Update: 4.3 raiding.

So, I've been pretty busy with not only playing wow's patch 4.3 as well as SWTOR early access and now through the launch, but of course with non-gaming related holiday things as well.

I've been pretty happy with patch 4.3 in spite of the raid finder and how I feel about it - I still feel obligated to participate in it as there are upgrades to be had, and alts to be geared. However, I've been scheming about what to do once I've gotten the gear I need; when I'm just going for the badges or whatever. I'm thinking I should use my rolls as tool for good - because I'm sick of seeing loot going to lazy/bad players. So, here's my plan: when I no longer need loot but am given the choice of rolling need, I shall henceforth roll need on said items and distribute anything I win based on who I think deserves the loot. It's like vigilante loot justice. It doesn't have to go to anyone I know, but I want to reward people who actually put forth effort in raid finder groups. Maybe they'll be encouraged to do likewise and together we can improve the system.

As for "real" raiding, my guild is 1 of 8 heroic, and although we've made a few heroic pulls on the next few bosses, progression doesn't look promising. I know it's not the popular thing to say and I'll probably take a lot of shit from my guildies for sayin it, but I just think the shit is too hard. I'm not sayin it should be easier, I understand why it is the way it is, who it's really made for, the prestige that comes with gated content, etc., but I can't help but wish for a difficulty somewhere between normal and heroic.... like say, nerfed heroics?

Let me throw this metaphor at you: In terms of difficulty, raid finder is like driving down-hill on a straight road; you can just coast and as long as you don't do anything  incredibly stupid, you'll be fine. Normal mode is like driving along a flat straight road with a few curves at the end. You'll need to keep your foot on the gas and pay attention to the road, but once you've made the trip once or twice, you get used to it. Finally, heroic mode is like trying to drive through a series of walls of increasing thickness. We went through one wall, and it felt great. I won't deny that, but that's basically where we're at. We've driven into the next 3 walls and found they're not really cracking for us yet, and all we can hope for now is that maybe getting more gear (and tuning up the car so to speak) will make the difference. And if it doesn't? We're just going to have to wait for the nerfs (which i guess would be like somebody drilling a series of holes in all the walls to weaken them) but we have no idea when those will come. It could be a few weeks, a few months, or not at all.

Lots of people I know bitch about post-nerf heroic content. Because the walls they've been throwing themselves against will have been weakened and can now be cracked in a few hours of attempts. They feel robbed of the REAL heroic difficulty. However, to me, that's the ideal situation. So what if everything has 10% less health and deals 10% less damage. It means you don't need the best healers or DPS in the world, but the mechanics generally don't change and as long as there's new fight  mechanics to learn, it's not like it will be some kind of raid-finder handout. I mean, it's still more difficult than normal, and that's all I'm really looking for.