A lot guild leaders or even officers in general have some problems getting most groups off the ground with raiding. It’s kind of a dark time right now for new guilds that are unorganized and have yet to really establish themselves as a solid team. Maybe some of the guild members aren’t 80 yet, or the gear is simply not up to par, maybe the schedules are just so varied and wild that getting together to hit up some instances/heroics/raids is too hard. Whatever the reason it can be a really trying time for folks.
This is the kind of environment where friends are lost or gained due to conflicts with the game time but all the negativity can be easily avoided with a little patience. Here are some tips I employ and have learned in about 4 years worth of leading & following in groups/guilds through Azeroth.
Be Realistic: It’s the Holidays
During this Christmas vacation you’re going to see a lot of players receiving time off from work or school, or possibly leaving to spend time at home with family. There are parties to go to, shopping to do, the list goes on. Don’t expect to be pushing through the season with a stringent raiding schedule when you know the minds of your members are on cake, gifts, and getting hammered on Egg Nog.
Double Check your Inventory: Gear? Personnel?
Simply put, do you have enough people to raid? Just ask your friends and members, “Do you want to raid?” you’ll need at least 10 folks, typically 2 tanks 3 healers 5 DPS or if you’re badass 2 healers and 6 DPS. If the DPS is good enough and doesn’t sniff their own farts for amusement then you can easily rock more DPS than healers and come out unscathed. You also want to do a quick check of your tanks and healers. They should have the kind of mana pool that will last through endurance fights and have the potency to keep people alive during burn fights like Patchwerk. Same for your tanks, if they’re having trouble with Heroic bosses then they need more HP or mitigation. As a tank, I can get away with less HP than normal (only about 25k unbuffed) since I dodge and parry (or block) like a motherfucker, and since defesne is capped at 540 there are a few misses on the table too.
Worry about raid times when you have enough people.
Don’t try to figure out a raid schedule when recruiting or when trying to put together a team. Just get the folks who are interested or passionate about it and then gather their availability. When you have 10 folks good to go you figure out when everybody can get together a few times a week. You don’t want to get caught promising one time to somebody then having that switch when the majority can’t make it.
Be flexible but keep to a specific time frame.
In the past I’ve always tried to pick a specific day and time to raid, and when you’re only going twice or three times a week that can be pretty harsh. People will not be on time or simply not log on at all and then you’re screwed. Best bet is to just say we’ll be raiding between this day and that day, anytime after 8:30PM server time. Invites go out at 8:30 if you want to go and check the guidl calendar on the corner of your mini-map. That thing is a godsend. If people are impatient and get saved to another group, tough shit for them, same if they don’t bother to show up and their spot gets taken up.
Raid with friends: If you have to Hand Pick, then do it.
I’m really finicky with who i invite to the guild. Simply because we’re pretty relaxed and mellow and we gel realyl well with each other. It only takes one asshole to come in and start causing static for the entire mood to go tits up. There are few things irritating than having a new person start talking shit or complaining. I find it (and it’s been working great so far) that I get better quality players and PEOPLE when I spend some time either doing heroics, questing, maybe even raiding in a pug with them before asking if they want to join up. Normally they have such a good time that the answer is obvious. Other time it takes along while. But in the end you’ve got a solid partner with you that will be there when you need them.
Be patient!
The content isn’t impossible hard, it’s actually really easy; but that doesn’t mean your group is going to 1-shot every boss. If you ran Naxxramas with a pug and you just manhandled and pwned the instance, that doesn’t mean you’ll get the same results with your own group. Always lead the raid as if you were explaining something for the first time. Don’t hold people up to standards that aren’t fair. And always keep in mind that you’ll eventually get it.
Explain loot rules everytime until everybody else can recite it like a fucking mantra.
KISS. Keep It Simple Stupid. If these were 40-man raids then I’d love DKP. But those days are long gone. If you’re in a raiding guild where you don’t know anybody and you’re all just numbers in a fucking monstrosity of 250+ members, then DKP works. But I think those kinds of setups are bullshit. Defeats the purpose of a guild in my eyes. I want to know who I am giving loot to, and for those that aren’t yet 100% familiar, it’s always good to cover your ass.
Random roll, class/main-spec priority, one epic per person unless otherwise sharded/given to off-spec.
This means that when an item drops, the winner is determined by /random. It goes to a main spec player. So the holy priest gets priority on the MP5/Spirit item over the elemental shaman. The tanking plate with shield block goes to the protection warrior over the ret. paladin. Now if the item is otherwise going to be sharded or be rolled off for off-spec, then it’s fair game for anybody that can honestly use it or is trying to build an off-spec set. One epic per player is a wonderful way to discourage loot whores. People can cry me a river if they get an upgrade and then another drops that would be an amazing piece of loot! Too bad you won something already you’re at the bottom of the list unless nobody else wants it and we’re going to end up sharding or off-specing it. Many times people forget that you can get just as good gear in heroic 5-mans as you can in 10-man raids. The difference between Naxx gear and heroic epics is almost unnoticeable in many cases.
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