Expected DPS?

Do you have an expected DPS you enter heroics with?

I remember when I first hit 80 I did not even consider entering a heroic until I could do an acceptable DPS.  I did lots of research online and saw most people say that if you could do 1000-1200 DPS it was acceptable but 1500 was considered good.  It would make the bosses easier.

With that in mind I tried to make sure I could do as close to 1500 DPS before I ever even considered entering a heroic.  My first one I pulled 1400 DPS and was second behind another hunter that was rocking it with 2200 DPS.  I always kept that number in mind.

Even later in the expansion where you could easily pull 8K without trying, if someone was doing at least 1500 I considered they where doing fine.  In truth, they did not really need to do more.  1500 was the good number from when I started them so it was a good number now. 

Later in the expansion I would hear people say that if you did not pull at least 5K in a heroic you suck and should be kicked.  Excuse me?  Why?  All that is needed to do it is 1500.

Now with the Cataclysm heroics I see numbers thrown around all the time and we each have our own I am sure.  Personally I consider 8K to be the 1500 of this expansion.

If you can do 8K in a heroic you are doing fine. 7K would not be horrible but could be better, like the 1200 of before.  That is how I see it at least.

I do not do heroics on my Rogue because I suck at being a Rogue really.  I can pull 7K single target with ideal situations.  I still would not touch a heroic unless it was a premade and you knew beforehand that I suck.

Just like back then, I wanted to make sure I could do 1500 before I entered a heroic I would have to make sure I could do 8K in a heroic on any character I go in with now.  And no.  I do not consider "ideal situations" to be your DPS.  That just means what you can top out at.  If you can do 8K on any boss, even the ones that suck for your class, then you are heroic ready I say.

Am I the only one that keeps these numbers in the back of their heads?

I had a heroic yesterday where a boomkin did 2500 on a boss attempt.  We wiped but I figured it was just a bad start for him.  Next attempt, we wiped again and the boomkin had done 2200 DPS.  He died early on that one however.  I saw that.  He was standing right next to me and when we had to move, you know, from damage under your feet, I moved and he didn't so he just died.

To me, that right there was a reason to now inspect.  Not only was his DPS dreadful but he could not move from stuff.  He was wearing a mixup of gear.  Some spirit gear (not horrible really) and some agility gear (for a boomkin?) with attack power enchants and stamina enchants.  What?

I kicked his feathers faster then you could count to three.  I do not mind low DPS.  I can compensate for some of it.  I do not mind ungemmed or unenchanted gear.  Some people are just starting to gear up.  That is why they are in heroics.  I can accept that.  But the wrong gear?  With the wrong enchants?  And only 2K DPS?  Kick time.

I don't bring my Rogue into heroics because my Rogue is not heroic ready and I am not talking item level here.   Sure, I can get him into one but I will not be doing the best I could do.  I would not put myself out there unless I knew (or felt) I could succeed.

I know with the LFD system you will get grouped with a bunch of people you will most likely never see again and therefore your accountability is not held up like it used to be.  Back in the day your entire server would end up knowing you suck and it would require a name change and/or a server change to ever get invited to anything ever again.

Even with knowing that there is no accountability any more where is the self worth?  I would never enter a heroic unless I knew I would be an asset to the team..  I do not care if I never see any of these people ever again.  I am not doing my best for them.  I am doing my best for me.  When I play I want to play the best that I can play.  I might never be one of the best players in the game but there is something I can achieve and that is to be the best that I can be. 

I would feel like crap if I walked into a heroic and did 2K DPS.  I would drop group and apologize for wasting their time.  I would be embarrassed even knowing I would never see these people again.

I can not tell you the number of runs I have been in where I was the only person over 8K.  8K is the new 1500.  It is not required but it does make it easier.  Easier is nice.  We all like easier right?  In the average runs I do each week 4/7 I am the only one over 8K, 2/7 I am one of two that is over and only 1/7 are all three over 8K and that is usually the one time I go in guild with all three being guild DPS.

Are there really that many bad players out there?
Have I set the bar to high?

The worst part of it is some of my very own guild mates are pulling those subpar numbers.  Some ask, want to do a heroic, and I have to say no. 

It is not because I do not want to.  It is because I do not think I will get the heroic done with you in it basically.  I am just way to polite to say that to them.  I always turn around and offer to heal or tank a normal for them so they get an instant queue and that way they can gear up and learn some more.  They just do not get the hint.

It might have a lot to do with classes as well.  Give me a Warlock, a Mage and a Hunter for DPS and I will go anywhere with you.  Give me a Priest, a Warrior and a Paladin as my DPS and I say no thank you.  Sure, Warriors can put out some stupid DPS now, insane really, but they bring nothing else to the table except for aggro issues and that is a dish I would rather not have on my table.

I have yet to see one Paladin do over 6K that wasn't the tank.  Paladin tanks do more DPS then rets.  I've run with so many ret paladins and have not see one that can crack 6K, same for priests.  Perhaps that is the game design and they are partly broken right now but right now is when I am playing the game and right now I do not want to see them in my heroics.

If I get into a heroic and see a ret pally and a shadow priest I know that I am going to have to basically down the bosses myself with only a little help form them.  They are not going to actually pull their own weight.

Which brings me back to what this post is about.  What is the expected DPS in a cata heroic right now?  I'll stick with 8K boss average, not 8K boss you're good at.

When you get in a heroic and look at the numbers what number sets off the bells and makes you think that you need to inspect that person?  Under 6K for me. 

I figure 6K for a fresh 329 person with no gems, no enchants and lots of green gear it is acceptable to a limited extent.  Like if me and one of my guild mates are there and we are both pulling over 12K then having a fresh 85 is not as much of an issue.  As long as they get out of the bad stuff on the ground.

I just do not understand how it is even humanly possible to level a character to 85, get yourself to all 333-346+ gear and still can not out DPS my autoshots.  How is that even possible?

So my plea, as wrong as it might sound is this...

If you can not do 8K DPS do the wow world of favor and stay the hell out of heroics.  You do not belong there yet.

Now, unlike every other post I have ever seen that would leave it at that I am going to attempt to help people here. This should help everyone get a foot up.

1) Work on your rep and buy rep rewards.  Some of them are awesome and there are some for every class and spec.
- You can get rep from doing quests. 
- You can get at least honored, hyjal can get to revered, just by doing the quests.
- Wear a tabard and do normals.  The top three will get you rep.
2) Spam normals when you can.  The top ones drop 333 gear you know.
3) Check the auction house.  Some people throw good stuff up cheap sometimes.  You might get lucky.
4) Don't forget the PvP Rep.  The trinkets are amazing (359) and so are the weapons (346).
5) Hit the dummies and I do not mean the people that enter heroics with 4K DPS.
- Practice your rotation on the dummy and understand that it will be lower then in a dungeon.
- When you got your timing down pat so it is second nature you are ready to move on.
- While looking at DPS you are working more on timing and effectiveness.
6) Read your class forums.
- And the ones on wowhead.
- And the ones on elitist jerks.
- And the ones on mmo-champion.
- And the many others out there.
7) Don't fear change. 
- Just because MM worked last expansion does not mean you can make it work now.
8) Use those Justice Points you saved up on gear.  That is what they are for you know.

If you do all of that I can assure you that you will enter heroics doing 8K DPS without even trying hard to do it.  8 Rules to follow, 1K DPS per rule.  Not all that hard. That will make your heroic experience nicer.  Good luck.