Thanks, Joe!

The information you've presented in your post is very valuable to everyone who parties with you. There is a lot that us non-hunter, non-shooter types can't possibly know without just this kind of article. For instance, the fact that there is a minimum range on your gun. I was beginning to suspect as much because you were always backing up, but initially it wasn't so clear. Fumiko, who's never seen a weapon with a minimum range requirement, had no clue what was going on. I encourage *everyone* to write similar articles. Even if it's more questions than answers, at least we all know where the others stand, what the questions are in the first place, and perhaps collectively we can get some of those questions answered.

I'd like to respond to a few things, Joe, and let's get the dialogue rolling! =D

Maybe we could've lead those monks back to the long narrow hall just south of it while i set up a trap? or should I just jump in and swing?

Sure, pulling them back into that hall probably is the best thing to do. Let us know any time you're in this situation. Communication is critical. Nevertheless, if ever you just can't shoot, please jump in and swing! The faster we drop the mob, the less total damage the party takes over the duration of the fight.

My pet, while it holds agro to some degree and has 1k+ armor, will chase after dying targets. So without risking more agro i've put my pet in the passive mode for most of SM. I know this isn't the best option but in halls of SM I can't be too sure if my pet will agro more mobs while chasing down a dying one.

If a runner (a dying mob that gets feared and takes off) heads in the direction of non-agro'd mobs, the party is going to get adds whether Itchy is on it or not. That's why party members who have some kind of root or slowing ability need to use those to prevent runners in the first place. The question I have for you is, if Itchy drops a runner some place far away, does he then jump on the next nearest mob or does he come straight back to you?

I also see here a perfect illustration of Scott's assertion that everyone is so used to soloing that that is how they continue to play instances. In party mode, you need to be able to trust that the person who's job it is to root/slow runners is taking care of that task. In this way, the question of Itchy coming home with wild friends, throwing a crazy party, and destroying the house, is moot. I hope to go into this party-thinking vs. solo-thinking in more detail in another article very soon.

Also, I'll briefly mention that the Shaman's Earth Shock, being an instant-cast shock spell, is perfect for bringing down non-rooted runners. Toward the end of a fight, the Shaman should anticipate runners and be prepared by not having Earth Shock in cool-down.

Speaking to SM specifically, the Scarlet Monks have a very powerful cast interrupt skill. Not all classes have one, but on Shamans it's Earth Shock, on Warriors it's Shield Bash, and on Rogues it's Kick. Cast interrupting is much more than just causing a cast delay. When a caster takes damage during a cast, the cast is typically delayed, but eventually finishes out successfully. A cast interrupt spell not only stops the casting process altogether, it also prevents the caster from casting any spell in the same class (such as all healing spells) for a period of time. The Shaman Earth Shock prevents spells from the same class from being cast for 2 seconds. The Rogue's Kick is more powerful in this respect at 5 seconds. The skill that Scarlet Monks have is also fairly powerful at 5 (perhaps more) seconds. This further illustrates why the healer should never have agro.