Maia

Having trouble with greens and orbs? Haven't done it before and want to see how it's done? I found this video (it's kinda old) of people going up with the greens and collecting orbs. You can see they always go to the left, get the slightly larger orb, and avoid the center. Not to sound threatening or anything, but we all need to know how to do this because at 10% we ALL get teleported up.

Saw this on Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/Guildwars2/comments/7pz25z/sc_condition_renegade_shortbow_rotation_for/ I'm hoping our Renegade players don't have the Dreamer. Is that wrong?

Tl;dr: I'm not giving one! Please at least skim over this entire (admittedly long) post. I want everyone to be on the same page. Believe me, it took me waaay longer to write it than it will take you to read it. Hi guys, As I briefly mentioned, I'm interested in forming a new raid squad, the Copperheads. I want this squad to be a little more "hardcore" than Boomslang. The reason behind this is I want us to be able to achieve some specific goals. Goals Group: Finish working on wing 5 and get it on farm Clear 3 wings per night (2.5 hrs) of "old" content CMs: Deimos, Samarog, SH, 5 minute statues, Dhumm, etc (after we have wing 5 on farm, order up for discussion.) Individual: Achieve 90th percentile DPS or boon output for support classes on all bosses according to GW2 Raidar. To recruit high quality players to fill a new static, we need to have requirements and a trial period. If we want to ask new members to satisfy certain requirements, it's only fair if our current group members meet those same requirements. Many NPCers meet these requirements already, and I don't think they are impossible for any of us who want to meet them. Requirements 150+ LI (1 set Legendary armor also accepted.) Killed all bosses in Wings 1-4. At least attempted Wing 5 (kill proof preferred but not required). Have 1 geared support class (chrono, druid, BS, support renegade, auramancer), 1 power dps, one condi dps Submit an API code for a gear and boss kills check (will need character and achievement permissions. Put LI in characters inventory or give appropriate permissions for me to see material storage.) For dps players: be able to achieve 85% of benchmark on the golem for classes you want to play and submit log via GW2 Raidar as proof. (Only squad leader will see these submissions. They are not for the entire group to view.) When you gear a new class for raiding you must submit another log (a 2 week grace period will be in effect.) For support players: Be able to keep up appropriate buffs and boons. I will use Raidar to compare to other players. Ability to regularly attend our raids at 8:30 EST and stay until they are finished at 11 pm EST BOTH Monday and Wednesday. Spend 15-30 minutes each week improving your raid play. Preferred way to do this is either rotation practice on the golem or pugging raids. If you can't do either of those a particular week it's also acceptable to spend that time: watching footage of "elite" groups, critically watching footage of our group/your own play, researching and suggesting strats for the group, or gearing characters (farming mats, etc.). Raiding with NPC does not count. I also want to make some small tweaks to the way we run our sessions. These are not vastly different from previous groups, they are more reminders to improve efficiency. These expectations come down to respecting the time and commitment of your fellow raiders. If everyone follows them, you won't waste others' time and they won't waste yours. Group expectations No ninja AFKing. I realize stuff can occur during raids (doorbell, spouse/baby/child/pet aggro, etc.) But if you are frequently "brb" during raid time (more than 1 per session without explanation) or disappearing without even saying anything it will be addressed. While the group is new and we are learning new encounters please keep off topic chit chat to a minimum. This is to allow people to concentrate. When we are satisfied with the speed and ease at which we are killing stuff, we will ease up on this. All members will be expected to keep up with changes to their class as far as gear, rotations, etc. When the meta changes you may need to gear a new class. Again, 2 week grace period from the time SC or qT post their builds. The more classes you have geared the better as it allows us to optimize. Be on time. Whatever time we decide to raid that is START time-as in we will be pulling the boss at that time. If you are chronically late (more than 3 times) it will be addressed. I will assume you will be at the raid unless you let me know. Please try to give me notice as far in advance as possible if you can't make it. I will post an agenda and comps on the website before each raid night. You are responsible for having checked your assignment and being ready to play that role(s) and/or class(es). Don't be a jerk. Mistakes happen. Treat others as you would want them to treat you. We're all trying our best and want to improve. If you can give someone advice in a pleasant manner, do so. If you can't, keep it to yourself. On the flip side, you need to be able to at least listen to someone else's suggestion with a good attitude even if you don't agree. You must run meta gear and food at all raid encounters except under special, previously approved circumstances (e.g., 2 week gearing grace period, practice pulls agreed to by the group, etc.) In general, I expect people to have a main role. As we develop as a group, I'm happy to have nights where people learn and/or try new roles or for people to switch (as long as they meet previously mentioned requirements. Again, 2 week grace period.) Roster updated 1/24/2017 Chrono tank-Pyro Off chrono- Druid- Healer/Support/DPS (This person will run a healer/support if we need it and dps if we don't.)-Maia BS-Khani DPS-Strange DPS (support when we need it)-Mevic DPS-Temerity DPS-Abys DPS-Vivid Substitutes ("on the bench") Ser Twisted Fred Bone Mold Kintari I understand if not everyone is onboard with this agenda. It is ambitious and represents a shift from how we've been operating. It might also represent a big change in how you've been playing or want to play. I understand that, and I understand if this isn't what you want. Please be honest with yourself and the group if this isn't for you. No one will be mad; we'll all still be friends. To move forward with this, I'd first like to get a count of how many current NPCers are interested and in what roles. If we have a good core group, I will start recruiting nonNPCers for trials which will be held starting the week of January 15. I'd appreciate it if people let me know ASAP, but I'll base our recruiting needs on how many have responded by January 4 (2 weeks from today. Please post below.). This is the timeframe to express interest NOT to have met all requirements. I will give everyone until January 29 for that (2 weeks after we start trials.) I propose sticking with our Monday/ Wednesday 8:30 to 11 schedule. If that doesn't work for you let me know and we can discuss moving the time/day. I'm excited about this and hope you decide to join me!

