Freedom Hami Raids

WHEN:
--Fridays @ 9:00 PM Eastern--
--Saturdays @ 9:00 PM Eastern--
--Sundays @ 8:00 PM Eastern--

WHERE: "The Hive" -- Take "Founders Falls" to "Eden." The Hive is on the opposite end of Eden. It is a zone open to anyone level 45 or higher.

Other details about the raiding can be found below in other posts. We are currently back on a non-evac trend.

We typically begin "forming" the raid 15-30 minutes early so that the team leaders can get set up prior to the main broadcast going out.

The majority of our Hamidon raids are hosted by the members of Freedom Hami Raids. Our channel is public and open to anyone who wishes to join. The channel message usually includes announcements about upcoming raids.

The following is a summarized guide to Hamidon Raiding as we do it on Freedom. Other servers probably do it differently. So, familiarizing yourself with our strategies would be helpful.

What is Hamidon?
Simply, Hamidon is the big end-game boss of the Devouring Earth. It is a giant one-celled organism complete with several "Mitochondria" and a central "Nucleous".

Currently, Hamidon is designed to be a raid-size encounter. No single person can "solo" Hamidon in current form. A watered-down version can be found in various smaller encounters. But the genuine version is found either in The Hive (hero side) or The Abyss (villain side). It is rumored that Praetoria will be getting a Hamidon of their own.

Notes to be aware of...
It should be noted that Hamidon and the Mitochondria are not the same as other "normal" mobs found in the game. Their abilities go above and beyond what is experienced throughout the rest of the game. Therefore, some change in tactics is necessary.

1. Normal Resistance and/or Defense buffs have no effect. Hamidon's attacks ignore any resistances or defenses a character might normally possess. Therefore, the normal "armors" that people use are not useful for Hamidon Raids. Also, the Destiny power "Barrier" has no effect on your survival. |We normally ask people to refrain from using Barrier because it only produces more lag without any other benefits.|

2. Special inspirations called [Essense of the Earth] are the only means by which any damage resistance can be obtained. They can be acquired from any of the Devouring Earth monsters roaming the game. We usually get a fair amount from the monsters we have to kill prior to the raid. These inspirations are highly useful to us during the raid, particularly those tasked with aggro management.

3. Regeneration, Recovery, Damage, Recharge, Mez Resistance and other types of buffs are useful for the raid. It is highly recommended that all characters turn on their "Mez Protection" (if you have any) or carry a few Break Free inspirations. |Please note that direct forms of healing are less useful due to the "debuff" that comes from the Mitochondria.| Clarion, Rebirth, and Ageless are all very useful for us during the raid.

4. Even though they are useful elsewhere, Pets are strongly advised against during the raids. Unfortunately, they have been known to create problems with aggro management. We ask that, if you have them, you save them for the last portion of the raid OR use them while we are killing the monsters. |The only exception to this would be Masterminds. We simply ask that you maintain control of your pets and not let them run wild.|

5. The majority of the Mitochondria float around in the "goo". So, you will want to bring some sort of "flight." Jetpacks can be acquired from various sources around the game. If you are a Mastermind, you can acquire a group fly temp power in the First Ward.

6. Lastly, the use of powers with an Area of Effect should be used carefully. These powers can cause problems with aggro management. If you can manage without them, we encourage you to do so.

Pre-Raid Activities
Generally, before the actual raid begins, there is one importan thing we have to do: Spawn Hamidon. This is done by defeating a number of the monsters in the zone. After we defeat enough, they will retreat and Hamidon will spawn in his little "pit."

Also, we (now) use the League settings. This allows us to better organize people into the appropriate groups we need them to be in. It also allows us to direct buffs, etc to those who need them. When you come in the zone, simply make a broadcast with your Archetype and Powers. You will be recruited into the appropriate team.

Before the raid starts, you should also double-check with your team leader to make sure you understand your team's part in the raid. Once your team leader knows everyone understands their role, he/she will communicate with the raid leader and bring the raid one step closer to commencement.

And now, the raid!
When all teams are set, the leader will guide everyone through the buff sequence. Then, he/she will count down through several general steps:

1. Establish the "aggro management" team(s). They usually go in first (while buffs are hot) and cement all of the aggro on them. Thus, freeing everyone else to...

2. Attack the Mitochondria. The "melee" teams go first for the Yellow Mitos while the Control and Ranged groups go for the Green Mitos first. Everyone attacks their assigned targets. The Yellows usually die first. Then, once they are dead, the Greens are killed. And, finally the Blues.

3. Once all of the Mitos are defeated, we can converge on the nucleous. However, we cannot defeat it in one go. At intervals of 3/4 HP, 1/2 HP, and 1/4 HP, the Mitos will be respawned. This means...

4. Essentially, we repeat the previous 3 steps until we get past the final respawn and can deal the final blow. Sometimes, the leader will ask everyone to regroup outside of the "goo" to reapply buffs. If the group feels confident enough, we will frequently skip past regrouping. We reapply buffs while attacking the nucleous, etc. Then, once the mitos respawn we simply jump back into action.

Rewards
As you might have guessed, there are some good rewards for completing the raid:

1. A window will come up giving you the option of 3 rewards: 4 Incarnate Shards, 53 Reward Merits, or a special enhancement.

2. During the raid, you will have a very good chance of getting a good amount of salvage, recipes, and incarnate shards/threads. (I have actually had my salvage nearly full at the end!)

3. Of course, you will have the great feeling of a job well done and have enjoyed a fun time with your friends.

That is the extent of how our raids normally go. Below, I will summarize the roles of characters in the raid.

The following is a summary of what role each archetype normally fills in the raid. Of course, these roles may be altered depending on various factors.

