Explosive Conflict Nightmare! (And it was only Hard Mode...)

Operation: Hard Mode Explosive Conflict (8-man)

Character: Level 55 Vanguard (Tank)

So, I’d had a long day at work, gotten home and played with my kids a bit. Once I put them to bed, my wife started watching a movie and half falling asleep on the couch, so I decided I would try to get a little TOR-time in. I logged onto my level 55 Vanguard tank, and noticed almost immediately upon logging onto fleet, that a group was looking for a tank for Hard Mode Explosive Conflict. I figured, since I hadn’t completed my [WEEKLY] Classic Operations missions yet, this would be a decent way to get it done. Oh how wrong I was!

I joined the group, which was still looking for a healer and a dps. They found their last two members, and I went to enter the instance and had a message that the group’s progress was further along than mine. So I checked the lockouts, and noted that one of the dps players in the group was locked on Toth and Zorn. “Not a big deal…” I thought to myself… “That will just make this run a little shorter.” I said something in the chat regarding this, and the response from the Ops leader (who was the character that was locked out) says “Yes, I did it with my guild earlier before we quit. They are the hardest boss in this operation, so it’s really good that I already have them downed.”

I choked a little bit on my tongue at that moment, and responded in the chat “Actually, Toth and Zorn are the EASIEST boss in this operation. Just sayin….”

However, at that moment I decided it was a good time to Inspect Achievements. That led me to a terrible realization: 3 of the dps, and both healers had NEVER cleared Story Mode Explosive Conflict, let alone Hard Mode. I stopped in my tracks. I mention in the chat that I see we have quite a few people who have never done the operation. (No response)…. I then paste into the chat, the information for my Ventrilo server and state that I have absolutely no problem whatsoever explaining the fights and getting the new folks through the content, but that I would absolutely require that all of the people who were doing it for the first time be on Ventrilo. Upon posting my vent server information, I had a total of 5 people (including myself) join my server. One dps (the operations leader) and both of the healers did not join, and all 3 of them were first-timers. I mentioned the Ventrilo server a few more times, until I see typed in chat;

Healer ‘A’: “Dude, what is your hard-on for Ventrilo? We will be fine.”

SO… I gave up on it, and started pulling trash and giving little brief explanations as we went.

We enter the area where Firebrand and Stormcaller are. I explained the fight over Ventrilo to the fresh DPS that had joined the server, and the other tank, since it was his first time tanking it, although he had healed it many times. I then typed into the ops chat, in great detail, EXACTLY what everyone was supposed to do. Midway through explaining the fight via typed chat;

DPS ops leader: “That sounds really difficult, why don’t we all just kill one of them, then we kill the other one instead of trying to do them both at the same time.” 

(It was at this moment that I realized why this player thought that Toth & Zorn were so difficult…) 

Me: “You can’t do that easily, you have to fight them together, it really is the easiest way.” 

And then I continued explaining the fight. Until a minute later; 

Hard-headed dps ops leader: “Really, I say we just kill them one by one. Sounds like it would be a lot simpler than what you’re suggesting we do.” 

I was at a loss for words, other than to say “If you want to try to do that at some point, be my guest, but it’s not going to be with this team, not on my repair bill dime.” 

So after explaining the fight in great detail…. Making sure that the healer I was putting on Firebrand’s side got a detailed explanation how to Kite/Cleanse the missiles/spikes, and that everyone else knew very clearly that were supposed to NOT stand on the ground, NOT AoE under the shields, and how to handle the shield phase in general. 

Genius dps ops leader: “Wait a minute… What is a cleanse? And what does that have to do with the missiles?” 

Me: “That explanation was for the healer, you don’t have a cleanse because you are a Sentinel. The healer should know what I meant.” 

/rc . . . . . . EVERYONE IS READY! 

I jump up on Stormcaller. The other tank jumps up on Firebrand. All the dps jump up on their tanks. Firebrand’s healer stays on the ground. Stormcaller’s healer stays on the ground. I type quickly into the chat “You need to get up ON the tank, NOW.” But all he was doing, was standing there, focus-healing himself from the massive damage he was taking from the missiles/spikes dropping from the sky on him, since there were two people on the ground, instead of one, as I had clearly instructed. Neither me, nor the two dps on Stormcaller received a single heal, the healer shortly died, and I decided it was a wipe, and ran back to the door and typed /stuck. 

Rage-inducing dps ops leader: “The healers really need to keep themselves bubbled, so they don’t take so much damage, and the tank on Stormcaller needs to hold agro so the boss doesn’t attack the healer.” 

Me: “Actually, the healer on Stormcaller needed to be standing ON the tank on that side. That was the problem. He was taking damage he never should/would have taken if he was on the tank.” 

Patience-draining dps ops leader:  “Why would he get closer to the boss? He’s going to take more damage.” 

Me: “Really? Are you asking me that? I just explained all of this, in great detail just mere moments ago. If you guys want me to continue, I need to have everyone on Ventrilo. Now.” 

Stormcaller’s Healer: “I don’t need to be on vent. You guys handle the mechanics, and I will just heal.” 

Me: “Gang, this fight is actually pretty easy. The next boss is more complicated, and the last boss is even more so. I need the new folks on Ventrilo if we are going to continue.” 

Brain-damaged dps ops leader: “How hard can it really be? Let’s just do this.” 

Me: “I’m really sorry guys. I don’t have the patience or the desire to rack up a 200k repair bill. I wish you all the best, but I am bowing out of this one.” 

I logged out of the game, turned my computer off, and went downstairs to watch the rest of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire with my wife.

Operation: Story Mode Scum & Villainy (8-man)

Character: Level 55 Mercenary (DPS)

Later that night, I logged on again but this time on my level 55 Mercenary. I immediately saw on Fleet that someone was looking for DPS for Story Mode Scum & Villainy, so I answered the call. I joined, we started a fresh run. One-shotted every boss and we were done in around 90 minutes. 

Proof that PuG’ing is gambling.

PuG vs. Guild Run: Much less naked dancing in PuG's I've noticed.