I had heard of a portal strat for Soul river but hadnt found a good PoV until I saw it on Teapot's stream. https://clips.twitch.tv/ThirstyHandsomeCardVoteNay Something for the chronos to think about ....

Saw this on Reddit https://www.reddit.com/r/Guildwars2/comments/7mmvae/undocumented_changes_to_aura_tics_in_raids/ Bottom line is all auras are now unblockable except for Mat. Does that mean UC is now the way to go?

Note: Uploading files to GW2 Raidar requires arcdps. I realize not everyone is comfortable downloading arcdps on their computer (even though I think it's perfectly safe.) If you would rather not install arcdps, I will be happy to accompany you on your golem runs and capture the data with my computer. Download Arcdps from https://www.deltaconnected.com/arcdps/ Install as directed. Select the option for evtc logging. Make an account on GW2 Raidar https://www.gw2raidar.com Upload raid logs by dragging them into a browser window open to https://www.gw2raidar.com/uploads Send me a link with the run you want me to look at. You will have to leave your privacy settings a Public until I look at the logs. After that you can change them to whatever you want. Another Option: If you don't like GW2 Raidar you could upload them to GW2 DPS Report https://dps.report As far as I can tell it is the old Raid Heroes without the download. If you use this method simply send me the link. Even if you don't want to upload logs to GW2 Raidar yourself, I'd recommend making an account. I will be loading all of the Copperhead kills there. (I will also link to them on the NPC website.) This will allow you to see your dps trends over time.

I'm not 100% sure what this means...

I'll take a poll to see if people can switch to Tuesday/Wednesday or Tuesday/Thursday. We'll go with whatever works for the most people in the group.

Note: Probably most of us know how to do this. I'm putting this here just in case. Go to https://account.arena.net/login and sign in Go to the Application tab and press the New Key button Give the key a name and select account, characters, builds, and progression (for boss kill check). If you are an NPC member who has raided with us, I am not checking LI. Send me you key through a direct mail on the website. If you are concerned about account security you can delete the key as soon as I tell you I've checked it.

Update Holiday Pickup Snakes Tuesday, December 26 @ 9 pm! Hope to see you there! Hi everyone! I believe a few of us will be available and interested in raiding the week between Christmas and New Years. I am happy to lead a raid of who ever is interested plus some pugs (hopefully not too many.) If you are interested please reply to this post with which nights you are available of Tuesday, December 26 through Friday December 29. Each session will be our normal 2ish hrs. I'm open to suggestions for what wings to do, starting time, and if you want to do one or two nights. Keep in mind the chances of us needing pugs is pretty much 100%. If people want to invite friends, that would be great (once we know approximately how many we need.) I can also advertise in my raid LFG guild that night if we need more (they run a gear check and have a minimum boss kill for entry so it's possible we'll get a higher quality of raider. It's also possible that it's no better than LFG.)

