Friday night I was running my normal weekly Kara pug on my priest. Things were going relatively well the occasional wipe, but nothing to write home about. We managed several good drops that I ended up with including the Nightstaff of the Everliving and Talisman of Nightbane as no one else wanted either.
It was an average run, neither great nor horrible. As I was going through the motions of move, pull, heal, drink, repeat, I started thinking back on all the times I had been In Kara. I am still rolling with my group, but I am seeing the place in a new light. Kara is without a doubt my favorite instance in the game. It may not be a challenging as some places, nor require 25 players to accomplish it. The loot may not be the absolute best, but it was more than enough to make the next run easier.
I thought of the guild first kills. I thought of the times I had spent on evening long wipefests. I thought of the chatter in vent, not always happy but always there. I thought of the times I was not even in the raid that evening and yet sat up listening in vent anyway to my friends and guildies having fun.
Friday night we were like a machine. We wiped a time or two but we just kept plowing through the place. Making it as far as Shade before calling it a night due to being down to one healer and not being able to find a replacement. There was no chatter, there was no vent, there were no friends there. I had been after the Nightstaff of the Everliving ever since I started running Kara. I think when it finaly dropped with no one there was when it actually happened.
A hollow feeling, an Epiphany.
Yes we plowed through the place, yes I got my drops, yes I got my badges. It was a victory, but it was a hollow one. I don’t look at Kara the same way I did before I logged in Friday night. Like a kid finding out about the tooth fairy I will never look at it the same way again.
I had taken the most fun instance in the game and turned it into a cheerless badge farm. In the company of strangers I went about trying to gather more badges like a squirrel gathering nuts. I kept going back because I somehow had it in my head that running that place was great. I realised Friday that it was not the instance I enjoyed so much as the friends I once ran it with. By the time Shade rolled around and the group called it due to the missing healer it was actually a relief. I no longer wanted to be there, but I try to never leave a group hanging.
In a rare moment of complete clarity I decided that I was done pugging Kara. I will go back with friends. I will go back with guildies. I might even try to solo Attumen at 80 just for kicks, But I would never again run without a friend in the group.
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Dechion's Place 
You can combine it. Last week the 25 man raid was called off due to lack of players (summertime…) Many were disappointed and logged off. I was too. You know all that energy you have before a raid… turned into nothing. Anyway, a friend from the guild had found a Kara pug and asked me if I wanted to join. It turned out to be a nice and efficient run, we cleared the place in three hours without any problem. You could call as a machine if you want to. But the difference was that I had a friend with me. We could whisper a bit from time to time and that made a HUGE difference. It wasn’t just a faceless pug. It was raiding with a friend, sharing an experience.
And when I went to bed that night I was smiling. I hadn’t got my 25 man raid kick, but I had got fun and cheerful night anyway. And loads of badges. 🙂
I likely could if the situation had been the same. My best night (really only night) that I can raid is Friday. Unfortunately my guild has Friday as a day off of raiding. In the 8 weeks I have been there only two people have taken me up on building a Kara group, and both of them left the group to go run something else before the group finished forming.
I think one of the things that irked me most about the run I mentioned was that 5 of the folks who were in it were in the same guild. Although I mentioned vent I was told “we run it every week without it”. From the context of some of what they were saying in raid chat I came to find out that they were in vent, the rest of the pug (including myself) just was not welcome there.
Feeling like a 5th wheel FTL.
I think Larisa’s hit it on the head. I’m fortunate to be able to run Kara at least once, and often twice a week with guildies, even though we’re well into SSC (with the occasional foray into TK and MH). And while having 9 guildies with me is great, I’m often with at least one, if not two or three, very good friends. So while we’re on Vent, we’re also on Skype, yakking, coordinating stuff without /tells, and generally enjoying each others’ company.
I think the only way I could ever pug Kara (which is also my favorite instance) is with at least one good friend to talk with along the way.
Aww Dech, I will do my best to make sure I log on more often on Friday nights. Traditionally when Garen is home its the first night we have to get anything done. While he’s out of town though I can likely be there. Hope we find something fun to do!
I must say I am tired of Kara too… even playing with my mates. It has gotten to the point that it is just a big heroic badge instance run – we aren’t doing it for special kills… we just never seem to get around to the ones we haven’t killed.. we are just doing it because we can take all 6-7 of our friends (one of whom is gearing an Alt, so currently we are limited to Kara).
I am finding it quite tiresome.. especially with DC’s after Curator.. it is good to be with friends, but I really am just mashing the same keys while staring off into space.