Progression Raiding - What do you look for?Follow

So, due to some strange convergence of coincidences I'm faced with some choices to make in regard to continued raiding into t6/SWP. My question to you guys is what do you look for in a serious raid group? What qualities/attitudes/policies/etc are most vital, and which don't really matter?

I've been looking around for anecdotes and such but mostly what I'm finding is "QQ, my Kara group sucks" or long-winded debates between DKP and Loot Council. Not really helping me out. What I'm curious about is how you other progression raiders value different aspects of the raid groups. Any advice, stories, fables, short-fiction, etc appreciated.

Thanks in advance and cheers!

*edit: grammer/spelling

Edited, Sep 8th 2008 2:29pm by TherionSaysWhat

I loathe and despise those who can't do easy **** like ghosts on the second try at the lastest and everyone else is cool.

Most PvE is laughably easy on an individual basis, though, so qualities I'd look for: not a prima donna, dependable, not totally retarded.

I don't necessarily want the people who are only there to get the loot and get it now. Getting loot is certainly part of raiding, but it can't be the overall attitude. Those kinds of players are the ones who will usually find a way to pass the buck on to somebody else when wipes happen, and they're easily frustrated to the point that they shut out any advice, helpful or otherwise, and get locked in stone about what they know they should be doing.

I'd say the best attribute to have in any raider is the willingness to admit when you make mistakes, and the willingness to put forth the effort to correct them. Sometimes this simply isn't enough (gear requirements, bad talent specs, intermittent internet connection, etc.), but it's certainly number one on my list.

I agree and disagree with some of the other points made, so I'll just jot down a few quick things I look for.

1)An established guild(i.e. longevity)-How long has the guild been around? Normally guilds that were formed at the beginning of TBC and are still raiding tend to last longer, and can withstand setbacks.

2)Leadership - Are the people in charge competent enough to run a raid, and run it efficiently, without being complete dbags.

3)Loot - I'm not here to lie, and noone here can tell me any differently, were all in it for the loot(dont get me wrong, the camaraderie is nice and all, but who wants to raid in blues?)As long as I have an equal chance of getting loot I'm fine...and by equal I mean, no buddy-buddy loot(*****) council BS.

4)Fun - I raided in a guild from kara to MH/BT and by the time I realized wtf was going on, I found out I wasn't having any fun. The guild I'm in now is pretty much the complete opposite, we have fun ALL the time, but know when to be serious for encounters...well the ones that require attn anyways. :)

5)Last...and DEFINITELY not least...the 95% rule. If 95% of the guild is not comprised of morons(ppl who can do constructs, not die to fires/volcanoes/blah blah blah), it's usually a winner.

Wrong.

No, I don't laugh at people when they don't take loot. There are a lot of mitigating factors that can make someone pass on loot.

For instance when I was raiding I was top rogue DPS with the least amount of gear; the other rogues with more DKP (which is a stupid system, but I won't get into that) would all pass on drops that I could use so that it would bump up rDPS more.

We were on ROS at the time, so having rDPS get a larger bump (as I usually had more time on target etc) was what the guild needed, and luckily all the rogues in my guild are smart.

Gear is not a goal, it's only a tool.

If there are intelligent people in raid group, people who know that raiding is not only one man show but raiding is about teamplay, then there shouldn't be loot whores in that group. Of course world isn't perfect and there always will be someone in raid for loot.

In my previous guild we raided only MH and BT (4/9, tries on Bloodboil) and for 3 weeks I got one item (shoulders from Naj'entus). But i learnt that gear is only a tool so I can play better in further raids and my raiding team are bit stronger because of that.

Now I am in very casual raiding guild and we are doing T5 content now (sometimes we go to T6 with people from other guilds). I know I am probably one of the best geared in that guild but I knew that when I decided to apply there. There are rogues with worse gear than me, but I find it nice that I can help them to gear up, tell them how to play better in raids, what gems put in gear, what enchants to use and so on. I want to help those people and prepare them for WotLK (we want to do 10man raids in WotLK, and 25man raids with other guilds).
So right now we want in guild people that can be trusted, people who are helpfull, intelligent, and they aren't for loot but for fun playing together in raids. In WotLK we will use loot system that will give everyone 1 item before someone else will get second item (so we are gearing everyone, not just few or those who have best luck on rolls).
Slightly OT but meh. :P

If an entire guild has the mindset of "I care most about loot, progression comes second" they will never see Brutallus. If loot is a guild's number one priority, they will be the ones still farming badge gear week after week, going 5/6 SSC and 3/4 TK and 4/5 Hyjal and 3/9 BT because they just want the most loot in the shortest amount of time. They don't want to do the hard bosses like Vashj and Kael. I have seen this countless times on my realm and I'm sure it's no different elsewhere.

As a matter of fact, I think this decision, whether to make loot or progression a priority, is the single most important factor in how far a guild will ultimately progress.

1. Groups who are ready to go at the scheduled time
2. Groups who know the fight strats and can stick to the battle plan without argueing every little point ad nauseum
3. Groups that get serious about the hard stuff and have fun on the easy stuff
4. Fair loot distribution
5. FUN FUN FUN people who like to do this for fun.

I've recently joined a very organized raiding guild and I've noticed the following:

1) There's always a fundamental group of leaders who know all about each fight and are willing to teach others how to best treat their class towards each boss/run. If you don't do what they ask or listen properly, you will be escorted out of the raid and soon after, the guild. They are usually tough, but aren't a-holes.

2) There are leaders for each class in place for a reason and not just to mouth off how much "you suck or your gear blows"... I've spent a lot of money getting my gear to optimize dps accordingly to the raids I'm eligible for. The head rogue in my guild knows his **** and has helped me TONS on getting dps up. I listen and learn and now I'm much better at raiding.

3) All raids are useful. Take everything you can get. It's all experience. Learn the fights, learn the class more... the gear will come with more inclusion in the raids.

4) People are cool for the most part and DKP is common, even though I hate it. I'm a casual player and DKP sucks for me because of that, but that's the way of things often.

5) My spec and gear and for dps. I spec what is needed. I stopped arguing a LONG time ago on this. Just do what you're asked and you'll be better, period.

That's my 2 cents.