I am not a naturally talented gamer. I am not able to pick up a new class and immediately achieve decent dps. (Actually, I suspect this isn't a thing for anyone. Even the gamers who do the crazy benchmarks probably practice more than we think.) I have practiced on the golem on every class you have ever seen me play in a raid (yes, even healing druid). I played violin from 4th grade until college, so practice is not a new thing for me. However, I realize not everyone had the benefit of parent-mandated musical competence, so I thought I'd write a post about how picking up a new class usually goes for me. If nothing else, hopefully it's good for a laugh. Step 1. Set up Typically, the first thing I do is go to https://snowcrows.com and make sure my gear, traits, food and utilities are exactly the same as what they have (except the infusions. You can subtract 2-3% from their numbers to account for those). Yes, you can practice the rotation with suboptimal stuff, but it's difficult to tell how close you are to your goal. It's fine to start, but eventually you've got to go all the way. I'd only recommend it if the build uses a very expensive food you don't want to use tons of or it's a gear issue that you're working on but aren't quite there yet. Step 2. Golem time Before I start banging on the golem, I look at both the written and video golem rotation. If I need to, I'll have the written rotation sitting next to me. Another thing to do is to make sure you've got the golem and yourself set up right. Make sure you have the right buffs on yourself and debuffs on the golem. Snowcrows outlines that in detail here: https://snowcrows.com/benchmarks/ (scroll allll the way to the bottom.) The first tries are invariably a shit show. Sometimes I forget the 5th skill and have to start over, I accidentally cancel skills, things feel off, the timings are weird. It's not unusual for my starting dps to be 60-70% of benchmark. The nicest thing we can say about that is it's trash tier. The important thing is not to give up. This is part of the process. I keep at it. I memorize the skill order by writing it down throughout the day. (Yes, some of the paper in the recycle pile on my desk at work has the million step Dom chrono rotation on it.) I watch the golem rotation videos at reduced play speed. I record myself and analyze it as if it was someone else. I kill a few golems doing the rotation at slow speed and then try to speed up. I've never asked someone else to watch me and give me tips because I'm a little shy, but that's an option too. DO NOT underestimate the power of perfecting the opening burst. I practice regularly for 15-30 minutes at a time until I reach my goal: 90% of benchmark. I keep a written record of my dps at each practice session, which allows me to see if I'm making progress. It also gives me a place to write things like "realized I was doing the rotation wrong. It's 3 then 4, not 4 than 3!" The amount of time it takes to reach my goal dps varies. I got to 90% on holosmith in a few days of 15-30 minutes a day. I've been working on Weaver since it was introduced, and I am still trash. Step 3: Golem success, now get out there and raid! After I hit my 90% goal, I take the show on the road. I recommend watching a "pro" do the boss on your class before and after you try it. I typically start with something easy like Wing 1. I'm pretty much always back to "shit show" the first few pulls. There are so many more things to think about in a raid compared to in the golem room. I have to figure out what to do when I have to deal with mechanics and my rotation gets messed up. However, with the solid foundation of knowing my rotation pretty well, I typically see improvement every pull. It starts to feel good. Step 4: Polishing raid performance This is the step where I record myself and watch myself play. Usually by this point I've watched other people play the class on a particular boss. Between that and rotation practice, I can typically figure out what I can do to improve. I also look at GW2 Raidar and see how I compare to other players, what mechanics I'm failing, etc. Here's a quick story about the type of thing I'm looking for. Yesterday I pugged Deimos on my holo (I've only played Holo for 1 month, so I'm still polishing). There was another Holo in the group and during the first 90% of the fight I was kicking his ass dps-wise. However when I looked at the last 10% he was kicking my ass! WTF?!? Further investigation revealed that in the final phase I'm so timid about the blacks, I'm not close enough to hit the boss with many of my high powered skills (or maybe it's a hold over from playing too much Druid?). At this point, my plan is to try to find a video of a "pro" holo doing the fight and see if I can pick up any tips, and secondly, try to pay more attention to positioning. Step 5: Maintenance To keep up your proficiency you must keep playing the class. If you can't raid with it, go back to the golem. (I'd suggest hitting the golem once in a while even if you do raid with it. I find that I sometimes develop bad habits that need to be fixed.) Get it geared for fractals. At last resort, play it in open world content. The end That is pretty much all I can think of on this topic. (At this point, most of you are probably like "Yes, plz staph!") If I can do it, you can too. The only other thing I would say is, overall, it's worth it. Yes, practice is time consuming. However, that time is "earned back" as the game becomes more enjoyable to play on your new class. Also, the better you are, the more efficiently you can accomplish in game goals, meaning you can get more out of your precious gaming time. TL;DR Get proper gear, food, traits, utilities from Snowcrows website. Read written rotation and watch video. Set up golem with proper conditions and yourself with proper buffs. Practice until you reach goal dps. I suggest 85-90% of benchmark. Don't give up. Raid with new character. Evaluate your performance and figure out where you can improve. Enjoy your new class

That is an excellent question Fred (and one I admit I hadn't through through all the way.) We will definitely have a sub list (which you are welcome to join). I intend to recruit a full 10 man squad of people committed to attending raids regularly, so I won't be able to guarantee subs a specific amount of raid time. (I want to be honest about what to expect.) It is also very possible we will need some temporary or sub members until we can recruit enough people to fill the squad. Specifically in January when we start back up again. Hopefully that phase won't be too long (no more than a few weeks.) Unfortunately, I won't be able to be very specific about those needs until we get closer to the time and I know how recruitment is going. Hopefully that answers your question. Let me know if anything isn't clear

Lol. Words of wisdom from Kintari.

I'm in! I'd like to be either Druid, DPS, or Healer/Support/DPS. I will post my API key and golem logs in the members only section of our forums ASAP. (Note: I don't expect everyone to post this stuff. However, it's only fair for me to so that you can see I'm holding myself to the same standards as everyone else in the squad.)

I'm available Tues, Wed, Thurs, and Fri. I could do two nights depending on how the first one goes. I'm interested in doing wings 1-4 and SH. I suggest 9pm start time and 11 pm end time.