The Beast called WWS - General

Most raiders know about WoW Web Stats (WWS), but not everybody knows how to read the wealth of information these logs provide. I will write a series of posts on how to read WWS.

The first thing you need to remember about WWS is that it is a tool. It is not the WoW bible for pointing fingers at people, or to burn people to the ground. Use it as the handy tool that it is, and you will be able to improve with the help of the information it provides.

Even if your raidleader might already run logs and post them to a public place so all raid members can access them, it is always good to run your own logs every now and then. They can also be a very handy tool when you're working on analyzing your character and are for example just shooting at a target dummy.

Getting Started.

Going to the general website the first thing you get to see is an overview page and some of the most recent logs posted. In the top left corner you can find the link help where you will find how to install the client and upload the logs.

Once you have gotten your logs uploaded, and you have selected the log of your choice you will come to a page that looks something like this:


The "Split" button lets you choose which fight(s) you wish to see, just one boss, all bosses, all defeated bosses, etc. Fairly straight forward, not much to explain.

The "Browse" button however gives more options. This button allows you to choose which information you want to take a closer look at. Mousing over "Charts" you get the following options:

• Charts
  This is where you get an overview of the different outputs of the logs. Through the tabs below it you can go for Damage Ouput, Incoming Damage, or Healing. If you click on columns you can configure which information you want to see next to eachother.
• Raids & Mobs
  Here you find a split between the different classes in the raid. It allows you to quickly look at all raid members of the same class, and mousing down one more level you can also select specific players. Though this is also possible by clicking on a name anywhere in the log.
• Who heals whom?
  Here you find the healing output done to and by the different players in the raid.
• Who hits whom?
  Who has been doing damage to whom (or what in the case of several bosses).
• Abilities
  An overview of all abilities used during the raid (or encounter if you selected a specific subset under split). A subdivision is made through the tabs at the top.
  
• Browse log file
  This option allows you to go through the actual log, action for action, as it has been recorded in game. Notice that the names are still clickable so you can go from a specific log line straight to the character you want to know more about.
  TIP: If you have run into bugs in the game, it is specifically handy to note down the time so that you can always show the GM the specific logs where it went wrong.

In the next part we will look at the logs from the views of the different roles the game offers, starting with the healing role. Feel free to ask any questions and I will always do my best to answer them.