What is your favorite raid of all time and why is it Ulduar?

[Daevelian]

Probably ICC for me, followed by kara and BT.

I really do not get this nostalgia boner people have for ulduar, the raid was kinda junky. The only thing it had going for it was the unique methods of activating hard mode. The bosses themselves were tedious and friggin annoying, a lot of them had insane amounts of downtime (looking at you mimibore) and the tier of gear there was one of the must uninspired tiers in existence for all but mages and death knights.

Though no raid will be worse than highmaul IMO. My god that place was dull.

[aziras]

Ulduar is also on my short-list of favorite raids. Along with ICC, Kara, ToT, and a few others.

Original ZG is high on my list too. Perhaps not the most amazing boss fights, or overall most challenging raid in the history of WoW, but maybe more because of the break it provided from the 40-man logistics nightmare of MC/BWL at the time. And the 3-day lockout. You could suddenly do a lot more raiding in the guild, without being constrained by taking away the main-raid days or running into problems getting enough people.

Leading into how I personally rank raids. While boss mechanics can pull a raid down if they absolutely suck, the main parameter I would rate from is how much fun I had. Did I look forward to the raids? or were they simply too grindy and a chore?

Ulduar balances dangerously close to the edge on this scale. Clearing trash to the first boss, and that boss itself was maybe the most annoying part of any raid to date. I see they wanted to try something different, but they could at least have made it optional and put it on the side. Swapped place with Ignis and the already great raid would have been flawless.

Ulduar also got boosted unfairly by the giant nerf-bat they swung at Wrath Naxx. They took the most epic raid and banged it down to LFR-like easy-mode. Apart from the dancing boss, half the raid could be AFK or do random shit and it was still easy. Then bring in Ulduar. Harder tuned, and with way more requirements to the entire raid. Positioning, doing the right stuff, don't do the wrong stuff, do enough damage/healing, etc. It was just more fun.

Where they messed up in Ulduar was the item levels. It did not really show in Naxx, because it was so easy, but once you hit Ulduar there started to be a giant cliff between the pure 10-man raid groups and the 25-man+10-man ones. If you ran both difficulties you just geared up way faster than those sticking to one. And in 25-man gear, you sort of already outgeared 10man from the start so it was easier.

[arr0gance]

Ulduar is also on my short-list of favorite raids. Along with ICC, Kara, ToT, and a few others.

Original ZG is high on my list too. Perhaps not the most amazing boss fights, or overall most challenging raid in the history of WoW, but maybe more because of the break it provided from the 40-man logistics nightmare of MC/BWL at the time. And the 3-day lockout. You could suddenly do a lot more raiding in the guild, without being constrained by taking away the main-raid days or running into problems getting enough people.

Leading into how I personally rank raids. While boss mechanics can pull a raid down if they absolutely suck, the main parameter I would rate from is how much fun I had. Did I look forward to the raids? or were they simply too grindy and a chore?

Ulduar balances dangerously close to the edge on this scale. Clearing trash to the first boss, and that boss itself was maybe the most annoying part of any raid to date. I see they wanted to try something different, but they could at least have made it optional and put it on the side. Swapped place with Ignis and the already great raid would have been flawless.

Ulduar also got boosted unfairly by the giant nerf-bat they swung at Wrath Naxx. They took the most epic raid and banged it down to LFR-like easy-mode. Apart from the dancing boss, half the raid could be AFK or do random shit and it was still easy. Then bring in Ulduar. Harder tuned, and with way more requirements to the entire raid. Positioning, doing the right stuff, don't do the wrong stuff, do enough damage/healing, etc. It was just more fun.

Where they messed up in Ulduar was the item levels. It did not really show in Naxx, because it was so easy, but once you hit Ulduar there started to be a giant cliff between the pure 10-man raid groups and the 25-man+10-man ones. If you ran both difficulties you just geared up way faster than those sticking to one. And in 25-man gear, you sort of already outgeared 10man from the start so it was easier.

Well said though you could have saved precious keystrokes by simply stating that Ulduar is the greatest raid of all time.

[Lord Baz]

wow no one mentioned the battle of mount hyjal ...

[Pebrocks The Warlock]

Is shitposting on MMO-C -really- the most productive thing you can do with your spare time?

[Eleccybubb]

It's not. My favourite 2 are Siege of Orgrimmar and Throne of Thunder. For me a close 3rd would be Firelands.

[Dawon]

It's not Ulduar, just the stupid FL-event murdered it for me. Also I dislike the theme and most of the bosses.

My fav, BWL! In retrospect it's very simple, "straight" corridor, same:ish kind of bosses on a few encounters.. but back then, after grinding MC for ages, BWL was just so grand, colorful, awesome looking loot and a real step up in challenge that it nailed itself in my brain forever and ever!

Close second is probably ICC, I think that instance is in general very well done!

[Tyrgannus]

In terms of gameplay and functionality, I admit that Ulduar was an extremely ambitious and well designed raid.

However...

The "feel" of it which is comprised of aesthetics, soundtrack, and overall theme were all elements I tended not to care for. The logical side of my brain would want to agree with OP on the achievement of Ulduar, but the emotional fun side of my brain finds it a slog on all the little things. To this day I enjoy original Karazhan. It's bosses were pathetically simple with the exception of a small handful, it has more trash than all Cataclysm raids combined, and it was relegated to one difficulty one size at a time where 10 man raids were considered more warmup than real raiding. All of those things would work against it to the logically side of my brain, but everytime I walk in I'm transported to Castelvania: Symphony of the Night from my childhood. The ambience is PERFECT. The soundtrack unmatched. It isn't vaguely comparable on a technical level, but it is a masterpiece on what personally matters to me.

[ponies]

Kara, Ulduar.

Kara was my first raid, and Ulduar was when I actually started raiding seriously.
Ulduar is beautifuly designed btw

[arr0gance]

Is shitposting on MMO-C -really- the most productive thing you can do with your spare time?

Feel free to disagree with me but you will be remembered as siding with the wrong side of history.

[callipygoustp]

wow no one mentioned the battle of mount hyjal ...

The only raid I feel asleep during. Good god who the hell designed that raid.

[Deleted]

Karazhan

/10chars

[Fecky]

Quality shitposting, my friend.

[Daevelian]

I will admit, i love how arrogant the OP is about it at least. Reminds me of my 9 year old nephew claiming Kylo Ren is the greatest movie villain ever.

[crakerjack]

Ulduar was amazing, but I prefer kara.

[Tyrgannus]

I will admit, i love how arrogant the OP is about it at least. Reminds me of my 9 year old nephew claiming Kylo Ren is the greatest movie villain ever.

OP's user name is arrogance. It's just his shtick.

[epLe]

Vanilla Naxxramas is by far the superiour raid, Blackwing lair was also pretty awesome when it was fresh.

Ulduar was pretty cool, but in sheer epicness nowhere close to even molten core.

[arr0gance]

OP's user name is arrogance. It's just his shtick.

It's not a shtick. I'm simply asking the community's collective opinion as to why Ulduar in their eyes is the best raid of all time.




Infracted for trolling.

[exor37]

OP seems to be a Trump voter, in that only his opinion is the correct one and everyone else is just an idiot.

Not sure why this thread was even created.

to see hillary voter's salty tears?

- - - Updated - - -

wow no one mentioned the battle of mount hyjal ...

there is a reason no other raid after that had that theme with waves of trash... and trash... and trash.. suddenly a wild boss appears

[Eleccybubb]

If I had to rate Ulduar personally I'd put it 5th or 6th.