DK Soloing – It’s Hardcore Progress, but SOLO!
Author: Roboticus
I am by no means a stellar WoW player. But, when it comes to the age-old debate of hardcore gamer vs. softcore gamer, I side consistently with those who want endgame content that is very difficult, perhaps even including some content that is unbeatable without a grand accumulation of the very best gear (I’m thinking AQ 40 when it first came out, for instance). It’s not that I want hard content because I’m not challenged by the current content; it’s because I like the feeling of a dangerous world where certain bosses are so epic they cannot be beaten.
With my current guild, I find my main character, a rogue, progressing nicely through Ulduar. However, the limiting factor on our progress is not needing better gear or even needing better execution–it’s mostly just needing to get over the logistics of gathering 25 people on a consistent basis. Long story short, Ulduar isn’t satisfying my desire for endgame progression. THAT is where DK Soloing comes in.
I’m a Freshly Dinged Level 70 Raid Group:
I have about the same DPS as a terribly geared group of ten 70s making their first foray into Karazhan, sitting at around 1500 DPS. I don’t have quite the level of healing 3 level 70 healers would bring, but at the same time, I have much more armor than a level 70 tank. My [Death Strike] Heals me for between 2400 and 3300 on average every 4 seconds, along with my “big heal” (Rune Tap) every 30 seconds. All this put together, and I have a fully formed 10 man raid group, ready to progress into Kara.
I have almost no idea whether I’ll be able to down any bosses at all. I’m guessing that Atumen will be doable, but that Moroes will be nearly impossible, at least based on my estimates for the damage I’ll take versus my healing capabilities.
All I know is that I have a world of potential for this little DK to make his impression on the level 70 raid scene.
Am I a Freshly Dinged Level 60 Raid Group?
Not yet at least. I attempted Ysondre, the emerald dream dragon in central Duskwood and found myself quickly splattered.
Then again, I humorously forgot to level my mace skill on my new [Titansteel Destroyer] before attempting it. Nonetheless, it seems raids tuned for 40 level 60 characters are a tad above the difficulty of raids tuned for 10 level 70s.
My Self-Imposed Restrictions to Build My Own Progression:
Before really attempting any progression raids, I want to curtail what my little Rankled can do. If I signed him up for one of our remaining Naxxramas 25-man runs, he would be showered in very good gear, probably tripling his DPS and quintuppling his effective health. But I’m not going to do that–Rankled will not run ANY level 80 raids. The gear-treadmill that Rankled will run will be: Run Kara –> make gold from bosses (35g per boss) –> buy better gear on the Auction House. Clearly, this is not the ideal way to gear a Death Knight, but it has the benefit of tying gear upgrades to success in raids (just like how it is in real raids). In addition to the Auction House, Rankled will run any other content that is easily done by a guildless, non-trade-channel-pugging, solo player. This will include Heroics found from the LFG tool, soloing level 80 group quests, casual pvp, and rep rewards.
Where Will I Go Next?
Karazhan is on the docket, and we’ll quickly find out if the purpose of this project is for naught.
Specifically, I’ll start by seeing if I can solo the Karazhan attunement chain. I wonder how many DKs there are with [The Master's Key]?
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