Group Composition
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Contents |
Introduction
An Ebon Flame raid never looks the same. We have many members of different classes; some very active and others joining less often. Group composition plays a large role in the success of a raid. Tanks gain more survivability or threat generation, healers more mana or effectiveness, and damage dealers more damage. However, it's always weighing some benefits against others. This is heavily accentuated by Ebon Flame's large member base.
The Basics
Characters come in roughly two categories: buffers and soakers. Buffers provide some sort of benefit to their group, such as shaman totems or a paladin aura. Soakers do not provide a group benefit, but make effective use of buffs, such as rogues, warlocks and mages. Note that each of these classes do provide other benefits, but that has no influence on group position and is beyond the scope of this article.
Groups should be constructed such that buffers provide the most benefit to soakers and each other. This is generally done by focusing each group on a certain role. We recognize the following roles (source):
* tanking * healing * physical melee dps * physical ranged dps * magical ranged dps
Each role has their own needs and desires. Specific encounters can pose additional needs, like fire resistance aura to tanks on Illidan phase 2. It's not always possible to get everyone in an ideal group; in such a case sacrifices must be made! Specific numbers can help make these decisions. This article tries to give a general idea.
Step 1: Initial Setup and Melee Group
One way to set up a raid is by writing down numbers 1 to 5 for your groups, then adding people step by step. So let's put the warrior main tank and a paladin tank in group 1, the tank group. Now it depends on how much physical dps we have available whether. Ebon Flame usually only brings 1-2 hunters and 1-2 rogues, an enhancement shaman, sometimes a retribution paladin, and rarely a dps warrior. If there are at least physical 5 dps including enhancement shaman, or 4 dps without, it makes sense to put them in group 2. Enhancement shaman first, or a restoration shaman if she isn't around. Then the retribution paladin and any rogues. If there is space left, a second warrior tank could go here to share Battle Shout, followed by feral druid for Leader of the Pack. Only put hunters in the 'melee' group if there are no better options. Hunters tend to be well out of melee range, often not benefiting from shaman totems. It would make sense to make a dedicated hunter group if we ever bring enough hunters to do so. Such a group typically consists of a survival hunter, two beast mastery hunters, a feral druid, and a restoration shaman for agility totem.
Step 2: Shamans
The first shaman should always go to the melee group, because Windfury is such a powerful buff. It easily outweighs whatever else a shaman could give to another group, with the possible exception of elemental shaman in the caster dps group. Any additional shamans should be spread out over the groups to get as much leverage from totems as possible. Shamans should generally go to dps first, mostly because of Heroism. The tank group typically only gains a shaman when there are five, except on certain boss fights where threat is very sensitive.
Step 3: Tank Group
After forming the physical damage group(s) and spreading out shamans, the tank group can be filled up. Any tanks not yet grouped should obviously go here. If the tank group has a shaman, it could be viable to add a spare rogue. Other classes that benefit a tank group are, in order:
* affliction warlock (Blood Pact) * restoration druid (Tree of Life aura) * holy paladin (Devotion or Retribution aura) * beast master hunter (Ferocious Inspiration)
Step 4: Caster DPS Group
The caster group has at least a restoration or elemental shaman. If the raid has a moonkin, she goes here for stacking benefits of the raid's highest dps casters. On long fights, it might be wise to add a shadow priest. Otherwise, fill with classes that benefit from crit, in order:
* elemental shaman * balance druid * fire mage * destruction warlock * other mages * shadow priest * holy paladin, holy priest
Step 5: Additional Casters
There are most likely several dps casters still without a group. First, shadow priests. It heavily depends on the fight where these should go. On fights with heavy raid-wide damage (Gurtogg Bloodboil, Illidan phase 2), they should be grouped with holy priests to power Circle of Healing. On any fight, an arcane mage probably benefits more from a shadow priest than anything else. Try to group remaining dps casters together as much as possible, with a restoration shaman. A beast master hunter could also buff casters with Ferocious Inspiration, if no better option exists. Hunters love being around shadow priests too, lacking good mana regeneration abilities. In a raid lacking shamans, a draenei mage or priest provides Inspiring Presence to other casters.
There is currently little synergy in the game between healers beyond the restoration shaman's totems. A holy paladin's Concentration Aura protects all healers in his group from spell pushback. Some healers use the Spellsurge enchantment to share a little mana regeneration with their fellow healers.
Sample Raid
Here is what a sample Ebon Flame raid could look like:
* 1: protection warrior, protection paladin, restoration druid, restoration druid, beast master hunter * 2: enhancement shaman, retribution paladin, rogue, rogue, feral druid * 3: elemental shaman, balance druid, fire mage, destruction warlock, destruction warlock * 4: restoration shaman, shadow priest, arcane mage, destruction warlock, beast master hunter * 5: restoration shaman, shadow priest, holy priest, holy priest, holy paladin
