GKP Run - Take two

Tonight I joined the GKP run on my druid. This is the second time I have run with Phoenix Guardians on their runs.

Blizzard gave very little warning that tonight the server was going down at 8pm ST and the run was scheduled to start at 6pm ST. My initial disappointment, believing the run would surely be cancelled, was short lived as it was indeed to proceed.

The Gkp runs have their own chat channel in game and due to macros for people to be there and ready to go at 6pm we were actually well on the way through trash by the time raid start time arrived.

The Raid leader advised us that the run would be called approx 10 minutes before the shutdown time, to dispense the pot, which ment we were only going to be able to raid for approx 1hour 50.

I had 16,995 of my own gold, pulled together from all my toons and bankers and was gifted an additional 40,000 (Thank you sard-a-daddie) so was well prepared to buy up all the Druid gear I missed out on when my hunter was there last week.

WHAT A CONTRAST:
Ok to be fair I was more relaxed this week than I was last week because I had run with them once before and therefore knew they wernt going to call me out in my underwear, but I was still a tad nervous because this was about to be the most intense thing I had done with my Druid.

I love my druid. I love healing.  - ok I love my hunter but in other ways and for other reasons. Part of my passion for my druid is that I actually feel like I play it pretty competantly, especially since I dont really get to drag her out and dust her off and take her places as much as I might like - Raiding with the other top hunters in guild makes me feel very fail, as a tree I dont have that competiton. (To clarify this statement - we have two other main tree heals in guild both have been absent a bit recently due to RL commitments so In a guild raid I tend to be the only Tree)

I had an absolute blast. I actually enjoyed myself and after the preshow jitters slipped into a rhythm. It was totally different from anything else i had ever done. In previous raids when I have been healing I have mostly filled a role of tank heals. In this raid I was Raid heals - Yes i occassionally thru a hot on the tanks but they wernt my responsibility and I actually had faith that the other heals could do their job so just worried about my own.

In the appointed time we managed to down, Marrowgar, Deathwhisperer, Heroic Gunship, Saurfang, Blood Princes, Rotface and finally Festergut in that order, all in less than two hours! Unreal... My head is still spinning.

But the big contrast for me this week to last was the ability to see the fights from a healers point of view... Good lord that place is a lot easier for healers than ranged DPS. Healers can stack under marrowgar, Hunters do better at range. Healers can just stand and heal in Saurfang - I didnt even have to move from a bloodbeast, hunters are zipping in and laying traps changing focus from boss to beast, moving out of the way if the beast gets to close, not getting in other peoples range etc. Healers get to stack underneath fester and rot and heal, moving back and forth as Rotface turns and occassionally running off to take a slime or avoid an Angry BooBoo blast (In the case of Rot) or Occassionally having to run out of the melee area if you have the third spore... But poor old hunters are having to avoid slime spills, angry Booboo's, kite their slime, shoot the boss (Rot) or collapse in on the spore move out when its gone - keep range, deal with puking, shoot the boss - burn him, burn all cooldowns, pull out every last thing you have(Fester).... Meanwhile the druid is just standing and healing. So much more relaxed!!

Needless to say I thoroughly enjoyed myself. If it wasnt for my achievement obsession I may never log the druid out again!

It was a slightly smaller purse this week than last due to having to split it 25 ways (Evidently last weeks was split 24 ways due to a dcér who didnt return) So this week the take home for 1hour 50's effort was 6444 gold. And i did purchase a couple of items along the way. I even passed on and item that the Raidleader was also bidding on - ok by the time he outbid me at 25,000 gold  I figured it was time to pass.
And the only minor gripe from the evening - a hunter piece that would have been an upgrade actually dropped!! TYPICAL lol

So this week my shopping spree was as follows:

The Staff Nibelung 6200gold
A Sanctified Token 16500gold
Heroic Boots of Unnatural Growth  a steal at 8600gold
 Primordial saronite 500 Gold (to be sold)

Total spent on upgrades: 31300 gold
Less share of the pot: 6444 gold
Cost overall for three upgrades: 24856 gold.... a price I am more than happy with and hopefully those upgrades are going to give me the edge in the guild 10 man progression runs :)

Oh and sard even let me keep the left over gold! Double win heehee

FOOTNOTE: I believe Sardonica is doing an interview for his blog witht eh organiser of the runs - I personally cant wait to read it!