Mentoring, I does it

We have another priest (Imp) in The Ebon School that spends half his time healing and the other half DPSing as Shadow. A month or two ago, he kicked my butt into gear when he outDPS'd me on Saurafang (in my defense, he didn't switch targets). After that fight, I asked him what he was doing because obviously, I was doing it wrong.

Fast forward to the present, and, he has acquired gear that is almost the same item level as mine, but with my recent improvements, I was pretty much smoking him on every fight. In his defense, I only play Shadow, and I recently have made significant strides in bettering my DPS, but still, he was looking for help.

And I was more than happy to divulge all that I had learned - Drop Mind Blast if you have a hard time managing four spells, Shadow Fiend iz 4 DPS, Shadow Word: Death on the run, all the stuff in this post.

Before I made my improvements, I had some trepidation about being replaced by this guy if I couldn't step it up, and I'm not sure if I would have been so forthcoming with this information. Thankfully, I was able to squeeze more out of my toon, and consequently, I was glad to pass along my gains.

Last night, I saw a significant increase in his DPS to the point where he was almost out doing me. Almost.

See, I have something that he will probably never have: Dad Strength. I view the other DPSers as competitors and another Shadow Priest as my number one rival. I will use every trick in the book to outdo my fellow DPSers and moreso when another SP is in the mix.

How does this relate to Dad Strength? Well, Dad Strength is that extra bit of whatever that Dads have when competing with their (usually sons) offspring in feats of strength. We run faster, push harder, and generally will hurt ourselves all in the name of besting our posterity. "I sired you and you.....will.....NOT......beat me!"

Of course, I am not that other SP's father, but I am the senior Shadow Priest in the raid, and I'll be damned if some snot nosed little upstart is going to beat me at my own game. So, I push a little harder, I focus a bit more sharper, I....am....on it!

Yeah, there's something to be said for the "hunger" of the newbie, but don't underestimate the shear will and drive of the established player. Experience trumps exuberance.

But, soon, I expect that as Imp gains experience, he may well consistently out do me; I mean, I'm nothing special. When that day comes, I'll be able to sit back and bask in the glow of a proud papa - "Yep, that's my boy!"

...and maybe I can switch mains to my hunter....muhuhuhahahahaha.