am glad to be part of this guild.
“There is only one difference between a madman and me - The madman thinks he is sane - I know I am mad.”

— Salvador Dali


Ettoo - Retired
qourthon
Posts: 827
Joined: Fri Jan 11, 2008 6:32 am
Contact:

Post by qourthon » Tue Feb 05, 2008 2:23 pm

I am so glad to be apart of all this massive progression. Learning and perfecting my role in each fight, though there is always going to be that one unlucky aoe, fireball, aggro, etc.

Very well thought out post Ushas. And I like those two pictures krispy.
Swole
Posts: 789
Joined: Thu Jun 07, 2007 2:41 pm
Contact:

Post by Swole » Tue Feb 05, 2008 2:34 pm

Xellos wrote:God, you're all fucking gay.
Sounds to me that someone is a lil bitter that he's no longer the pally with the deepest voice... thanks to Astana.
What time is it? Broomtime
Retired Professional Getaway Whip
Image
Xellos
The God-Damn Book
Posts: 1510
Joined: Sat May 19, 2007 7:59 pm
Contact:

Post by Xellos » Tue Feb 05, 2008 2:58 pm

Swole wrote:
Xellos wrote:God, you're all fucking gay.
Sounds to me that someone is a lil bitter that he's no longer the pally with the deepest voice... thanks to Astana.
/endthread
Actovision
Posts: 1146
Joined: Mon Sep 03, 2007 3:46 pm
Contact:

Post by Actovision » Tue Feb 05, 2008 2:59 pm

I mean seriously, do all the melee have "aoe deadly poison-lacerate-deep wounds" buttons? I don't know what game you guys are playing, maybe World of "I'm gonna dot up the sheep or worse, EARTH SHOCK, and claim it was never sheeped to begin with"-craft, but I hate you all.

Seriously, I'm not resheeping that. AoE lacerate...


<3 you guys
Xellos
The God-Damn Book
Posts: 1510
Joined: Sat May 19, 2007 7:59 pm
Contact:

Post by Xellos » Tue Feb 05, 2008 3:02 pm

They're keeping you on your toes and making sure you're still with us. Too bad we can't test Formose with anything like that.
Formose
Posts: 58
Joined: Mon Oct 08, 2007 12:54 am
Contact:

Post by Formose » Tue Feb 05, 2008 4:04 pm

Needs more screenshots
Cryana
Japanese Schoolgirl Wannabe
Posts: 322
Joined: Sun Jan 13, 2008 9:52 pm
Location: San Antonio, Texas
Contact:

Post by Cryana » Tue Feb 05, 2008 4:11 pm

I was thinking cowbell personally...
Hotblooded
Hotblooded
Posts: 580
Joined: Wed Jul 18, 2007 11:53 am
Location: newark, dulla-where
Contact:

Post by Hotblooded » Tue Feb 05, 2008 5:53 pm

What a great Writeup ! And the kill was fantastic - Sunwell here we come .
Post Reply

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 9 guests