Aggro Management (Taunting)
It is very important that we redirect Hamidon's aggro away from the squishier folks. And, well, because Hamidon can cause group wipes fairly quick.

For this role, we recruit a total of seven (7) Tankers or Brutes. To fulfill this role, you need to have your Ranged Taunt. It also helps if you have decent Mez/Knockback protection and you have good Healing/Regeneration capabilities to survive. We will, of course, make sure that you are provided buffs and plenty of [Essense of the Earth].

One taunter is placed in a team with several Empathy Defenders. They will see that you are buffed with Adrenalin Boost and receive any other similar support. The taunter of this group is tasked with taunting the nucleous.

The other 6 taunters are responsible for taunting the Yellow Mitos (which do the most damage). They stand outside of the goo and taunt from range.

The aggro team(s) generally do not attack with the rest of the group. However, we do look for a few extra "DPS" classes to join their teams so the aggro teams can enjoy the drops from the Mitos.

Yellow Team
We normally group other Tankers, Scrappers, Brutes, Stalkers and other melee-focused classes together. Their job is to focus on killing the Yellow Mitos. The Yellows are only vulnerable to melee damage. So, our meleers group together to make targetting and killing easier.
It should be noted that members of this team need to turn off any powers designed to attract aggro (if possible). You don't want to risk overriding the taunt team with your own aggro powers. And, make sure you bring a form of Flight so you can reach the yellows.

(Once the yellows are defeated, this team proceeds to help defeat the other mitos.)

It should be noted that the Yellows fire a targetted AoE attack and also have a close (but less damaging) PBAoE attack. Both attacks carry a Knockback and Stun.

Blue Team
Blasters, Corruptors, and other classes designed for Ranged damage are usually grouped together for the purpose of targetting the Blue mitos (which are vulnerable to ranged attacks). However, this group usually helps kill the Greens (and sometimes yellows) prior to the Blues. The blues are usually killed last.

It should be noted that the Blues fire a single-target Electric-like attack. It does less damage than the yellows. However, it has the side effect of draining endurance and causing a Fear effect. The Fear Effect has a chain ability and will jump to nearby targets. Also, these attacks will Slow.

Green Team
The "green" team is usually reserved for Controllers, Dominators and any other characters with strong HOLD abilities. It is necessary to HOLD the green mitos before they will die. So, naturally, control types are placed in this team to help make their job easier. Any other characters with HOLD attacks are encouraged to help with the Greens.

Greens provide healing to their allies. Their attacks do little damage but greatly debuff (and even stop) any healing incoming to their target.

The Greens are attacked simultaneously with the Yellows. The greens are usually the second group to be defeated.

Support Classes
As you can imagine, any buffs brought to the raid are a great help (except Resistance or Defense). Of course, your usefulness depends upon the exact buffs provided. Empathy is probably the most coveted buff set for the raids. Kinetics is a close second. But, really, anything that helps keep people up and/or operating more efficiently is always welcome.

Empathy defenders are grouped with the taunters to help keep them on their feet. And, any other support is usually spread throughout the teams to maximize effectiveness.

Masterminds
I thought I would cover this. Masterminds are NOT useless for raids. As long as the pets are kept in check, Masterminds are welcomed for their ability to fulfill multiple roles in the raid. Usually, we place them with the Ranged group.

Epic ATs
These are always welcome too. Your place in the raid will depend on which types of attacks you have focused on. I have even seen Warshades and Peacebringers use their Dwarf to help with aggro management in a pinch.

Well, I hope all this stuff helps. If there are any questions, don't hesitate to ask.

Are these raids hero or villain side? Sorry didn't see it in the post, did I miss it?

The original post has been updated to say HERO side. I am too used to doing them on hero side that I don't always remember villains have one too.

Some additions/clarification

Pets: only ones that have taunt powers like stoney, PA and Phantasm etc. are an aggro issue

Your tanks need a kb of 10+

Hami tank should have Taunt well slotted, and have a ranged attack like hurl or laser eyes for gauntlet.

Might want to add greens must be held before they can be killed.

Great raid DR. G and thx to all who participated. as the aggro tank I was sweating a bit until Morna and Zooey showed up .

Indeed, great turnout last night. My henchmen even cooperated and didn't get me killed as often as the past couple times.


Also:

Freedom Hami Raids (the global channel) is now open to the public. Anyone wishing to join the channel where we post upcoming raid info is welcome.

Just wanted to add that last weekend we had very good turnout for all 3 of the raids. And, except for a few specific instances, everyone did their part well!

"Freedom Hami Raids" is the global channel we use for all things related to the raids. Feel free to join it and keep yourself up-to-date on future raids.

I showed up to the one on Saturday that got pushed back an hour.
Outside of Hami spawning early (limiting EoE production), it was a well run raid.

Some people griped about it not being evacless. BFD. Yeah, it takes longer, but is easier for random raid PUGs to deal with. That and the aforementioned early spawn would have made it REALLY painful for some players.

I tend to be kind of a ****** nag on these things. But you guys put up with me just fine.

Clicking on the linked image above will take you off the City of Heroes site. However, the guides will be linked back here.

Updated the initial post and bumping the thread to the first page.

Our raids are fun and we welcome anyone to join us!

Just a reminder that Tonight's raid has been called off so everyone can enjoy there Christmas, as well as the MSR I usually do after. Thanks to all that showed up last night for my double header Hami/MSR.

Just wanted to pass along that I will not be hosting any raids this weekend. Between scheduling conflicts and a problem with my computer it just doesn't look like it will work out.

If someone else feels like they want to step up and run the raids, that is fine. I just can't do it this weekend.